If you want great food and a warm and friendly atmosphere, Taberna los Gallos is the place for you! As soon as you walk through the door you can feel that this restaurant is going to be something special and an experience to remember. We felt this way – it really is a real little treasure of an eaterie, just like returning home for a special family party with stunning dishes to try.
Another attraction of this restaurant its it location – it’s a perfect place to end up at after a shopping trip, as there are a wealth of chic shops and boutiques in this area. Located in Callejón de Puigcerdà, in the centre of the Jorge Juan zone (Barrio Salamanca), this delightful restaurant has all the comforts of home but in the evening, becomes a vibrant destination for fun and laughter – just like a big party that you can join in with. Music abounds, so if you are a karaoke fan, don’t be embarrassed to participate! On our visit, we particularly found the ambiance totally enchanting, even before we saw the delicious menu.
Based in an entire house, there are separate levels, housing the main restaurant, bar, pretty terrace and a top floor ‘chill out’ space for relaxation and conversation. It’s warm and comfortable atmosphere are truly reflected in the friendly and experienced service offered, which when mixed with traditional Spanish cuisine with seasonal varieties and contemporary style décor, will offer any visitor a complete and delightful visit. It doesn’t matter if you are a couple, a family or a party of friends, Los Gallos offers you perfection on a plate to relax and enjoy the occasion.
Perhaps the reason for this perfection is that Los Gallos was created by the Pepe Caldas family, originally from Tenerife. This family know hospitality at a top level and portray their friendliness and kindness through their restaurant – a truly warming experience. Business or pleasure, they are perfect hosts. The philosophy of Los Gallos is not just about serving great food, ‘but about making people happy’. They certainly do that!
But, we all go to restaurants to eat, so what delights can you expect at Los Gallos? It is worth trying as many dishes as you can, right from the tapas menu through to the delicious desserts – one of the great options at Los Gallos is they offer ‘half portions’ – perfect if you want to experience as many things on the menu as possible!
Our personal choices were perfect for us. As we were by no means sure what we wanted (so many things that sounded wonderful on the menu!), we followed their recommendations. As there is a selection of traditional Spanish food, we also wanted to try other dishes from Pepe’s home in the Canary Islands, and we certainly weren’t disappointed – we loved it! The Canarian Potatoes with ‘Mojo’ were potatoes that I had never experienced before. Delicious baby potatoes with a spicy pepper sauce (Papas Arrugadas) certainly started the meal in a lipsmacking way. They were really tasty! I am now also a fan of Chanquetes (small fish similar to whitebait), which were crisp and delicious, served with roasted red peppers and a fried egg on top – yummy!
The other dish we tried was Grilled Majorero Cheese with Palm Honey – creamy, nutty but sweet as well on the tastebuds. Has to be a great option for anyone.
Our main courses were quite different – Sea Bass and Salmon Ceviche with Camote (marinated raw fish with spicy sweet potatoes) which was a healthy and delicious choice. The fish was absolutely perfectly prepared. Our other choice was Sauted Sirloin with Potatoes and Peppers which speaks for itself if you love meat.
Desserts – we just had to go for chocolate! One of us chose the Creamy Chocolate with Bitter Orange, and our other choice was ‘Choco Gluttony’ – the latter of these too was so chocolatey we really were glad to have chosen a half portion to follow all the previous delicious but filling dishes.
There are so many other choices on this wonderful menu, a great selection of dishes fresh from the sea, plenty of meat dishes including lamb, beef and pork. Vegetarians are not forgotten and treated with the same respect.
Please remember though, whilst you can try to ‘pop in’ to this restaurant after shopping, it is frequently completely booked, so do try to reserve in advance if you know you are going to be in the area, and particularly if you want a table on the terrace. You won’t be disappointed.