Tapas Madrid Ashbourne Serves Up a Fiesta of Flavour
Published On Sunday 5 Oct 2025 by Sticky Beak
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Over the years, we’ve met many a lovely manager, and Mark is no exception. Having previously been at the Moon and Dog pub in Derby, and at another venue in Ashbourne, Mark is now at the helm of Tapas Madrid in Ashbourne and kindly invited us along to sample the flavours of Spain. We parked nearby and walked up the jitty to Tapas Madrid (formerly an Italian restaurant), impressed by the outdoor seating area and colourful mural on the wall that announces its presence.
Inside, the venue is a type that I affectionately call a ‘Tardis building’; it is fairly narrow but its various areas reveal themselves like the layers of a Russian Doll! The red brick walls, dark flooring and low ceilings all combine to provide a cosy, cocooning feel, assisted by warm-toned lighting and flickering tealights on the tables. Upstairs, there’s a room that is perfect for larger parties (up to about 14 people) and gatherings.
Mark had greeted us warmly and showed us over to our table, before getting drinks sorted and running through the menu. One thing that needs a mention is the depth of Marks’ product knowledge – it was phenomenal!! If you’re new to Tapas or have an aversion to certain spices, this gent will guide you through the plethora of options and curate your perfect feast. The Tapas menu has a superb range of dishes though, so I’m confident to say that there’ll be something for everyone, and even more so, given the main menu and range of specials on the board.
To kick out the grumbling tums, Mark brought out a basket of bread and a bowl of Balsamic-drizzled Olives for us to nibble at whilst we chose the Tapas we wanted. The bread was soft and springy, providing the perfect base on which to squidge the Olives and the tangy Balsamic, sort of paysan Tapenade-style! It took us ages to even whittle the choice down to a quartet of Tapas, so we called Mark over for some recommendations. After a bit of discussion, we said that we’d give Chef Patricio (ably assisted by his Uncle, Rene) carta blanca and just ‘go with the flow’; part of the fun, sometimes, is to see what gets served to you, isn’t it?
Our first round of tasty Tapas consisted of Mushroom and Mozzarella Croquettes (£5.90), classic Patatas Bravas (£5.90), and Pinchos Morunos (Pork Skewers, £6.90). All three were nicely presented, especially the Croquettes, coming with a side salad garnish as well as Aioli. Both His Nibs and I were impressed by the size of the Croquettes, too; underneath gorgeously crunchy, golden outers was a plentiful, gooey, mix of Mozzarella and Mushroom that was both fragrant and earthy. Served warm, these delights were absolutely delicious – even The Man scoffed them, which dashed my secret hopes of keeping them all to myself! The cool salad was crisp and crunchy, and had been gently dressed to enhance rather than overwhelm, and the Paprika-dusted Aioli was brilliantly punchy and bold.
The Patatas Bravas were beautiful, comprised of generously sized cubes of softened Potato that were gently fried to give them a golden glow and gentle crunch to the bite. A generous dollop of Aioli crowned the top of the dish and a zingy Tomato sauce provided a colourful bath for the spuds. Best of all, the cubes stayed crisp until the very last bite rather than beginning to go soggy after 5 minutes.
If it’s flavour you want, then look no further than the Garlic, Herb, and Smoked Paprika marinated Pork Skewers! Taste flooded our mouths and the meat was that tender it just melted on the tongue; a real triumph, Chef. Combined with the sticky, intense Balsamic glaze and unctuous Caramelised Onions, this was a real treat for our palates.
With the plates cleared away, a lovely young server brought out the next three temptations: Gambas Pil Pil (£6.90), Empanadillas de Pollo (Chicken Empanadas, £6.90), and Fabada Asturiana (Asturian style Stew, £6.90). Like the Patatas Bravas, the Gambas Pil Pil is a cornerstone of any self-respecting Tapas restaurant and these ones were excellent. Fat, juicy King Tiger Prawns lazed in the Chilli and Garlic Olive Oil that they’d been cooked in (with flakes of freshly ground Chilli topping them, because you might as well go all-in, y’know?!) and the fusion of fire and sweet was marvellous. His Nibs and I both reached for some more bread to soak the flavoursome oil up with, keen to get every last bit of it.
As you may have guessed from its name, Empanadillas are smaller versions of Empanadas and these particular ones had the prettiest, fluted edges to them that you could want. Inside was beautifully moist shredded Chicken; nicely seasoned and piping hot, this was a seriously tasty morsel and one that wasn’t at all greasy despite being fried. The accompanying Tomato sauce was super-spicy: certainly not for the faint of heart! Garlicky Aioli and a chopped leaf salad were the perfect partners for this dish.
