Ministy of Foodies Review
Cuisine: Traditional Spanish
Average price per person: 40€
Environment: 7.5/10
Food: 9/10
Service: 9/10
Other: Patio,Solo dining
Website: www.tabernasanmames.es
San Mamés is a traditional Spanish cuisine institution in Madrid. Established in 1913, it is one of the most famous and best restaurants in Madrid for tripe (Callos a la madrileña). The legendary chef and TV host Anthony Bourdain visited San Mamés and was amazed by this dish.
In general the restaurant offers a wide variety of classic Spanish dishes.
Location/Environment
The restaurant is located in Chamberi and has an old-school vibe. From the sign on top of the door all the way to the classic tablecloths and traditional tiles inside the restaurant.
There is also a type of patio on the sidewalk where you can have your meal during the warmer months. In general, this is a good option since there is not a lot of noise from the cars or pedestrians.
Service
The staff is experienced and some of them have been working at San Mamés for many years. Although the majority of the staff does not speak English well, they will do their best to explain and help with your order.
Menu
San Mamés’ menu has traditional Spanish cuisine options including both fish and meat. However, the Callos Madrileña is the most famous dish of the restaurant. A very typical dish in Madrid, the tripe (cow’s stomach) is cooked as a stew and served with morchilla sausage.
The restaurant also offers half portions for some dishes, which allows you to sample even more from their menu.
San Mamés’ Food
As a starter, we opted for the chipirones, a type of squid served almost like a stew. The chipirones were soft and the sauce was perfectly sweet.
We obviously had to try the tripe. I tried tripe and Callos Madrileña several times in the past and I never enjoyed the taste. The texture is too gelatinous and the flavor is not something I like. Nevertheless, this was the best among the ones I have tried. The sauce was delicious and the texture was much better than any other version I had before. Objectively, a greatly executed classic.
The steak tartare was very flavorful. We requested it to be a little spicy, so they brought a sample before serving the dish to ensure that it was in line with our expectations. Very good consistency and a satisfying portion size.
Finally, the beef sirloin was served in small pieces with mushrooms and a delicious Oporto sauce. The beef was cooked separately to a perfect medium and the sauce was added on top. The star of the dish was the sauce, made from broth, butter, and Port wine. It was rich and sweet and perfectly complemented the mushrooms and the meat. While it might not look impressive, this was delicious.
Conclusion
San Mamés is one of the best Spanish restaurants in Madrid. If you enjoy traditional cuisine then here you can find all the options you might be craving. Even if you are not a fan or adventurous enough to try the tripe, you will find multiple other dishes that can satisfy your tastes.
Visit: April 2024