EcoCentro

anarchistanimal

Points +563

Vegan

11 Dec 2012

Everything a vegan or vegetarian needs - Edit

Ecocentro is an institution with something for all vegans and vegetarians - deli, health food shop and restaurant (side by side but separate entrances). The deli and health food shop have a huge range of vegan meat/dairy substitutes, fresh fruit and veg, supplements and vitamins, books and beauty products etc. Probably the largest range in Madrid. The cafeteria offers a cheap buffet upstairs (around €12 for a big serving of food) with some other basic dishes available to order. And at night the restaurant does a more fine dining experience downstairs. It's all great!

Pros: Huge range of products, Reasonable prices, Cafeteria and restaurant options

flormadel

Points +290

Vegan

11 Dec 2012

Meh - Edit

Disclaimer: I went here through a Groupon deal, and would NEVER have gone without it, because who the hell can afford a 20 euro buffet? Though I ate more than enough, I still thought it wasn't really worth the price I paid. I liked that they had lots of options, but everything was cold, and it felt like you are eating mildly healthy hospital food. Or very bad food you just bought at the Whole Foods salad bar. The atmosphere of the place is very cafeteria-ish and not really cozy. The staff was not the best either. It's not the best location, since it's a bit out of the center of the city.

The stores (2!) surrounding it (called Ecocentro as well) were amazing, and you should really check those out. They were huge and had lots of different vegan products.

I'd recommend going shopping for some products if you want, but avoid the restaurant.

Pros: good store, lots of options, all-you-can-eat deal

Cons: expensive, cold, bland food

msvegan

Points +377

Vegan

23 Aug 2011

Average - Edit

I ate here several times.

The food is average. They use a lot of veg meat in their dishes. Nothing particularly memorable, flavorful or that stood out as being particularly Spanish in the choices.

Pros: Vegan options

Cons: cafateria setting

mik

Points +4181

Vegan

21 Aug 2011

Good choice! - Edit

I enjoyed this place. None of the courses I tried was probably anything out of the ordinary, but they sure did the trick. Besides, there are quite a few vegan desserts, which is always a plus! (especially in Spain)
I would imagine choosing individual dishes rather than a set menu is the affordable, smart thing to do.

Nathan

Points +2089

Vegan

06 Aug 2011

Best option after Crucina Raw Food Restaurant - Edit

I ate here numerous times in April 2011. Between the Bio-bufé and the restaurant there are tones of options, including vegan, which were clearly marked. Everything was fresh. I had no complaints.

If it wasn't for Crucina Raw Food Restaurant, EcoCentro would be my number #1 choice.

Pros: Buffet, Restarant & Health Store in one, Near Metro

emsr2d2

Points +66

Vegetarian

09 Mar 2010

Tasty if a little overpriced - Edit

I ate here recently with the Madrid Vegetarian meetup group. Ecocentro is comprised of 3 parts - the natural/health food shop, a self-service cafe-style area and a full a la carte restaurant. We ate in the main restaurant (which doesn't open until 9pm).

The ambiance and atmosphere are very calm despite the whitewashed walls and quite bright lighting. It's down in the basement of the building so perhaps that's why it feels quite snug!

There's a menu of the day (lunch or dinner) - 3 courses for €15.95, or full a la carte. The dishes range from soup for around €4.95 up to €20 for a combination plate to share.

I went with Crema de Esparragosa (cream of asparagus) to start (very tasty), then Arroz Horneado con Verduras (Baked Rice with Vegetables) as a main. It was good but a little dry and not terribly creative.

We shared 3 bottles of the young red wine (the cheapest at €10.95 per bottle) and a few people had dessert, which did look good but I was full. They offer various desserts and different teas and coffees but there are no liqueurs on the menu (digestifs).

The bill came to just about €25 each - I thought this a little expensive for just 2 courses and 1.5 glasses of wine each.
The ratio of vegetarian to vegan was pretty good. I would say about 40% of the menu was vegan, or appeared to be able to be adapted.

It took a long time for anyone to come to even take a drinks order from us, and when we asked for a jug of tap water, they brought bottled, but to be honest, those are the only complaints.

