Casa Benigna

Wow what a gem! The smoked salmon and mushrooms for starters were amazing. We also had the seafood paella and short rib paella — hands down the best paella I’ve ever had in my life (and I’ve tried a lot!). Staff is incredible. Very attentive, accommodating, and friendly. We were lucky enough to have lunch here without a reservation. Will definitely be back next time we are in Madrid!

What a wonderful place to enjoy the best possible paella. In a country full of friendly, fun places, this might have been the most on both scores. A dining room lined with cookbooks and mementos serves host to an incredibly helpful and friendly waitstaff who will keep you engaged and laughing all night long. And the food is pure artistry — from the starters, to their own olive oil, to the wonderful paellas/​patellas. Our group shared a pair of starters and two incredible patellas — Patella del Mar with shrimp, squid, and lobster, and Patella de la Sierra with pork ribs, and jamón. All washed down with a delicious Rioja. A wonderful, enjoyable evening for all five of us.

The food was increasable. The ambiance was wonderful. One of the best culinary experiences in Spain. Would defiantly come back every time we are in Madrid.

Best paella in town! One of my friend recommenced this restaurant to me and described as the paella from the heaven. From my personal experience, it is absolutely truth. We are a group of 3 and we ordered two appetizers, salmon and mushroom, fantastic jobs! Regarding to seafood paella, we had 3 portions and it was just enough though I could have more since it is that good! Please try it if you are in town and please remember to make a reservation.

Absolutely phenomenal experience. We were greeted by the owners and Norberto’s mother is soooo sweet. Feels like you walked into your grandmother’s house and food was made with love and care. The paellas or Patellas as they have called it were incredible. Each of the appetizers was exquisite. The owner sent over salmon and later dessert on the house when he knew it was our first time there. Five stars for food, service, and overall quality!

Went based on the rave reviews posted on Unilocal and it did not disappoint. The owner himself greeted us at the door and once seated went on to tell us about himself and his passion for making paella. The seafood and pork paellas we had were really incredible and the sangria might be the best I’ve ever had. For appetizer the owner bought us a smoked salmon on the house that was simply amazing. The location is outside the normal tourist area in a residential neighborhood slightly north east of central Madrid. (I think if my sense of direction is correct). We stayed by the US embassy and easily walked the 1.3 miles to the location and back as we really needed the walk after all we had eaten.
Highly recommend this place to all and know that I will definitely be back again.

Wow. Easily our best meal in Madrid — a city filled with great meals. They do cater to tourists from all their Unilocal and Tripadvisor reviews, but they do a great job of personalizing the experience for you. The staff takes a lot of pride in the food and service and go above and beyond to make your night special. We saw some local repeat guests, which is always a nice sign. The paella was the best I’ve had. The duck appetizer was out of this world. The complimentary salmon dish was very good too. I can’t think of a single negative to nitpick about. They even gave us a jar with some saffron threads to commemorate our experience. This place is well worth the taxi from wherever you’re staying. Go, go, go… just save a table for me!

Simply amazing! Inspired by every dish we experienced: house smoked salmon, roasted aubergine with duck confit and seafood paella. The service was exceptional.

If you want paella in Madrid this is it. The guy who started this place is some sort of paella mad man on a quest to make high quality paella that meets all of the characteristic standards. I didn’t know this but apparently you’re supposed to be able to turn a paella pan sideways. All your sideways paella pan dreams come true here.
The place is very small and seems like a home on the inside due to the décor. Make a reservation or roll the dice. Yes, the operating hours do stop around 4 and resume at like 930pm. They have a good selection of wines as well as paellas along with starters and desserts.
As some reviews already said it’s on a random small street without a lot of signage and we did have to knock. All is worth it and they’ll call you a cab on your way back.

