And the service is even worse. Slapped on our table by the surly waiter, the menu states that La Bola does not accept credit or debit cards--discovered by us after the waiter had opened a bottle of house wine, and dropped onto our table a stale bun and two airplane-style foil-covered plastic containers of butter, thereby committing us to staying. After my 20-minute run to and from the nearest bank machine for cash, we ordered the specialty, Madrid stew called cocido, pricey at 17 euros, but . . . the place is famous for it and you only live once, etc. The stew consists of a large--and I mean large--piece of fat, a small meatless chicken leg bone, and about a cupful of chickpeas soaked in a greasy broth. We paid our cash, lots of it, and left, disappointed but determined to blow the whistle on this rip-off. Avoid it.

We had heard good reports about this restaurant before we got to Madrid and made a booking a couple of days earlier. True enough the restaurant proved to be a real gem. We arrived and they showed us to our table, which happened to be at the front of the restaurant in a little bar area and in sight of the kitchen. As it happens the restaurant was really quite large as it has a attractive old cavernous area at the back. The the waiter was very attentive and polite and overall the service was excellent. The atmosphere was cheerful and great value. Most importantly the food proved to be delicious and you must to try the cocido, it was starter and a mean meal at the same time. They also do some truly special puddings, which is unusual for Madrid. If you do go, try and book the front of the restaurant as the flambé entertainment from the kitchen is worth the visit alone

The must have dish here is a stew called cocido, which is served in 3 courses. It's full of cabbage, chickpeas, and either pork or chicken (I forgot which one.) Also, be sure to have cash, because credit cards aren't accepted. You also might want to get there on the early part of lunchtime, because business is booming and it gets very crowded.