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Churreria Madrid
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Dessert
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
17 reviews for Churreria Madrid
Three stars is just about right. I would not eat dinner at this restaurant, though I have in the past. It seems, as some reviewers attest, to be the kind of place that used to be good. The chicken was not cooked appropriately. I wouldn't even know how to render judgment on the "sauce."
If not for the churros, this place would get one, or maybe two, stars. The dessert service in general leaves the impression that one has visited two restaurants of wildly differing quality.
All this said, I'm not sure how many among us find ourselves in Adams Morgan with no greater desires than a plate of churros. But, hey, now you know.
Owned by a Spanish family, with the husband and wife in the kitchen cooking up traditional Spanish fare. An upper dining room with white table cloth and window tables overlooking Adams Morgan. A churreria, a very special bakery that produces a chocolate-dipped dessert strictly to recipe.
That's where the fairy tale ends. Walking in on a weekend a little early for dinner places you in the sad bar with a young skimpily dressed woman behind the counter, and an old man on a stool sipping a fruity cocktail leering at her. Pitiful.
We escape upstairs, and despite the tacky furniture, are excited to be at this place. Questions about the menu are met with exact repetitions of the menu. No worries: we order a special, a traditional item, and a pitcher of sangria.
What arrives can be best described as microwaved canned food. Forget bay leaves, the black beans don't even have salt. Nor does the corn. There's a terrible "sauce" on the entrees. Fries are crinkle-cut from the frozen section. The only high-point is the mushrooms: perfectly sauteed, slightly crispy on the outside. Too bad they're tasteless white buttons. The sangria is miserable.
We were so disappointed with the food we skipped the famous dessert. I wouldn't be a good judge of authentic churros anyway. If you know your churros, let me know what you think.
I really wanted to like this place. I kept trying all through dinner. Luckily, the sorry state of cuisine in our hip metro area means they will keep putting food on the table. It looks nice from the outside if you squint just right.
If you want mid-priced Spanish food, go to Jaleo downtown. If you want really good sangria, go to Taberna. If you want great churros, go to Spain?
Mediocre would be a compliment for the food. There are no words for the icky atmosphere. I lived in Madrid for a while, I love dives, and I'll eat just about anything. I'm very fond of foods I cannot identify. It is not me who has the problem here -- this place just stinks, and literally, too.
I give a star for the wine ordered and a star for the garlic shrimp appetizer. Then again, how can anyone mess up garlic and butter? Minus one star (and that's merciful) for the persistent smell of moldly mop and wood cleaner, dead animal, or whatever the hell that funky smell was that added insult to the experience of the really, really bad food. I have no idea why a window was not opened upstairs prior to our sitting down. My mariscos were rubbery. Alex's steak was completely marbled, just a terrible cut of meat. Our server was really nice, but I have no idea how he makes ends meet working there. There was only one other table seated during peak dining hours for the entire time that we were there.
So NOT good! I went there with a friend when I was severly hung over. I can't even remember what I ordered; clearly it was nothing special. I did order a Coke to help my stomach. They brought it out in a can; it was flat and then I noticed it was expired. When I asked for another, same deal! They put it on the check too...until I promptly asked them to remove the charge. They did, but it shows me that they don't have it together.
I'm admittedly spoiled by Newark's Ironbound, but this was a huge disappointment. The bread was old, pre-cut, cold, and not at all crusty. The patatas bravas were just old, lukewarm home fries bathed in something like Frank's Red Hot. The croquettes were a mayonaissy mush with little flavor. The garlic soup, to their credit, was tasty.
Meanwhile, the sauce on the steak was too starchy and very msg-ish. And the steamed vegetables side? Just a bag of frozen veggie mix, put in a steamer.
And while the young waiter was kind and well-intentioned, he wasn't attentive or knowledgable about the menu.
This restaurant is no doubt affordable, but not at all worthwhile.
