Las Cuevas de Luis Candelas

If you want to having a historical dining experience in Madrid, come here!
This restaurant is where the Robin Hood of Spain used to hide out after robbing people!
Who knows you might find some of his stolen goods hidden under the table!

So, I was in Spain for a week on a work related trip and I was super excited. Not necessarily for the «work» part, but for stepping on The European continent for the first time. Like a little girl on a sugar rush, I frantically tried to experience Spain and its rich culture in a week. Given my work schedule, I soon realized that it was almost impossible. Most of the rides, museums and touristy stuff closed by the time I got off from work. Luckily, the Spanish night life does not get started until late in the evening. The restaurants are open late, even the fancy family type. Las cuevas is one of the highly regarded restaurants in Madrid and it was recommended by almost all of my colleagues who are native to Madrid. So, I had to try it any cost. I was lucky enough to get a reservation for dinner on a weeknight and went there around 9:30pm. I felt adventurous and ordered ox tail for the main course. I was a little anxious, but it was sumptuous! The meat was perfectly cooked and it slid right off the bone. I had sangria to go with it and it was great! Service was very courteous and my server was super nice! The best part of the evening was the tuna group who entertained us while we dined. They were amazing! The décor and the history behind the restaurant are quite amusing! This is one of the must visit places if you are in Madrid.

Paramos en este lugar por lo variopinto del local, desde el lugar en el que se encuentra situado (en plena Caba Alta, cerquita de la Plaza Mayor) hasta las imagen que lo anuncia, paredes de piedra con letras metálicas de un tamaño considerable. El interior no fue menos interesante. Al entrar parece como si te trasladaras a otro tiempo y lugar, no dejan al azar ningún detalle, incluso los camareros van vestidos con trajes de bandoleros inspirados en el siglo XVIII.
Desde luego que merece la pena entrar y tomar algo en este local.

If you are looking for a fun, cultural experience, check out this restaurant. Food and service was excellent. One of the best things about this place is the Tuna de Madrid (university student musicians) shows up and will play so requests.
This place rivals Casa de Botín in terms of food quality. Prices are similar too.

Me ha dejado extremadamente satisfecho. El cochinillo es una pasada. El chorizo riquísimo y las croquetas de merluza de las más cremosas que he probado.
Situado en pleno centro de Madrid.
Aunque la gente diga que es caro no lo es. 20 € por cabeza no es para nada caro
El trato del personal inmejorable. Un 10 sobre 10

When one pictures going to Europe and you want to imagine what ‘Old World’ Spain was like, Las Cuevas does an excellent job of painting that picture. I had made a late reservation for the two of us as I had no idea where our day would take us and I didn’t want to interrupt anything we might have going on. Plus, it’s not abnormal to go to dinner at 9 PM; at least not over there. Well, our day wrapped up and we found ourselves trying to burn time so we were very pleased when they were able to seat us half an hour early.
I knew I wanted sangria & I knew I wanted to share an order of the gambas al ajillo. Besides that, I had no idea what I was going to get. Very glad the husband agreed to play along & trusted my twelve year old memory of my previous visit. The sangria was just what you expect when you order a pitcher of sangria in Spain: sweet, with some gorgeous aromatic spices. The garlic shrimp were just as I remembered: served in a sizzling ceramic dish with lots of garlic butter you can soak up with your bread. I tore a couple of pieces off the bread and pressed them down into the hot dish allowing them to get a nice ‘char’ on the edges as they soaked up the butter. Delicious!
For dinner I decided on the Veal Mianese. Perfectly fried golden brown. Pounded thin to be as big as the plate. I ate every bite. The potatoes were there and I tried them, but I didn’t love them as much and would have been just as happy with just the protein. My husband destroyed his roasted lamb. He would have licked the plate if we would have been eating at home.
A few reviews make comments about the prices being high. It’s right off the Plaza Mayor, what I believe to be the heart of the tourist area. So yes, I expected the prices to be a little high. Would I ever call the food bland? No. Would I go here on a regular basis if I lived in Madrid? Probably not. Am I willing to not fret about the money spent on one nice dinner while on vacation? Absolutely. Besides, if I didn’t do the conversion in my head on how much I was REALLY spending, the prices weren’t that bad.

