La Casa del Abuelo

ROBO A MANO ARMADA. El viernes enteramos mi pareja y yo a conocer la taberna, pedimos dos vinos blancos verdejo, servido en mini vasitos, vino caliente y una cazuelita con 16 gambas al ajillo, según ellos, doble cazuelita y nos cobraron 27.30 euritos. Sinceramente me pareció carisimo en relación calidad-precio. No se si nos vieron cara de extrangeros, pero somos de Madrid y desde luego no pienso repetir. Los camareros muy desagradables, deseando que nos fuéraamos para ocupar la mesita, de hecho ya teníamos alli a unos clientes esperando a que pagáramos para irnos.

My wife loved the place. we were here with part of madrid tour. She was happy. This place is know for its shrimp.

A must in Madrid! I went on a food tour and they took us here to try the shrimp. I had been drinking a lot by then, but I definitely remembered this place because it was so damn good! She ordered the shrimp in the garlic heavenly oily goodness and it was just unbelievable. I will definitely go back to try the other shrimps on the menu! Also, this place has a plaque in the front meaning they’ve been around for over 100 years, so they definitely know what they’re doing! Just amazing.

I thought the food was decent but the place is a bit overpriced considering it’s Madrid. My friend and I paid around 50 Euros for a somewhat decent meal. The fish stew/​soup (sitting in an open pot) was really good but the squid, shrimp etc was just ok, nothing special. I guess it’s reasonable for the charge because it’s got a obvious and convenient location.

This place had really great Tapas. I went twice during a 5 day trip. The house wine was great and quite reasonable. First meal we had garlic shrimp, mushrooms, lomito, and calamari. It all rocked. The seconds meal I had the tomato salad. It was close to perfect.

Great place for team dinner. Great cervesa con limon and wine selections. Tapas were excellent!

This places servers only prawns or shrimps, and they purport to specialize in it. Sadly, it appears to me they’ve been a victim of their tourist success (mentioned as a place to try both online and on multiple print books). Within a one block radius, there are three store fronts to lure people in.
I had three things here — beer, grilled prawns, and Gambas Al Ajillo. The prawns came out lightly battered, lukewarm, under seasoned, and overcooked — a combination that ensured the dish was a disaster.
The Gambas Al Ajillo, overcooked shrimp in a tasty garlic sauce. The garlic sauce was spot on, the shrimp on the other hand was rubber — more so than a chew toy. Such a shame.
The saving grace of the meal was the ice cold .5L beer.

Very very very OVERPRICED!!! They were supposedly known for their shrimp so we came here expecting great shrimp. We ordered the garlic shrimp and the red shrimp. Even though I pointed to the giant shrimp picture in Unilocal for the waiter to make sure we get the right kind. But nope! We got the very wimpy and small red shrimp that looked nothing like the picture. It was expensive for this quality of shrimp at 18 euros. Next door at Alhambra, you get shrimps twice as big for 9 euros, for the same amount of shrimps! The garlic shrimp was done scampi style sizzling and was very good. The shrimp used for that were bay shrimps. The reason I gave them 3 star was b/​c the garlic shrimp was good, albeit still over-​priced!

I have never felt so unsatisfied and regretful leaving a restaurant. We were craving for garlic shrimps and grill prawns so we came here. We ordered only three dishes and our bill total was 45 €. Grilled prawns alone was 18 € with the size of the prawns being so small. The garlic shrimps was salty.
Needless to say, we were happy customers.

Great old tapas bar specializing in Gambas al ajillo (shrimps in garlicky oil and chilly).
While in Madrid I went to this place after friends recommendation.
Shrimps were totally delicious and accompanied by a piece of bread just awesome. Don’t forget to dip the bread in the delicious garlicky oil.
The only reason I give it a 4 star rating instead of 5 is the price.
I believe it is a bit higher than It should be and 10,90 euros for a small ramekin is quite exaggerated.
The reason is that this place has been recommended by many travel bloggers, Rick Steves, Lonely Planet guides etc. which allowed the restaurant to put such a high price.
Overall it is a must try while in Madrid but I would not go back because almost all tapas bars are serving this infamous dish for a much lower price.

