Cafe' Madrid

We went to Cafe Madrid to celebrate my husband's birthday. It couldn't have been better! The new restaurant is beautiful-- the food was fabulous-- the staff was professionally friendly, knowledgable, and enhanced our celebratory event. I won't give away their style of birthday celebration because the surprise was part of the fun-- but it was delightful! more

What do you call a restaurant that tries for fancy and tries for ambience and tries for culture, but provides nothing of substance? I don't know what else to say except that I made the mistake of focusing on the positive reviews of the restaurant to pick it for a last night on a vacation trip and now I wonder about the positive reviewers. Have they really been to spain? We had a strange encounter with the host, and then with a pretentious aggressive waiter by the name Raoul who insisted that he be consulted on our menu selections and his entourage of waitresses were hovering about wondering why we had not emptied our plates. Somehow, an oversalted hard piece of cheese with some glazed onions literally drowning in balsamic vinegar does not scream out ""spanish"" to me. Somehow, spooning a salty soup into my bowl and dropping a few dribbles of olive oil into it, while providing a fancy presentation, did nothing to improve the underlying dish. Shameful how many reviewers (whom I relied upon) were taken in by all the smoke and mirrors and forgot what good food was all about. Maybe they don't get out much. I would rather go to a hole in the wall and be served better food at a better price than what is provided in this over-decorated over-done over-noisy excuse for a restaurant. It even won awards! Surely the residents of salt lake city should know better! Come to NY, and we'll show you what good tapas is all about. more

I travel back and forth from Spain on business quite often and entertain friends and clients while in the Salt Lake. I was in the east valley area and took three people to Caf? Madrid last week and it was perfect. The service was very attentive but not overwhelming. We had a couple of rounds of tapas, including shrimp ajillo, butifarritas con brevas, and saut?ed morcilla ... it was outstanding, as good as any you will find in the USA or Madrid. We then received out entrees; the paella was excellent; lots of authentic flavor, with plenty of shrimp and mussels, the solomillo was cooked to order and served in a rich and creamy roquefort sauce and the sea bass in a delicious shrimp sauce. My guests raved that their dinners were delicious. We had a couple of pitchers of Sangria, then espresso and flan for desert. All in all, everything was terrific. My guests were delighted. If you?re looking to romance that special someone this is your place. Probably a great first date type of restaurant, but definitely a place you should bring a loved one to enjoy some appitizers (they call them tapas), a glass or two of wine, and an excellent dinner. There are only about 15 tables, so make a reservation. The wine list is stellar and the food is outstanding. Service is great considering that you're being served by the owners themselves. Our server, J.C., was very knowledgeable about the menu and a delightful addition to our dining experience. You're sure to impress at this small masterpiece. Don't hesitate to try this place. Pros: Great food, outstanding service and uncommon sincerity Cons: Too small; not enough tables more

Nice and cozy, great art work, beautiful decor, amazing food and a very attentive waiter staff make of this place a great restaurant. We came to celebrate our anniversary and it was so nice to find rose petals on the table, that made my wife feel very special, our waiter told us about the way as we were supposed to combine the tapas (appetizers) to enjoy the flavors better and he was so right on the butifarritas with fig sauce and the shrimps wrapped in bacon, great combination of flavors, my wife ordered the sea bass and I ordered the beef tenderloin, wow, just delicious, to die for, we were very satisfied that we didn't order dessert, but they showed up on the table with a flan (on the house) and we didn't resist to eat it all after the first bite, great flan, thank you very much for making our anniversary a very special day, we will come back and will tell our friends. Pros: Excellent menu choices to try a little bit of everything!! Cons: you need reservations more

WHAT A NICE SURPRISE IN THE MIDDLE OF NOTHIING THERE IS A BEAUTIFUL CALL CAFE MADRID,A TRUE GEM AND REPRESENTATION OF SPAIN ,FROM THE SOUND OF GUITARS TO THE COZY AMBIENCE ,VERY PERSONAL SERVICE,WE HAD THE CHANCE TO TRY REAL SPANISH FOOD,LIKE WE WERE ON VACATION,THE FLAVORS WERE DEFINE AND THE SERVERS ASSIT US ON THE CHOICES.THE TENDERLOIN WAS OUT OF THIS WORLD AND THE SPANISH TIRAMISU,AS HEY CALL IT ,THE BEST EVER TASTE,THANK YOU FOR THE PETALS AND PROMPT ATTENTION,THEY MAKE US FEEL AT HOME ,THANK YOU AGAIN Pros: BEST SPANISH FOOD more

Since my last trip to Spain I wanted to try this restaurant so as to feel a bit of their amazing cuisine again. I am sorry to say that it was a total disappointment, not only because of the service, which was horrible, as if we were being done a favor by being there. The food was edible, as is any food in a fast food joint. The Tapa (a meat plate with tiny pieces of sausage and pepperoni) was ok but not for the close to 20 dollar price tag. You can enjoy a similar dish, but much better, at the Vienna Bistro in downtown, and for a third of the cost. And the Pollo con Pisto was nothing special, really. If I?m going to spend a 100 bucks for dinner for two I need them to give me a run for my money. This wasn?t it. Pros: location, deco. Cons: service, food, overpriced. more

This is the first time in sixty plus years that I?ve felt compelled to write about a restaurant. Cons: crowded, overpriced, poorly trained staff more