Comida tipica y buena (sobre todo el pulpo y la morcilla), con especial atencion al atuendo de los trabajadores y que se trata de una edificación que data de los comienzos de la construcción de la Plaza Mayor. Un lugar ideal para apreciar el «Parque Temático de Madrid centro».

My friend and I had Easter dinner here and loved it. The interior of this restaurant sent me back in time. It can be a bit pricey but the food was excellent.

Wir haben zur Messe in Madrid hier gegessen. Wir konnten sehr schön draußen auf dem Platz sitzen. Das Essen war wirklich sehr gut. Tapas kann man erhalten wenn man danach fragt. Sehr zu empfehlen ist natürlich der Schinken, aber auch das Spanferkel ist wirklich super.
Der Service war leider nicht so wirklich gelungen. Vor allem beim Wein, tat sich unser Kellner etwas schwer.

I won’t say too long.
Just go to BOTIN for suckling pig.
Or you’ll totally regret. :]

Had a late dinner here as we had passed by a few times and it looked busy and had good menu options. My husband ordered cochinillo (baby pig) and we had wine and overall it was good. The wine selection was nice; the outdoor eating setting had a great ambiance with a great view of the outer Plaza Mayor area; service was good. I know the cochinillo was tasty, but was not as good as one we had tasted the previous night in a restaurant inside Plaza Mayor. This place is a bit overpriced for something that didn’t stand out in our memory of all the places we ate.

Ever walked into a place and felt like you stepped back in time? That’s how I felt when my friend and I stepped into Las Cuevas de Luis Candelas.
The setting was romantic. The food was pretty amazing (definitely try the roasted red peppers) and the wine list was extensive.
What made this dining experience truly wonderful though were the 4 men who were med students who came and played while we ate. They were entertaining and quite talented.
I would definitely recommend this place to tourists or locals as its a true Gem within a historic city.

Lugar para visitar al menos una vez si eres turista, Pero precios muy altos para las raciones que ponen

A este restaurante ya le tenía echado el ojo desde hacía tiempo, pero claro, la economía no está para dar muchos lujos, así que aproveché uno de esos viajes de mis padres a Madrid para descubrir Las Cuevas de Luis Candelas. Sí, ese local que está cerca de la Plaza Mayor en el que todos los camareros van vestidos de bandoleros.
Toda la decoración está cuidada al detalle, parece realmente un escenario de la película Carmen, la que protagoniza Paz Vega. La carta está compuesta en su mayoría por carne de cacería aunque también hay lugar para los pescados exquisitos. Yo me pedí un solomillo, que es lo que más me gusta y es algo que en mi día a día no es que me lo pueda permitir.
El servicio es de 10 sobre 10. La verdad es que es un buen lugar para llevar a los amigos turistas que nos visitan en la ciudad, sobretodo si son extranjeros, para que experimenten algo «typical spanish».

On the entrance, some kind of uniformed Madrilleno welcomes you to be seated. This makes the place to a totally different one than all the others from the beginning. Once you’re seated, the interior looks very traditional and typically Spanish. But mind your head, the casa is very low in height!
Unfortunately, that’s it with the pro’s. The contra’s: The above everything prices. Of course, sometimes, blendy food, brands, atmosphere and style costs money, and I love to dine expensive sometimes. But here, Food’s not equivalent to the taste nor the optical quality. The huevos rotos with gambas and champiñon (15,50EUR), a typically Spanish meal, was too much salted and so totally brackish. The Tortilla Española was good. But what you get served here for 11EUR, you’ll find somewhere else for 3−4EUR. Two old breads, one eaten, but both billed (2,40EUR each). Drinks prices were ok.
There are better places to leave your money.

Muy buenas tapas, aunque algo caras. Personal muy agradable y simpático. Van vestidos de bandolero.

Lo maximo !
Si vous allez à Madrid, né passez pas à côté de ce restaurant sans vous y arrêter ! Goûtez le délicieux «cochinillo», un délice. Un très bel endroit où l’on mange très bien ! Un brin romanesque, ce qui donne beaucoup de charme à ce lieu. Un peu cher, mais bon… C’est les vacances ! Lâchez vous, vous né serez pas déçus !

Dans un autre monde…
Quand on ouvre la porte de ce restaurant on plonge direct au siècle dernier! Ambiante garantie… les serveurs ont des costumes du siècle dernier… Un peu chèr mais la qualité des plats et le décor valent le détour… A né pas manquer si vous allez à Madrid!