Have been meaning to go here for about ten years. Its been about 12 years since having amazing churros in Seville. These are incredible. The only thing different is the diameter (it seems to be half the diameter as I remember the ones in Spain). I ordered them to go - so no chocolate. My pastry chef friend and I devoured the $3.00 bag in 5 minutes. It could easily have fed 4 (reasonable) people. Somebody complained about the chocolate not being authentic (like american hot chocolate). I don't know or care. They are one of the best,cheapest treats in DC without the chocolate. We went back the next week and pastry chef brought his own extra thick chocolate. We ate it in my car.
As for the other food they serve: I don't know, but well the place is called "Churreria Madrid." What do you expect?
All i can say is, that people have to be a little more adventurous, when you go to churreria, if you go, they have this stew called cocido of madrid, also order the callos, is a stew of cow stomach, with pigs feet, and chorizo, not appropriate for someone with high blood pressure or cholesterol, is really delicious, the paella is not bad, sure it can always be better, but remember that the prices are affordable.
I enjoy drinking at the bar, it changed a few years ago, the first floor used to be too old school, now is really nice, is a good hang out, if you are tired of the noise, go there order some tapas, the croquetas, the pulpo, get some olives, an estrella, or a glass of wine, Lan is my favorite, and you might just like this place.
I don't know about all of the other stuff reviewed below; we only came for churros. But man they were good. This is the first time I have had churros that reminded me of Mexico City.
However, be warned-- $3 gets you more churros than two people can eat without being embarrassingly stuffed.
Ten years ago, this place was great. Authentic food and great service. Some friends and I went back last week and pretty much everything was inedible. Mussels and gambas arrived lukewarm in some kind of butter/cornstarch sauce - awful. And the Patatas Bravas, a dish no Spanish restaurant could possibly get wrong, arrived barely cooked and swimming in some kind of vinegar/tabasco sauce. It went straight back to the kitchen.
Never again.
When I stepped into Churreria Madrid one warm April evening, I was immediately transported back to Spain. It is simply that authentic, right down to the seemingly aloof bartender. I've been here twice, and both times sat at the bar downstairs, but the dining room upstairs seems a bit more formal, if that's what you're looking for.
As for the food, the sampler plate with jamon y queso (cured ham, similar to prosciutto, and manchego cheese) was splendid. The tortilla was passable, although this can be appreciated as the simple Spanish staple that it is, and need not be dressed up for my taste.
The churros were to die for! While we were eating a father and daughter stopped by to get a bag to take home. The little girl just couldn't wait to get her hands on a piping hot sugary churro, and after tasting one (okay, several) for myself, I can understand why.
The bar was also nothing special, and the bartender did what he could for a tinto verano, lacking the Casera that can only be found in Spain. The sangria was, needless to say, top-notch.
Basically, this is the place to go if you want to appreciate authentic Spanish food in an authentic Spanish environment. No frills, no fancy dishes--just the real deal. The bartender (at least last time I was there) is Galician, and both times I've been there, there were a few Spanish expat regulars sitting at the bar, so I knew it wasn't just me who appreciated the chill Spanish vibe.
A traditional Spanish bar and restaurant, serving basic but good fare. This place is Spanish food before Spanish food in America became synonymous with tapas bars and tapas became short-hand for all small dishes. We came here on Sunday night after Adams Morgan Day. The tortilla (potato omelette), chicken croquettas, and grilled shrimp were good. I thought the chorizo a bit bland though. The two appetizers and four entrees we had between the four of us totaled around a reasonable $80. The churreria sits next to the City Bikes in Adams Morgan right off Columbia, a block east of 18th St. The decor is clean but uninspiring, with a bar on the first floor and primary dining area on the second.
