Taberna & Media restaurant is a safe bet in the Retiro/Ibiza area, one of the most popular gastronomic neighborhoods in Madrid along with the Ponzano area, a place that hides much more than can be intuited from the outside.

If you look inside you will only see a bar full of food on the counter, a not very large space to have a quick drink and some tapas. If you decide to enter you will see that behind the bar there are a couple of spaces where you can eat more relaxed, and the menu invites you to do so, on paper all sounds very good.

Torreznos —deep fried pork belly— (one of my favorite in Madrid), patatas bravas, callos —tripe— (another favorite of mine), cochifrito —deep fried suckling lamb— are some examples of what you will find at this place, what might make you think you’re in another traditional Spanish tavern, but nothing could be further from the truth. Everything and nothing is traditional at Taberna & Media. José Luis Martínez, chef and owner, gives his personal touch to all dishes, which makes their flavor take you back in time, but its textures and presentations bring you back to present.

They offer many of their dishes in half portions, and you can even ask them to prepare a tasting menu on the fly if what you want is to try as many dishes as you can.