La Casa del Abuelo is amazing!!! It truly was the highlight of my mini tapas crawl while in Madrid. I had the red shrimp on the plancha and the garlic shrimp. The shrimp on the plancha was alright, not really anything memorable. But the garlic shrimp!!! OMG I don’t know what they did to that sauce to make it so unbelievably remarkable especially since it seems to be such a simple sauce (it must be the amazing ingredients), but I soaked up every last drop of it with my bread and immediately lusted for more. Yea, the shrimp are small, but to me, the shrimp isn’t what you are ordering the dish for, ironically lol. I went with my father. He doesn’t like shrimp (some sort of traumatizing experience when he was younger or something) so he got the gazpacho and he was blown away. I had a taste of it and no other gazpacho that I have ever had even comes close. It was unbelievably fresh and vibrant. My dad still gushes over it. We also had sangrias and they were the best ones that we had while we were in Madrid (and we did try A LOT, just for educational purposes of course). All in all, La casa del Abuelo is a fabulous place and you will be doing your trip an injustice if you don’t stop by here.

We arrived right before they closed and I thought they really didn’t want us there but I was wrong. Very friendly and welcoming. We had the had the Langostinos. They were superb. Picked off the heads and eat the rest, she’ll and all. The salty seasoning was perfect. Also had the sizzling shrimp and garlic. Don’t be afraid to ask for more bread to soak up the juice. Had the vermouth on tap and was pleasantly surprised. My wife wants to go back tomorrow for more. It’s a must if you are in the area. Not the cheapest but the best.

This is a place it’s difficult to avoid, as it’s one of the most famous tapas bars in Madrid.
It’s basically a «been there, done that» place. So yes, YOU HAVE to come here while visiting Spain’s capital city. And have the garlic shrimp.
So what can you add to all other review? Nothing much, yes the dish is a bit small, yes shrimps are small, yes it is damn delicious.
I mean, why are you even reading this review? wanna stay in one of the most traditional tapas bar in Madrid, eating delicious food? No brain, you have to come here.
And sunk your bread in the garlic sauce, that amount of butttery-​garlicky sauce must not be wasted!

After visiting a few tapas places, you learn what to order at eat. Every place is known for something and Casa Abuela is definitely known for their garlic shrimp! It’s about 10.50 euro for the tastiest small shrimp swimming in garlic. Make sure to get a side of bread to dip into the garlic concoction. The grilled prawns were really good too!
Abuela has 2 locations because that’s how good they are. They are exactly across the street from each other so if you want to stand and eat you can go to the OG location. If you want to sit down, go across the street. They also have their own house wine.

Two restaurants opposite of each other. Little bit pricy, but classic. Spanish clientèle. Specialized in Gambas per piece and per sort. Sizzling hot also in garlic. Sip your bread in it and enjoy.

Excellent Resto de tapas près de la place des sol.
En fait il y a trois maisons dans la même rue, la plus ancienne c’est la cuisine, mais on y mange debout très convivial. La plus sympa est celle sur le coin avec sa petite terrasse. Les tapas sont vraiment bon et d’un prix très raisonnable.

I usually do not like to give poor reviews but given the very high rating for this restaurant, I felt that I have to review this restaurant. This was our 6^th day in Spain (Barcelona before Madrid). All the restaurants that we went to were good to very good.
The two problems I had with this restaurant was that it was much too salty and expensive. We ordered the Shrimp in garlic (which is pretty much what everyone will order in this place) as well as Grilled Shrimp. Both of these two dishes were much too salty. The shrimp in garlic was about 12 Euro and as most of the pictures shows are very small shrimps. The grilled shrimp was 20 Euro for 12 small shrimps. All the other tapas restaurants that I have been to serves much larger shrimps for less money.
I think this is a tourist trap for people who are close to Puerta de Sol.

Habíamos quedado para cenar en este lugar porque nos pillaba bien a todos y porque, tras ver su página web, decidimos que era apto para el vegetariano del grupo. Cuando llegamos nos dijeron que no tenían nuestra reserva a pesar de que yo la tenía confirmada por escrito; por suerte no era una noche fuerte y había sitio.
En su carta tienen cuatro tipos de vino diferente: el de la casa (dulce), Toro (el más caro), Ribera y Rioja (el más barato). Pedí un Rivera y me dijeron que no tenían, que solo el dulce o el de Toro; pedí el de Toro rasgándome las vestiduras, aunque por suerte no era de los que hay que cortar con cuchillo.
A la hora de pedir la comida nos dijeron que solo tenían gambas en diferentes tamaños y otras cosas similares, que no tienen cocina propia y que el local que tiene el resto de cosas anunciadas en su web (tortillas, patatas bravas, etc.) es uno adyacente que, para más inri, estaba cerrado. Total, que tras esta serie de catastróficas desdichas cogimos nuestras cosas y nos fuimos bastante descontentos.
No tenían la reserva. No tenían el vino. No tenían la comida de la carta de su página web. No me volverán a tener de cliente.

