Creative Spanish tapas with warm, attentive service near Retiro; excellent for adventurous diners, but portions run small and pricing skews high.
El Talgo Bar delivers exceptional creative tapas and outstanding service attentiveness that position it competitively with Madrid's better neighborhood restaurants. However, compact seating, intentionally staggered pacing, and recurring concerns about portions relative to price prevent grade A territory. The pleasant Retiro-adjacent location and loyal following confirm solid A-grade execution without transcendent distinction.
One caveat: Pricing is genuinely expensive (€23-27 mains; bread €2.50 pp) which may surprise casual diners