Flavia

An amazing dinner and hidden gem! This off-​the-​beaten path Italian Restaurant was simply out of this world. The staff was charming, polite, and very accommodating. As a vegetarian, Spanish food presents its challenges. Flavia offered numerous choices. My wife and I started with a vegetable soup and split the Burrata plate. Watch out, the burrata is huge, it could’ve easily been shared by 4 to 6 people. After starters, my wife tried the Margarita Pizza and I had Penne Arrabbiata with black olives. Both were delicious. I could eat here every night.

Wow, the food here was shockingly good, Italian food in Spain? I had the caprase salad, the buffalo mozzarella was very fresh and then I had the lasagna, one of their house favorites according to the menu. I rarely ever order lasagna in restaurant because it usually bad (as compared to what I am use to) but I saw a picture of the vegetarian lasagna on Unilocal and it looked good, so I got the bolagnase lasagna and it was excellent. Manager told us that the chef makes all the fresh pastas daily. If you are looking for some good Italian food, this is the place to go. Wait staff is helpful but not very good in English, however manager speaks good English. They even have a decent Italian wine selection.

My husband and I enjoyed a lovely evening here in Madrid. After 10 days of eating Spanish food for every meal we were in the mood for some Italian food. We arrived to a beautiful romantic restaurant. Before I get into the food I’d like to make mention that the lighting in this restaurant was perfect. It is one of my pet peeves that lighting in European restaurants can be very bright taking away from the ambience that a newlywed couple is looking for. In addition the glassware was spotless as was the entire restaurant. Upscale furnishings slightly modern and very comfortable.
My husband and I shared the caprese salad. The buffalo mozzarella was quite fresh and creamy and the tomatoes were perfectly ripe. All were laid on a bed of beautiful baby arugula and served with delicious Spanish olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I was slightly surprised that they served a Spanish olive oil for an Italian dish but preferred the peppery flavor over some of the Italian milder olive oils I’ve had.
The menu focuses on pasta and pizzas. The pastas are made fresh daily according to the manager who came out at the end of our meal with the chef. The manager translated for us from the chef who told us that he personally makes all of the pastas every morning himself. The chef seemed quite sincere and is really trying to make a go of this place.
I ordered the ravioli stuffed with ricotta and spinach with Pomodoro sauce. The pasta was perfectly al dente and the sauce fresh.
My husband had the Bolognese Ragu lasagna. The wine list have a nice selection and we landed on a Rosso di montalcino. Both of us enjoyed our meal very much. Our plan is to go back again for the pizzas before we conclude our Spain vacation and head back to California.
If you’re looking for a quaint neighborhood Italian restaurant with fresh ingredients this is your place.

Escondido en esa zona de calles entre Serrano y el Paseo de la Castellana por las que nunca transita nadie porque dime tú para qué, encontramos este italiano que, curiosamente, parece ser conocido por mucha gente y yo sin saberlo. Teníamos una reserva y estaba preparada pero nos dijeron que, si esperábamos un poco en la barra, en unos minutos se iba a quedar libre una mesa mejor, y no mintieron: realmente era mejor y tardaron muy poquito en acomodarnos. El sitio es bastante agradable además, con una decoración estilo neoyorquino muy modernita, claramente diseñada por alguien que sabía lo que estaba haciendo.
La carta tiene un tamaño medio, suficiente para tener donde elegir pero no como para que te abrume con opciones y acabes eligiendo al azar. Como curiosidad, tienen un plato llamado «Sexy Pasta» que pone que tiene 0 calorías y que la salsa de tomate que lo acompaña es 100% fibra; todo esto último es imposible, pero si les funciona…
De aperitivo nos pusieron una mortadela con pistachos y pan que estaba muy buena; luego pedimos una ración de bresaola con rúcula y grana padano que estaba muy buena, aunque confieso que, con las cantidades que sirven, nos hubiera sobrado. De platos principales pedimos una lasaña de carne que, evidentemente, estaba hecha con amor, nada que ver con las que sirven en otros sitios y que son para prenderles fuego, y también una pizza de trufa negra que fue de las mejores pizzas que nunca he comido y venía bien servida del carísimo manjar. Postre no pedimos, solo café, y de cortesía nos sirvieron unos chupitos de limoncello.
El servicio fue, en general, muy atento y agradable; se ve que tienen bastante clientela habitual porque trataban a casi todo el mundo con mucha cercanía, y confieso que yo también sería más o menos habitual (los precios no son precisamente populares) si viviera por la zona, porque la experiencia general fue muy buena.