I have to say that this place is by far one of my favorite restaurants in Madrid. We had the sangria which was great. The waitress told us she made it light, but would add more wine if we wanted, which we did, and she did. We started off with the gambas al ajillo with bread and it was so dang delicious. By far one of the tastiest dishes I’ve had in my life. We had the grilled pink prawns which were also really good. The fried prawns were nommm and we finished off the meal with the shellfish stew (I was ready to order a second bowl). It was one of the best meals I’ve had in this city. This place is a must if you’re in Madrid!!!

Fui con la ruta de tapas de Madrid Food Tours para la única cosa que hacen — sus gambas al ajillo. Vale la pena. Están buenísimas, y los bartenders son muy simpáticos, hasta ir a la casa de uno de ellos para recoger espárragos para mi mujer vegetariana. Volveremos!

Pardon me, but this review is a few years late (2011)…I was doing some spring cleaning and found their post card. I remember this restaurant in Madrid, I was so impressed I took their postcard to remember when we returned home.
So finally, here we are but better late than never.
To this day, my favorite restaurant in Spain (have visited 4 different cities), FYI. We came here on a recommendation from a friend and we went out of our way in Madrid just to have dinner.
Our entire party was so impressed with the food, ambience, and service. This is a true Madrid restaurant and not a tourist trap, so please come and eat here to get the local vibe and culture.
As the previous reviews, the garlic shrimp is a MUST HAVE. The food just sizzles and full of flavor, absolutely brilliant.
If you are in Madrid, make sure you come here or your trip was a waste.

Gambas al ajillo riquísimas. Lo único malo es que es un poco caro. Al menos el sitio es auténtico.

Ok so yea I went here for the shrimps on garlic.
That’s what it was shrimps in garlic, you’ve seen the photo the shrimps are small, but very tasty in the sauce.
I really don’t understand people who probably read this Unilocal review saw a million photos of the shrimp in garlic then complained how small the shrimp was.
It’s delicious, dip your bread in the sauce. The service is friendly, if you can read this review (and many others) and saw the pictures (as a large percentage are of the garlic shrimp dish) and still a after wrote a review of how small the shrimps were and upset you were… Get a stronger prescription for your glasses or contacts, or get a refund from whoever did your laser eye surgery.
Otherwise enjoy the yummy flavor, worth a visit though not a bucket list food item.

Casa del Abuelo (Sol). Producto bueno (aunque yo diría que el aceite de los fritos estaba un poco viejo), servicio deficiente, además cobraron el pan que no pedimos, y eso me jode mucho. Servilletas de zig-​zag de las malas y tuvimos que pedir los tenedoresque se les olvidaron. Punto negativo para el mesón.

Their gambas al ajillo are absolutely excellent, their gambas a la plancha are also excellent. I ran across this restaurant quite by accident — got lost in the maze of streets. However, I’m so glad I made that wrong turn! I went to their smaller restaurant, they also own a larger sit down restaurant right across the street. The chef was so nice, took the time to explain everything in the menu, and I enjoyed watching him make our meal right on stove /​grill behind their front window. I went back twice more after my first time and got the gambas al ajillo every time and enzymes every last bite. Would not hesitate to go back the next time I am in Madrid!