We arrived at 8:25 for our 8:30 reservations and waited until 9:10 to be seated. The waiting area is a hall with one bench that fits 3 cozy people. Other people waiting are force to stand outside. We ordered several different tapas one being a seafood payaya. It was very disappointing that it only contained one shrimp, one muscle and one clam. We also tried the mushrooms in garlic and white wine which was very good. Everything else was quiet bland and over priced. The seating is very open and with the music and noise from other patrons it was impossible to have a romantic evening. I felt as if I were yelling throughout dinner just so I could be heard. If you have been told how great this restaurant is do not believe the hype you will be very disappointed. Cons: Loud, over priced, food, service more

after making reservations on their web site 3 days prior to my visit, they called me the same day to inform me that they just got the reservation that day and that I will no be able to get the paella, since you need a day in advance. It ruined my date. The attitude of the owner is just the tipical ""Espanol"", plain rude, like she own town. Just because that treatment I would no go there, I just can imagine what the treatment would be in person. Plain rude.....! more

Not only does Cafe Madrid have a great staff, great food, and is very romantic, The owner is an amazing artist and he hangs his work all over the walls which make the atmosphere very exciting. its like having a great dinner in the middle of an art exhibition. I highly recommend Cafe Madrid for a romantic date. Pros: Atmosphere, great artwork, food, date spot more

What an experience! Our waiter was phenomenal, we actually had him pick our food for us since it was our first visit. We started with a chicken soup to share, which would make any grandma beg for the recipe. We then moved on to several tapas-the bacon wrapped shrimp and spanish sausage , and I shared my husbands entree (the lamb shank) which was just simply beautiful. The atmosphere is relaxed and their motto is ""relax, make this your home"". They rushed nothing, they were in no hurry to clear us out. The desserts are as good as the entree's and the flan, per my husband, was some of the best ever. Beautiful artwork, great restaraunt, beyond exceptional food and service. Yes, it was expensive, but one of our top dining experiences. A 10 in all categories. Pros: everything Cons: make reservations on the weekends !! more

We went to Cafe Madrid for Valentine's Day and had an incredible experience. The restaurant is very romantic and quaint. It seats maybe 30 at the most. The service was extremely friendly, prompt, professional, and knowledgeable. Our server (Raul) made great recommendations that helped lead us to exactly what we were looking for. The sausage with fig sauce is outstanding and you have to have the port braised lamb shank!!! Yummy! It was our first time dining there and we will most definitely be back soon! more

Discovered this place a week after returning from a trip to Spain and have been going consistently ever since. There's nothing ""chain"" about this place and its personality comes through in the menu and the atmosphere. The service is great and I always get a kick out of the passion of the servers who generally speak with a thick accent from somewhere exotic, but know the minute details of the menu. Pros: Great patio, servers are always knowledgable and attentive more

Nice location, outside is great in the summer. more

A unbelievable experience. I was blown away by the outstanding service, awesome food (love those tapas), and how wonderful my husband and I were treated in this wonderful, unique and very romantic restaurant. The owners take pride in their business (the food comforts the soul) and treat every guest like family. The owner's brother also works at the restuarant and we were fortuntate to have him as our server. He is a very talented painter. We were thrilled to be seated in the corner booth so that we could admire and enjoy viewing all of his paintings hanging throughout the restaurant. The authentic spanish food smell and the wonderful sounds of spanish music made us feel like we were in Spain. This night was so special, one that I will always remember. We plan to come back again and again. We call this place home. A wonderful find! Pros: Owners, Tapas / food, J.C. Pino Art work more

As many of you know, the only way to make a reservation at this restaurant during ""off"" hours is to leave a discrete and detailed message on their answering service. Which is fine...if the employee receiving the messages is able to reach the potential patron whom has left said message. Upon arrival to Cafe' Madrid we were infomed that we did NOT have a reservation in their ledger. Fortunately, the employee who could not reach me wrote my name and number in a different ledger which she produced as I was trying to negotiate a table with the host. Even with the mix-up, we were seated fairly soon. Delightful was our experience. The food was only outdone by the service. Our future dining experiences at Cafe' Madrid will undoubtedly be just as nice and will include, my favorite, Paella. Which, according to the waiter, is available if you call ahead! more

Great little restaurant. Food was excellent. Very cozy and personal. great experience. the service was a little slow ... but we weren't in a hurry. Pros: Food, Friendly Cons: Service a little slow more

My boyfriend and i we met in Spain and i can not believe such a good restaurant full of the european flavor and manchego cheese, serrano ham and beef in roqueford cheese was here in the valley ,as soon as we arrive we felt like at home ,very cozy and personal the owner greet at us and we felt like we are visiting at her home it decor tastefully and red roses start to come to my table ,next thing my boyfriend was propososing his love in this beautifull piece of Spain here with us,I LOVE THE PLACE and my new memory flavoring Spain like when we met IT IS AWESOME and so happy of the new owners thanks gabi keep the good work ,yours lindsay Hennesy Pros: tasty, good decor, real Cons: small more

After raving about Cafe Madrid to a friend, we agreed to meet there after work for dinner. When we arrived, the resturant was virtually empty. Despite this fact, after about 30 minutes we had to ask the owner if we could order a glass of wine. We recieved our wine followed by the waiter literally throwing a bread basket on our table without so much as a glance in our direction. As we left , after never having been asked for our order, we mentioned to the owner that we were less than satisfied with the service. The response was that she had to lower herself to serving her patrons because she was short staffed so it was our problem if we didn't like the treatment we received. Her husband was not lowering himself to helping anyone. For a pleasant dining experience, I strongly reccomend going elsewhere. Pros: cute Cons: Terrible service, poor parking more