One of my favorite areas in Madrid is Recoletos. And there is nothing quite better than looping your way through the narrow streets off the Paseo de la Castellana/​Paseo de Prado and having dinner in a Modern hip Italian/​cocktail restaurant tucked a way between this grand path and the posh Calle Serrano. Italian you say? In Madrid? Yes, absolutely. I had a party of 5 in tow, adults and children of different ages and tastes. The staff was extraordinarily accomodating especially the head waiter/​manager. The Woodfired Pizzas and homemade pastas are extarordinarily authentic as they import much of their ingredients from Italy. We tried the Siciian with divine anchovies and the Margarita Pizzas and they were so tasty and the crust was perfectly cooked. Cutting the pizza at the table was also a nice touch. We orded the gnocchi and its a must have as its fresh and like all their tomato based dishes, addicting. The drinks were super as cocktails are their thing and they were truly generous in serving us a wonderful starter/​amuse bouche at the beginning and grappa at the end of the night. I highly recommend this place as its delicious. While it may be a departure from Spanish food, Flavia is truly gorgeous, intimate and situated in a perfect location that makes you feel less like a tourist and more like Madrileno out for the night!

Tucked away from the tourist drags, this restaurant is a little gem. Only a 5 euro cab ride away from Plaza Cibelles. Quiet, comfortable and stylish with attentive service and excellent food, it is a great place to savor wood fired pizzas, Neapolitan style, and freshly made pasta dishes. The wine list is good and overall we had an excellent meal at a moderate price.

Entre Serrano y Colón, en la calle Gil de Santivañes, en el local que antes ocupó el oriental Le Dragón, ha abierto recientemente FLAVIA, el último restaurante italiano en llegar a la ciudad.
El local no tiene nada que ver con lo que había antes, luminoso y bien decorado, ladrillo visto, madera y dorados, muy acogedor. Tres alturas y tres ambientes, dos comedores formales y una zona de barra con mesas altas donde nos acomodamos. Los dueños son italianos y nos comentan que elaboran sus recetas con productos importados directamente del país de la pasta. Siguiendo la moda que se está imponiendo últimamente, además de restaurante, las noches de los fines de semana tienen un Dj, y funciona una barra de cócteles y combinados.
Carta de especialidades italianas clásicas, pasta de muchos tipos y con posibilidad de acompañarle con una enorme cantidad de salsas, lasaña y pizzas.
Tres personas. Tras un aperitivo de una rica mortadela acompañada de colines artesanos, pedimos dos pizzas, una de jamón dulce, y otra «friarelli» con salchicha siciliana y grelos, además de una lasaña de verdura, especialidad de la casa.
Las pizzas muy buenas, pues la masa es fina y está bien cocida, con el delicioso sabor que les da el horno de leña. La lasaña, sabrosa, con las verduras cortadas en tozos grandes y un toque muy casero, servida en un ración generosa. Nada que ver con los italianos de franquicia.
Terminamos con una tarta de chocolate a compartir, muy esponjosa y nada empalagosa. Invitación a chupitos de limonchello de parte de la casa.
Carta de vinos correcta con muchos caldos italianos. Nosotros elegimos un verdejo José Pariente, que nos pareció la mejor opción calidad-​precio.
Pagamos 73 euros por todo, relación calidad precio muy correcta. Para volver y recomendar.