Ministry of Foodies Review
Cuisine: All-day cafe
Average price per person: 15€
Environment: 8.5/10
Food: 8.5/10
Service: 9/10
Other: Gluten-free options, Solo-dining, Pet friendly
Website: N/A – Instgram
El Gordito is the newest addition to cozy all-day cafes in Malasaña neighborhood. A modern space with small tables and industrial gray colors on the walls. It serves (mostly) breakfast dishes, coffee, and wine.
Location/Environment
El Gordito has a homey feeling with floor-to-ceiling windows around the space, small tables, and a large barra where you can see the staff preparing orders.
The tables are arrange close to each other so be prepared to sit close with others that occupy the tables around you.
El Gordito Cantina – Menu
The menu includes classic breakfast dishes like pancakes and breakfast sandwiches or more unique options like oven-roasted cauliflower.
You can find all the usual breakfast beverages and some of their in-house-made drinks such as a delicious strawberry lemonade with green tea.
Service
The staff is very attentive and wants to ensure that you are comfortable during your visit. Everyone had a very good and positive attitude which made the interactions very pleasant.
We had a couple of instances when we were waiting for everyone in our group to join, and 2 members of staff would come over and ask us the same thing. Considering that they just opened, it is expected to need time to figure out their rhythm though.
El Gordito Cantina – Food
While my friends had coffee, I tried the strawberry lemonade with green tea which was very “fresh” and had a distinct green tea flavor.
The milanesa chicken sandwich was a dish I really enjoyed. The potato roll was a good match with the crispy chicken and the crunchy and refreshing coleslaw. I would probably change the chicken breading to make it more crispy and flavourful. Nevertheless, I would happily go back to eat 1 or 2 more of those.
The breakfast sandwich comes with eggs, caramelized onion, cheddar cheese, and the option to add avocado and bacon (which of course we did). Comes in a potato roll, but we opted for the gluten-free pan for our celiac friend.
The bahn mi sandwich has marinated pork, pickled daikon and carrots, cucumber, and hoisin sriracha mayo. It is served in a potato bun. While some of the ingredients are classic bahn mi elements, the potato bun is not the bread used in Vietnam for this sandwich and really makes a different in the flavor. All in all it tastes good, but is more of a bahn mi interpretation.
The classic avocado toast is also a menu option. You can add on eggs and/or bacon. It is topped with toasted seeds with honey.
Conclusion
El Gordito cantina was an interesting addition to Malasaña’s food scene. Its inviting environment and variety of dishes make it a good option for breakfast and also a spot to have a bite or drink during any time of the day. However, considering it is new, some of its dishes still need to be finetuned.
Although they are similar in terms of the concept, Watts Cantina remains the leader in its category out of the all day cafes I tried this year.
Visit: June 2024