Off the beaten tourist track but well worth the cab ride. Don’t be fooled by the dark windows and locked door– use the knocker!
Warm, cosy, attentive banter with the owner Norberto was a delightful prelude to a wonderful evening. Some excellent poached salmon and tomato salad to start followed by ethereal paella, cooked traditionally (Norberto is from Valencia). My only gripe was that I was steered towards the house wine which to paraphrase Norberto was ‘easy to drink, easy to forget’. I would have preferred something memorable.
Overall, an excellent choice for authentic paella in Madridd, plus a memorable evening with excellent care and service.

The paella is incredible, the service is phenomenal, and the traditional plates are great. Love the setting and the tranquility. Great family restaurant or date place. One of the best places in Madrid.

Dinner
Not easy finding great paella (comparable to those in Valencia) in Madrid accroding to many. This place is out of the way from the city centre, but worth it. Even their starters are fab especially the smoked salmon.
Food, service, value, ambience: ⁵⁄₅
Repeat: Yes!
Recommend making a reservation, otherwise try to go early I.e. Before 8pm. Mostly locals, so should be ok.

Excellent place, the real deal, don’t miss it
Espectacular, sencillo y único, no se lo pierdan

First off, the service from the moment we arrived was impeccable which made the entire evening fabulous. We had the seafood and smoked pork rib paella and they were both delicious. Smoked salmon which we had as an appetizer, was amazing as well. Their olive oil had a very fresh, high quality scent and taste. We finished it off with the sorbet (secret: add the balsamic vinegar to the sorbet and thank me later). Again, I can’t say enough about the service from the wait staff who were very attentive and the manager was very cordial; you can just feel his passion for the restaurant as he explained everything about our dishes and the restaurant very thoroughly. This was the best dining experience I’ve had in Europe and I’ve been everywhere.

This place is amazing. The service is very responsive and the paella valencia is as close to the two thing as you can get in Madrid.

Excellent food, we were extremely impressed by the Smoked salmon (a must!),
Please try the different types of arroces, you will not be disappointed.
In general, is a place with high quality and reasonable price

Best service I have had in my life! I would have been more happy with the paella if it wasnt for the hype. The starter was ok and the chocolate dessert was really good. I recommend the place due to service and atmosphere.

This tucked away restaurant had me at «hello»! We had to knock on the beautiful old door to get in. Norberto was so gracious and took great care of us. The décor is absolutely charming and meaningful. Norberto told us the stories and history of each item. The entire meal was amazing, best paella ever! I’m telling everyone I know to go here! What a way to end our amazing trip to Spain!

Met up with a local friend for lunch at Casa Benigna. The paella was outstanding, as well as the starters. You need to knock on the door to be let into the restaurant… wonderful atmosphere.

Es un restaurante Mediterráneo atípico. Está regentado por Norberto Jorge, un chef alicantino con proyección internacional. El solo hecho de ir es toda una experiencia. Una puerta de madera a la que tendrás que llamar y te abrirá una señora (su madre de 87 años) muy agradable que te dará paso a su casa. Por la decoración así lo parece.
La sala es pequeña (imprescindible reservar) y el mismo Norberto te atenderá y compartirá contigo sus pasiones: los aceites de oliva y el arroz. Su especialidad es el arroz en patela, un recipiente inventado por él mismo que permite cocinar el arroz en una fina capa, potenciando el sabor al máximo. La de marisco es deliciosa. El resto del menú está siempre condicionado al mercado principalmente Mediterráneo con algún toque nórdico (tiene restaurante en Oslo) y muchos detalles, como la cata de aceites, el atún de almadraba o los mini croissants con mini tazas de chocolate (foto).
Perfecto para pegarse un homenaje pero prepara la VISA, es caro, aunque merece la pena. ¡Un día es un día!

Especialidad mediterránea
Este restaurante tiene una fachada curiosa. A primera vista, parece que vas a entrar en una tienda de componentes electrónicos, pero en el interior se puede ver la decoración al estilo mediterráneo. Tiene un ambiente increíble, muy distendido, incluso a veces se puede ver a alguien tocando una guitarra. El precio se podría decir que es normal hablando de un restaurante, el menú sale por unas 4000ptas, pero eso sí, si puedes comer algo más, es que no perteneces a este mundo.