A Madrid institution since 1906, La Casa del Abuelo has been slinging gambas al ajillo and griddled prawns for over a century — and honestly, nobody does it better. You stand shoulder-to-shoulder at the marble bar, order a plate of sizzling garlic prawns and a glass of their sweet house wine ("el Abuelo"), and suddenly you get why this place has survived everything Madrid has thrown at it. The Recoletos location puts it right in the upscale Salamanca-adjacent zone, but the vibe inside is pure old-school taberna — no pretension, just excellent shrimp.
Since 1906, this Madrid taberna has perfected one thing — sizzling gambas al ajillo and sweet house wine at the marble bar — and nobody's come close in over a century.
Go before 1pm or after 4pm to avoid the lunch rush — the standing-room bar fills up fast and you'll be waiting with your plate in hand.
A century of perfect prawns and sweet wine
If there's one place that sums up the Madrid tapas bar experience, it's La Casa del Abuelo. Founded in 1906 (originally as La Alicantina), this place has been perfecting one thing for over a century: prawns. The gambas al ajillo arrive in a clay cazuela, still bubbling, the garlic aroma hitting you before the plate even touches the bar. The gambas a la plancha — simply griddled with a touch of salt — are equally stellar. You don't come here for a wide-ranging meal; you come for shrimp and their famously sweet house wine, "el Abuelo," which somehow pairs perfectly with the garlic-soaked bread you'll inevitably mop up.
The Recoletos-area location is one of several branches across Madrid, but it carries the same DNA: marble-topped bar, wooden interiors, photos on the walls, and a crowd that's a mix of locals on their lunch break and tourists who've done their homework. It gets packed, especially in the evenings, and you'll likely be standing — that's part of the ritual. Service is fast and no-nonsense; they've been doing this for a hundred years and they don't need to explain themselves.
Is it the cheapest tapas in Madrid? No. Is it the most innovative? Absolutely not. But the quality of the prawns is consistently excellent, the atmosphere is genuinely convivial, and there's something to be said for a place that has refused to change its formula for over a century and still draws a crowd every single day. Skip the larger raciones and just keep ordering small plates of gambas — that's what the regulars do.