Cuisine: Modern Spanish
Average price per person: 70€
Environment: 10/10
Food: 9.5/10
Service: 9.5/10
Other: Solo dining, Gluten-free options, Extensive wine collection
Website: www.madrid-angelita.es
Angelita is probably one of the places that doesn’t get as much hype as it deserves. Focusing on great quality ingredients, Angelita serves a delicious modern take on Spanish cuisine as well as dishes with influence from various other cuisines. The Villalón family that owns and runs the restaurant also owns a farm where they source most of the vegetables that they use at Angelita.
At the beginning of 2024, the restaurant closed for renovation and reopened at the end of March. Needless to say, I was very excited about my plans to visit with friends for dinner.
Location/Environment
Angelita is located at Chueca and operates both as a restaurant/wine bar on the ground floor and as a cocktail bar at the basement. The cocktail bar is considered one of the best in Madrid. In my opinion, it is one of the best ones.
The restaurant has an elegant design with a lot of wood elements. Apart from the tables, there is a barra where you can enjoy a glass of wine or a light meal. The wine bottles are prominent in the decor, as you are surrounded by shelves full of bottles. There are also elegant wine coolers that have been beautifully incorporated into Angelita’s design.
The basement now also has a private room for 8-10 people to book for events or special occasions.
Service
The staff was excellent throughout the meal. They were able to provide recommendations, explain alternatives in terms of allergens and generally make you feel welcome. They were accommodating to modifying the tasting menu for one of the members of my group who has gluten intolerance.
The two brothers that own Angelita are also working there every day, to ensure that the service and operations progres smoothly.
My only observation would be that towards the end of the meal since our time slot was ending, the experience felt a bit rushed.
While I understand the time constraints, we maintained a fast pace during the meal. As such, the allocated time for a tasting menu might not be sufficient for people who want to take a bit more time to enjoy their meal.
Menu
Angelita’s menu includes an à la carte option and a tasting menu with 6 dishes plus cheese and dessert. The tasting menu also has a wine pairing option, which I recommend.
There are also a few daily specials that you can choose from. I should also make a special note about the wine list, which is among the most extensive ones I have ever seen. Multiple options from local and international producers to accommodate different tastes and budgets.
Angelita – Food
We opted for the tasting menu (including wine pairing), with some additional dishes from the à la carte menu.
First, we got a small welcome dish with beans and octopus that was very tasty and set the expectations for the rest of the meal.
An appetizer from the à la carte menu, a Korean pig’s ear wrap. The pig’s ear is served in a lettuce leaf with cucumber, spring onion and a slightly spicy and acidic sauce. Using the lettuce as the tortilla, you eat this dish as a wrap.
I know that pig’s ear is intimidating, but if its cooked right, is one of my favorite things. Rich, crispy and fatty it can easily remind you of pork belly. A very good dish.
The first dish of the tasting menu was the Russian salad (ensaladilla rusa) served on a mini toast, with red peppers and anchovies. The Russian salad is a popular dish in Spain and is made by chopped vegetables and a mayo sauce.
(Funnily enough in Russia they don’t call this “salad” Russian. In that region, it is called Olivier.)
Nevertheless, the combination of the sweet pepper and the salty anchovy worked great in this version of the dish.
The steak tartare, another dish from the à la carte menu was very flavorful. The consistency was interesting because despite the big chunks of meat it almost tasted as if it was grounded. Points for the technique. The tartare has always been exceptional in Angelita.
One of the day’s specials was the Causa, a typical Peruvian dish. Angelita served it in 4 mini pieces. The classic potato base was topped with fish and aji amarillo sauce. The slightly spicy sauce makes all the difference in this dish.
The agretti and octopus salad was a new dish on the menu. Agretti which is a needle-shaped Italian vegetable was served with cherry tomatoes and octopus. The vinaigrette was acidic and the vegetables had great texture.
The gluten-free alternative for the agretti salad was a delicious roasted cabbage with a grouper beurre blanc sauce. This was probably the first time I was jealous of the gluten-free option instead of the regular dish on a tasting menu.
Next was the menestra, which is a typical Spanish vegetable stew. In Angelita, the presentation is similar to a work of art. The vegetables included among others leeks, artichokes, sweet potato and asparagus. All the vegetables were really fresh and maintained their crunch. The vegetable broth included jamon, which gave additional flavor to this dish.
The following dish is an Angelita classic. The classic tomato-based pisto, is served with egg yolk, crispy egg white and rosemary mayo. This dish is another prime example of the vegetable quality in Angelita. Very fresh, sweet and full of flavor.
As a main dish, we had roasted grouper served with fresh beans and a broth. The beans were very nice and crunchy and the fish was cooked perfectly.
The last main dish was Iberian pork, served with sweet potato and cabbage. The pork was crispy on the outside while it remained juicy inside and the sweet cabbage was a perfect addition.
The cheese board included an asturian blue cheese, a sheep’s cheese from Zamora as well as an Italian strong cheese with tartufata. Before we were served, the staff enquired about anything we might not like. If you have any issues, you can adjust this to your preferences.
Finally a millefeuille interpretation with puff pastry, porcini mushroom cream and berries. The porcini cream was slightly salty from the mushrooms, which overall was a nice contrast with the sweet berries and the rich creamy texture.
Drinks
The wine pairing was well thought off and included a variety of Spanish and International wines. The dessert and the cheese dishes had their pairing with sweet wines and all the options complemented the dishes perfectly.
Some of my favorite options below:
The staff is adjusting to your preferences, so if you try one of the recommended options and is not your taste, then they will bring you something different.
Conclusion
Angelita is a place where you will find good quality ingredients, well-executed recipes and a huge wine variety. This is not a pretentious place that will serve you extravagant dishes. Here you will find their interpretation of traditional dishes, made with care. Have some wine, eat good food and have a cocktail at the bar. You will enjoy every bit of the experience. Make sure to reserve a table and visit Angelita as soon as you can.
Visit: April 2024
Thank you for your extensive write up on Angelita! I just booked a reservation for next week while in Madrid and this helped reinforce my decision and what to expect. Cheers!
Thank you Steve, glad to hear you found it useful!