Tortilla española is probably the most well known tapa in the entirety of Spain, at least it is one of the most popular choices in Madrid. We have already tried many tortillas and when I learned about this place that focuses solely on this dish, I had to check it out!

Pez Tortilla, calle de la Cava Baja, 42, 28005

Pez Tortilla has a few locations around the town but the closest to us is located just around the corner from our local market on a street populated with a myriad of other tapas bars and some of them quite good too! We have actually walked right by this bar as there was no sign anywhere until we noticed some not so visible print on the window.

The place itself is small and feels quite a bit cramped but at least it is clean! The menu is short and on point and they also sell quite a few beers on tap. We immediately felt like this place knew what they were doing and it was not pretending to be anything else but a quick stop for a plate of tortilla accompanied by a glass of beer. Sounds reasonable to me.

We started by ordering two small servings of tortilla de morcilla with pepper (€3.50) and tortilla clásica with onion (€3.50). Both of these were incredibly runny (exactly like I prefer my tortillas) and very delicious. Out of these two we preferred the classical one – it was a tad saltier and it worked incredibly well with the richness and creaminess of the dish.

We started with a glass of vermouth (€2.80 each) because I only noticed the craft beer board after ordering the first round. Well, fret not, we came around trying some of that craft beer as well. We actually liked it quite a lot. Mine was a rich, very refreshing and a tinge honey-y lager and Matas had an excellent IPA that was not too bitter too.

We had also ordered tortilla de setas (€3.50) that was made with black garlic and truffle. The truffle part I could have skipped as it did not add much to my overall experience but the mushroom tortilla tasted incredibly rich and delicious thanks to that addition of garlic. I really liked this one, although my favourite has to be the classical one.

Honestly, this is an excellent place to have a quick snack washed down with a decent craft beer. I already want to go back and try their other tortillas, namely one made with brie and another made with goat’s cheese and the third made with sundried tomatoes and parmesan. These are not your regular Spanish omelettes and that is great! I love a good reimagining or reinterpretation or a play on something as established as this classical Spanish tapa.