I really wanted to give this place 4 stars just because there aren't many/any traditional, reasonably-priced Spanish restaurants around. But how could a churreria with churros, which were excellent, not have "chocolate" (the Spanish-style hot chocolate thickened with flour so that it has the consistency of honey)!!! Minus one star. While I don't mind that the menu sticks to traditional dishes, it doesn't look like it's been upgraded for awhile (according to the menu, this restaurant has been around since the 70's). In particular, maybe I missed the full wine list but the menu listed only the obligatory Rioja for red wines, three in fact (all $7/glass). I wish they would at least change out one or more of the Riojas for other wines from less well-known but distinctive regions like Ribera del Duero, Priorat, etc.
I would recommend Churreria Madrid if you are looking for good traditional Spanish cuisine without the expense and crowds and don't mind the somewhat bland atmosphere.
Love this place. Slightly upscale feel but still casual. The last time I came here was with five friends on a Sunday afternoon. It was pretty empty upstairs, and so pretty with the sun coming in through the three pane window. When we ordered, we got so much food! The table was covered with plates and everything was delicious.
But the real clincher for this place is the churros and hot chocolate for dessert. They make authentic churros here, not those doughy things street vendors sell. Needless to say, even with a refill, they were gone in about five minutes.
My boyfriend and I love intense flavors and delicious gourmet food. We read the great reviews for Churreria Madrid and thought that we would give it a try. But we were completely underwhelmed and disappointed with our experience.
We ordered the paella and two appetizers. The fried calamari (our first appetizer) was soggy and greasy. And it was served with a sauce that appeared to be a combination of ketchup and mayonnaise. While I love ketchup and mayonnaise with my fries, I expect something more exotic and delicious with my calamari. The serving size was also quite small (even for an appetizer).
Our second appetizer was a combination platter of coquettes (or Churreria's version of 'tater tots'), empanadas (that lacked even a hint of spice), cold omelet, and a few olives. All of this tasted like cheap Spanish pub food to us- straight from the freezer to the fryer.
The (small) paella was $17 and contained a clam, three shrimp, chicken, two mussels, sausage and peas. We thought that this was very overpriced and mediocre.
Look, it may just be the case that this is what good Spanish food is like. And it may very well be the case that Churreria Madrid makes the best paella in town. But if you are looking for something very flavorful and delicious, then you aren't going to find it here.
The service that we received was outstanding. Our server couldn't have been friendlier and more attentive. And our sangria was good and cheap.
In terms of the space, the restaurant does not have much to work with. It isn't located in the most attractive or romantic building. But they do a very nice job with what they have. And it is nice to observe the chaos of Adams Morgan from the safety of a second-floor window.
If you like starch, salt, and grease, and dislike herbs and spices, then you may enjoy Churreria Madrid. But, as for our money, we would rather spend it on Thai, Indian, or Italian food- food that is passionate, rich, sumptuous, and bold!
Oh Spanish food, how I love thee. But how could you have let me down this time? There were few diners, but you rarely came around to check on our table. And the cuisine was, well, greasy! At least the Sangria saved the day and made everything taste a bit better by the end - especially those churros. But please, please do better next time, or we may have to break up - DC has plenty of other Spaniards that impress me time and time again.
A very friendly, family-run, neighborhood bar and restaurant. If you are not in the mood for the hustle and bustle of Adams Morgan and crave for good Spanish food, this is the place for you. You will not go wrong with Paella or Trucha.
I have been here at least a dozen times. I always order the same things: paella or the chicken/beef milanesa with a pitcher of sangria. I have only been disapointed at the trout and my beans were cold one time, but I will keep going back, the price is good and the service is fantastic.
OMG that steak with onions and mushrooms over it was good... And my friends praised their steak and fish dishes also. Anyway, this a yummy traditional Spanish restaurant. Reasonably priced and of good quality. Nothing fancy, but great flavors. A nice change from the Mexican and Salvadoran food that dominates the neighborhood. The sangria was cheap and fruity, not strong but not weak either. The service was friendly but not rushed, maybe a little on the slow side. On the "upper" side of 4 stars.