I believe it's non-smoking though I didn't actually notice any signs. If not, then there were a lot of non-smokers there that night! Rare in Spain.

I would go there again (it's very convenient for where I live though it's a little out of the way if you're in the centre of the city) but there are better veggie places in Madrid. I will, however, be visiting the shop soon as that looked interesting.

Pros: Variety, Taste, Atmosphere

Cons: Location, Non-smoking

emsr2d2

22 Feb 2013

I wrote the review above, but now don't appear to be able to edit it, which is odd.
2 things - the main restaurant is also open for lunch from 1pm til 5pm, then reopens at 9pm for dinner (til midnight).
Also, I certainly didn't mean to put "non-smoking" in as one of the cons! Apologies!

+++VeGaNiSaToR+++

Points +1004

Vegan

14 Sep 2009

too simple - Edit

the advantage is that everything is organic and there's vegan options clearly marked. But, without being bad, the food is not extraordinary, very simple indeed.

gr8vegan

Points +2369

Vegan

15 Aug 2009

Great Veg Compound! Don't miss the fine dining! - Edit

Wonderful Veg Grocery Store with all your regular fare. Then next door they have a cafeteria, which I assume most people think is also the restaurant, but if you go inside to the back of the cafeteria you'll see a pathway with some stairs like the last reviewer said and down you go to a really fine dining experience. Great food, service & atmosphere. You'll have no idea you're in a basement, the place looks brand new, too!

comida

Points +216

Vegan

02 Mar 2009

The best we had in Madrid! - Edit

This is a restaurant, coffee shop, and grocery store. Make sure that you head for the restaurant downstairs, not the self-service cafeteria upstairs. Not that there's anything wrong with their salads and sandwiches, but we almost missed the sign for the restaurant which is in the basement and it would've been a shame to miss their three-course meals when that was what we were looking for.

I used to live in this neighborhood when I was in Madrid, but I never knew about this place! The food is really incredible, the menÃº del dÃa was very good value. I wouldn't hesitate to take omnis here, everything was so so tasty.

All four dishes that we had were fantastic, and so were the desserts. The staff were friendly and polite.

I definitely wanna go back to this place, it was wonderful!

Pros: clearly marked vegan items, wide selection of mineral waters, near the metro

tobiasmagicmagic

Points +419

Vegan

30 Oct 2008

the center of the world for me! (a vegan in love!) - Edit

This is the best restaurant I ever have been too..... I am encantado with it mucho!! if you are vegan and not one of those extremely lucky americans or canadians who never are happy with restaurants in the rest of the world(read the other weird reviews and you will surely get the wrong impression!!)

Really, if you are a veg and you loooove food, goooo hereeee!!! (from a norwegian who never been a better place in the world!)

Pros: food is the best, people are nice!, atmosphere greeeat!

Cons: price? they are very normal for norway;), I dont manage to eat everything at the, same time!! todos para mi!! por favor!!

Veggiechiliqueen

Points +123

Vegetarian

26 Aug 2007

A haven for vegans in Spain - Edit

I worked in Madrid on a temporary assignment in 2005, and EcoCentro became my home away from home. I'd lived in Spain previously before becoming vegan, so I was nervous at the prospect of not being able to find vegan options in a notoriously meat-based culture.

I needn't have worried. EcoCentro is a combination vegetarian/vegan deli/shop/store, small by American standards and limited in variety, but a lifesaver for vegans who find themselves in Madrid for any length of time. They do have a small selection of organics, soy and rice milks, and soy analogs such as tempeh for sale. The shop also sells various herbal remedies, incense, New Age books, jewelry and imported goods. EcoCentro offers a variety of classes on various topics, and you can find more offers and activities listed on their bulletin board.

I lived down the street from EcoCentro, so I would stop into the deli to pick up vegan meals to take on weekend trips around Spain. The range of vegan cuisine is quite inventive and rotates on a regular basis. You can check out the current menu (and other info) at www.ecocentro.es

Pros: Creative organic cuisine, Herbal medicines, whole grains

Cons: Expensive, Limited variety

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