BELIEVE THE HYPE, IT’S REAL.
I’ll start off by pointing out the one and ONLY «con» of this place — that the shrimp size of the garlic shrimps is small. That’s it. (But I tried this dish several times at other restaurants in Spain and they don’t even come CLOSE in comparison… and the shrimps were all tiny; so I am led to believe that’s just how the dish is suppose to be).
With that out of the way, I can go on to rave about how amazing everything else is…
1) Obviously, I ordered the «gambas al ajillo» aka garlic shrimp for 9.90 euros. They give you free bread to dip in the HEAVENLY garlic sauce and yummmm ugh I’m drooling just thinking about it. They definitely didn’t skimp & let you taste that delicious garlic-​ness. This is probably the most bread I willingly consumed in one meal on our entire trip (asked for seconds, yes… wanted to get every last drip of that sauce).
2) Also couldn’t help but order the «Langostinos Plancha» aka grilled prawns for a hefty 17.50 euros. Fresh prawns have that slightly chewy texture (rather than dull, mushy texture of cheap/​old shrimp), and this one definitely hit the spot. Very delicious although the flavor didn’t stand out quite as much as the garlic shrimp plate did (forgivable, I don’t think anything could taste that amazing anymore).
3) Vino: OMG you MUST get the vino here! At first I got a glass of Sangria and it was yummy but wasn’t spectacular or special. The vino has a rich, oak-​y taste and it’s sweet without being overbearing. I loved it so much I actually took the chance and purchased TWO bottles of it to bring back to the States. Yes… wrapped the babies up in my bath towels & prayed they wouldn’t break — turned out I was lucky! Each bottle was only about 9 euros, talk about amaze-​ball pricing!
I loved this place so much I came twice during my 10 day trip in Spain. The first time was the day after I arrived in Madrid. The second time was the last day in Spain before leaving for the States.
Note: You eat standing up unless you can find seats outside at their 2^nd location across the street 20 feet away. Not sure why they set it up so there are two buildings right across the street from each other, but again… why not? ;)
Anyways, I highly recommend checking this place out if you’re in Madrid. No regrets!

La Casa del Abuelo podría ser otro de mis indispensables de la zona. Y digo podría, porque se ha dejado seducir por las billeteras de los turistas. Y es que, por muy deliciosas que sean, 15 gambas con aceite de oliva, ajo, guindilla y perejil no deberían costar casi 10 eurazos. Me parece una barbaridad.
Claro, que el sitio tiene solera, es pintón y tiene ese aroma castizo y clásico que tanto me gusta y que se da en cada vez menos bares de Madrid, pero se han pasado.
Le pongo tres estrellas porque el local me ha gustado mucho, la atención del camarero fue excelente y porque estuve muy a gusto. Además ya sabía cuánto costaban las gambas antes de pedirlas, pero creo que son esas cosas «que hay que hacer una vez en la vida». Eso sí, una vez y ya.

Uno de de los sitios con mas solera de Madrid, más de 100 años funcionando. Están especializados en gambas, langostinos y carabineros.
De las mejores gambas al ajillo que he probado en Madrid. Además tienen unos vinos propios que están muy ricos y venden las botellas.
El sitio tiene unos buenos precios, aunque sin ser baratos.

Dicen que La Casa del Abuelo es una visita obligada en Madrid, y yo puedo corroborarlo. No soy muy fan de las gambas, pero aquí las ponen la mar de ricas, y me gustaron tanto que hasta estuve mojando la salsa. Es más, si no se me llega a acabar el pan, no hubiera dejado ni una gota. Las sirven en una cazuelita de barro, condimentadas con ajo, guindilla y aceite de oliva, y llegan a tu mesa hirviendo, así que mejor esperar un poco antes de hincarles el diente. Además las hacen al lado de la barra del bar, así que puedes ver al cocinero durante el proceso. Eso sí, como contrapartida se te pega un poco el olor a gambas a la ropa, pero es un mal menor.
Para acompañar, un chato de vino generoso de la casa, que es tan popular que si lo deseas puedes comprar una botella y llevártela a casa.
Volveré y le daré una oportunidad al resto de platos, aunque son todos de gambas o de sus parientes (langostino, cigala, langosta, etc).
Como curiosidad tengo que decir que este bar pertenece a la asociación de tabernas y restaurantes centenarios de Madrid, que sólo tiene 12 miembros. Cuando te apetezca darte una vuelta por el Madrid más tradicional, éste es un buen sitio.

El amigo de un amigo, soriano residente en Madrid, observando nuestra sevillanísima forma de disfrutar a pie de barra, nos recomendó esta del Abuelo en la calle Victoria, muy cerca de la Puerta del Sol.
No es barata y en ella solo pueden comerse gambas en sus distintas variantes (lo cual para mí no es ningún aliciente), pero tiene personalidad y su vino embotellado, aunque algo dulzón, se deja beber.
Pertenece a ese elenco encantador de tabernas centenarias de la capital de España, por lo que cuando ando por allí, mi visita para regar la plaza con un par de chatos se ha convertido en imprescindible.

