Confession: I am publishing this weeks’ Madrid #FridayFinds on Saturday, because I was here for 4 hours longer than expected yesterday. Does that tell you something about the place…

It’s as authentic “Spanish” as it gets. And when you add FREE tapas to the mix, I’d say with confidence that it’s my favorite place in Madrid. Yes, I said it.

For those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about, allow me to explain how the “free tapas” scene works here in Madrid. And yes, I said FREE. (No, it’s not too good to be true!) You order a drink for a small price (usually around 1.50€ for a caña or “small” beer, 3€ for a double beer, and 2€ for a vino), and they give you a small “tapa” sized plate of something yummilicious to munch on while you get your drank on. With each drink, comes a new surprise plate. Now, don’t get tooooo excited! This isn’t every place in Madrid. Just the special ones! And like everything in life, the quality from place to place varies. Some spots give you more generous portions than others, and some, of course…give you the dreaded bowl of old, soggy potato chips. Gaspppppp!  (Old soggy potato chips are better than no potato chips, am I right????) And remember, kids, it’s not always quantity, but quality! For example, the extremely famous El Tigre gives ginormous portions of tapas with every huge drink, but the quality? Questionable, at best.

I’m not ashamed to admit it; I’ve maybe spent a total of 5…? 10…? hours searching blogs for the best free tapas joints in Madrid. And of courseeee I’ve tried a hefty handful of the contenders. And nothin’ left me all giddy inside, until I came across this gem…

Casa Parrondo in Opera.

It’s (by chance, another) Austurian restaurant and tapas bar,  as authentic Spanish as it gets. And you’ll feel it the minute you walk in, thanks to the walls covered in traditional Austurian chachkies and family pictures. And boar heads…

It’s a family owned joint, owned by the one and only Señor Fran Parrando. But it’s not in fact his place, as much as his family’s home. Hence, “Casa” Parrando. His cousin is behind the bar, his dad is plopped down at a table with a caña and hefty plate of meat, his little nieces and nephews are busy in the back playing games under the tables, and his uncle, aka the THE LEGENDARY “Mustache Man”, is doing this…

No, this is not the same guy! They are brothers. Do you see the family resemblance? FUN FACT! Guys from Asturias are known for their mustaches. Could ya’ tell?

Three visits later, and they invited me to their family Christmas celebration at the restaurant…

TALK ABOUT LOCAL! I just really, really adore them. And their food.

Like all the best things in this world, I literally fell into this place. And what’s more?! On my BIRTHDAY! Birthday gods, THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! By chance, we passed it so went in to get a few pre-dinner drinks. And never made it to dinner…

Four cañas later, and we had eaten a four course meal. Totally unplanned, of course. They continued to surprise us by refilling plate after plate of high-quality, to-die-for authentic Asturian tapas. I’m talkin’ top-notch paella, a stacked-full plate of huevos revueltos con jamón iberico, a plate of pimientos de padrón, portions of lomo, all the while passing around samples of their homemade croquetas de jamón. And if they really like you, they’ll even invite you to a complimentary dessert of their famous arroz con leche. 

But don’t stop at free tapas! Try their most famous dish, the typical Fabada Asturiana (an Asturian bean stew with chorizo and blood sausage). You really won’t understand how good it is until you try it.

Oh, and finally, there’s these…No, those are not dinosaur fingers! Fooled me. They are called “percebes” and they are a Spanish delicacy from Asturias! Believe it or not, they are in the crustacean family, unique to northern Spain’s coastline. And they are really, really, good. Tastes like chicken! (But not really, more like crab). Try it, I dare ya’!

Important to know:

There are two locations, right across the street from each other. One is the formal sit-down restaurant, and the other is the lively tapas bar (with a big room in the back if you want to have a full sit-down meal). They both share the same kitchen and have the same complete menu, however, I HIGHY recommend the tapas bar! The atmosphere is bustling with locals, and that’s where the free tapas magic happens. If you walk into a formal looking place with table cloths, you are in the wrong one. Here’s the address of the tapas bar location: Calle de Trujillos, 9 (Metro Opera)

Where are your favorite spots to get free tapas in Madrid? Have you tried these Spanish delicacies before? Tell us about it!