Up last on this trio of Tapas was a hearty, white-bean based stew from the Asturias region of Northern Spain and this was a total stand-out dish for both of us. Fibre-rich, thanks to the beans, there was a hefty dose of protein in there as well from the Chorizo, Black Pudding and Pork Belly. Packed with flavour, this stew was wholesome and comforting, and possibly our new Tapas favourite. Yet again, I proved that I’m a classy bird, asking Mark for some more bread to mop up the excess stew sauce…but in mitigation, it really was too good to leave any in the bowl.
If you were wondering where the Paella is, don’t panic; Tapas Madrid offers classic Seafood, Chicken and Chorizo, and Vegetable versions. One thing to note is that Chef makes the Paellas fresh-to-order, so if you want one, my tip would be to order it straightaway as it takes about 90 minutes to come out – or, even better, phone in advance to place your order. In the meantime, settle in with a jug of Sangria (red or white, your choice) and order some lighter Tapas to nibble on; then kick back with your companions and enjoy life whilst you wait for the Paella. The Paellas are for two people minimum, and range between £17-£22 per head.
For our final trio of Tapas, we were served with Pimientos de Padron (blistered Padron Peppers, £7.90), Chorizo cooked in Cider (£6.90), and Calamari (£6.90). Padron Peppers are one of The Man and my favourites; there’s something magical about the contrast of the smoky, blistered skins and the sweet Pepper itself. Thankfully, we dodged the ‘bullet’ of the rogue fiery one that you occasionally come across this time; we have fallen foul of this once, though, and it does provide some entertainment at the table, for sure! Although it is a simple dish of Galician Peppers fried in Olive oil and a seasoning of Sea Salt, this is a dish that packs a punch every time.
The Chorizo cooked in Cider was crazy good, bringing all the flavour feels. Sweet, tangy, smoky and intense, this dish served hard with its confidence; our palates certainly sat up and took notice! Plentiful slices of Chorizo bathed in sweet, Asturian-style Cider, and the combination of subtle, clean orchard fruit and rich Sausage was powerful and irresistible. Topping the dish were slices of bread arranged in a lattice pattern (food-fashion points duly awarded), ready to absorb all the liquor that remained after we’d scoffed the Chorizo.
Last but not least (of the savoury Tapas) was the Calamari, another linchpin of Tapas menus around the world. Safe to say that this wasn’t Chef Pato’s first rodeo, Calamari speaking; the gossamer-fine coating was ridiculously crisp and crunchy, with not a trace of oiliness to be found. The Squid rings were beautifully soft and fragrant, their marinade of Paprika, Garlic and Lemon lingering subtly at the periphery. Served on a verdant bed of mixed leaves and a separate pot of Aioli on the platter, this was a magnificent conclusion to our meal.
Every single Tapas dish had been superb and matched by the standard of service by Mark and both his colleagues. Our journey wasn’t quite over though, and there was a twist; one of Tapas Madrid’s owners is Ukrainian and her influence is there in the dessert selection. We wondered what on earth ‘Chocolate Hedgehog’ would be; described as ‘homemade biscuit blended with butter and sweetened condensed milk, shaped into adorable Hedgehog shapes’, our curiosity got the better of us and we ordered a portion (£5.90) to share.
I wouldn’t say that they particularly resembled Hedgehogs, but they were so bloody delicious that neither of us cared! The nearest I can describe this treat is like a grainy Marzipan in texture – but chocolatey. Impossibly rich, sticky and moist, the dark ‘body’ had a desiccated Coconut outer coating (which I guess gave it a slightly spiky appearance), making for a tooth-tinglingly sweet dessert. A dark chocolate sauce was drizzled over and around the ‘hedgehogs’, though it wasn’t really needed to make this sweet treat any more indulgent. I would definitely opt to share one between two people…unless you want to get a dizzy sugar-rush! This wasn’t the only unique dessert Tapas, either: Sweet ‘Salami’, anyone?
I have to say that His Nibs and I were yapping non-stop about Tapas Madrid all the way home, with concrete plans to return in the not-too-distant future - the Paella has got our name on it, or maybe it’s the Bottomless Tapas that’s calling? Hot Wings very enthusiastically given to this fab Ashbourne restaurant.
To book a table call 01335 368816 or visit www.tapasmadridashbourne.com and hit the ‘book a table’ button. Tapas Madrid is open Mon-Fri Noon-9pm, Saturday Noon-10pm, and Sunday 4pm-9pm.
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