Resulta que yo tenía una amiga de Zaragoza a la que un amigo de Madrid le llevó a este sitio. Y se aficionó. De tal manera que tengo que llevarla una botella de vino a Zaragoza, siempre que voy.
Porque el vino es «suyo». Y te le embotellan, como antaño.
Un consejo: esto es como el mar, pero más guarro. Si sois de las que os gusta el orden y la limpieza, no miréis al suelo.

Un restaurante que ha durado más de cien años no tiene que demostrar nada más. Este lugar lo conocí en una de las primeras noches que pasé en Madrid. Me habían convencido de que iban a ser las mejores gambas al ajillo haya probado antes.
El lugar es pequeño, por lo menos esta sucursal porque ya cuenta con varias, ni siquiera tienen sillas, sólo unas cuantas mesas altas para picar algo. No tienen carta de comida, sólo sus diferentes especialidades que son todas relacionadas con gambas o familiares; a la plancha, al ajillo, gabardina, croquetas, langostinos a la plancha y banderillas del mismo.
Este lugar debe ser una parada obligada para todo turista. Es el mejor lugar para empezar un recorrido de tapas. No se trata de pasar todo el día ahí, simplemente media hora o menos, un par de vinos, unas gambas al ajillo y unas a la plancha, un poco de pan para remojar en el aceite y a seguir el camino.
Son muy recomendables las gambas de El Abuelo, aunque el precio es bastante elevado para las pequeñas raciones que te dan y la falta de sillas.

El personal se dirige a este lugar centenario, y casi en exclusiva, a comer gambas. Y las gambas se consumen por tanto en cantidades industriales y se preparan de maneras muy específicas; las más populares a la plancha y al ajillo, platos regados con unos chatos de vino (generoso como ellos dicen) envasados con solera pero demasiado dulces para nuestro gusto.
Sus tarifas no son alarmantes, pero no son de las más económicas dentro de la fórmula tabernera. Suponemos que es el precio por ser un local tan exitoso (se pone hasta arriba), por contar con tanta enjundia y por haber tenido entre sus clientes a tipos tan universales como Andy Warhol. Los abuelos han crecido hasta llegar a ser tres; uno de ellos al ladito del original, el otro en la calle Goya.

Rico rico y sabor de los de siempre. Este tradicional bar de la capital mantiene su éxito desde hace décadas ofreciendo gambas a diestro y siniestro: al ajillo, a la plancha, con gabardina (espectaculares estás últimas, no os vayáis sin darles un tiento), y también langostinos y carabineros para los bolsillos un poco más rellenos de billetes. Y ya está, aparte de esto sirven pocas cosas más, están muy especializados, y no necesitan ampliar su carta, tal y como está ya tiene el éxito garantizado. Su vinos dulces también son todo un clásico, y muchos personajes ilustres han pasado por esta barra a probarlos. Dicen que hasta Warhol se dejaba agasajar por los manjares del abuelo en sus visitas a Madrid. ¿Quiénes somos nosotros para contradecir a Warhol?

Dicen que son las mejores gambas al ajillo de Madrid. Son dos locales, uno en frente del otro, y aunque siempre están hasta arriba y los precios son un poco altos, no echarse para atrás, estar un poco apretujados merece la pena pasarse para tomarse un buen vino y unas cañas acompañadas de unas muy buenas gambas. Lo ideal es ir prontito y entre semana, para evitar las aglomeraciones propias de Madrid en los fines de semana.

Vinos y gambas. Esa es la receta de más de un siglo de éxito en un modesto bar de los de antes, lleno hasta la bandera, barra metálica y el gusto por hacer las cosas bien. Gambas al ajillo, con gabardina o a la plancha… riquísimas, siempre de la mano de un vinito dulce y a seguir con la marcha. Gente de todas las edades y a todas horas hace un alto en el camino para volver a saborear lo bueno, lo de siempre. Pese haber abierto varios locales por todo Madrid, me cuesta despegarme del primero, del auténtico, el que frecuentase Andy Warhol y mi abuelo a la vuelta de Cortilandia. Los que no aprecien una alfombra hecha con cabezas de gamba, no creo que disfruten de este sitio, pero por si acaso, es mejor juzgarlo uno mismo.