Experience the best of
Madrid with Withlocals

"Enrique was an excellent host, taking us to three interesting and diverse places in the heart of Madrid for drinks and food sampling. His recommendations were wonderful, and we had a great time conversing on a variety of topics throughout the night. "

"DO NOT leave Madrid without booking this experience with Lola. You will not regret meeting with her, only NOT meeting with her! We started our communication with Lola by being provided very good directions and instructions to reach her private dining space. Upon entering, not really knowing what to expect, all we could do was to stand and repeatedly voice, WOW, WOW, WOW! What was once a residence has been converted into a FABULOUS space with an monstrous wooden dining table long with a kitchen showcasing an immense island where her cooking class guests are seated. Our evening was joined with other guests who fast became friends throughout the course of the evening. We drank, laughed, prepped, cooked, stirred, sauteed, sliced, diced, laughed, drank, and so on. The experience was definitely a hands-on experience crafting truly authentic Spanish dishes using the freshest of foods. The dishes Lola selected for us to cook would have been quite daunting to the untrained cook, however, Lola had a knack for breaking down the recipe and turning the 'chore' of cooking in a wonderfully fun and amusing experience. We learned so much along the way, including how to fully prepare a piece of squid including de-boning, de-beaking and cleaning. We nibbled on the first two courses along the way and thoroughly enjoyed the two final main courses. The truffles served at the end of the evening capped off the magnificent experience in a beautifully sweet way. You will arrive as a stranger and be friends within minutes. What we truly appreciated with the experience was the Spanish way of life in how laid-back the culture is and looking at the art of cooking as an experience to enjoy with family and friends vs. a chore. "

"Maria was an absolute delight. From the moment we met she taught me and inspired me to speak and love Español. She was very patient and encouraging and most of all a great teacher. I have vowed to practice so that next time we meet we can experience more beauty in Madrid. Gracias. "

"María really pushed me to learn more Spanish and the churros were great"

"We had a wonderful time in Lola's class. She was knowledgeable, clear in her information and instructions, and very accommodating of dietary requirements (including vegetarian). We walked away full of good food and keen to try making it ourselves! The small group size was also perfect. "

"We had a wonderful time with Ari and Abuela. We learned to make Seafood Paella and Spanish Omelet/Tortilla. The interactions were fun and the food was incredible and plentiful! Abuela was very patient with our many questions and Ari was very patient translating them. Ari also gave us some great pointers for our next activity of the day. All in all, it was a fantastic experience!"

"We would not recommend this experience more. Antonia and Ariadna welcomed us into their (pristine) home. Ariadna spoke perfect English and translated our many questions for Abuela. The produce was so fresh and the food was something out of our dreams. We made Seafood Paella and Spanish Tortilla we would highly recommend. So grateful to have this experience. "

"I had a wonderful cooking lesson and lunch with Ariadna and her grandmother Antonina. After booking the lesson, Ariadna reached out to me giving me several options for lunch; I chose the traditional Spanish Tortilla and gazpacho. I was greeted with a warm welcome and made me feel like family. Both Ariadna and Antonia are very sweet. I especially enjoyed my time since I Spanish. But if you don’t speak Spanish, don’t worry because Ariadna is fluent in English! The food was delicious and their company was the icing on the cake! Thank you Ariadna and Antonia; I’m looking forward to making these dishes at home."

"My wife and I were in Spain for our first time and Lola’s class was a fantastic introduction to making some staple Spanish dishes. Lola made the class fun and engaging for us and taught us a lot about Spanish culture even beyond the food. It felt like a locals experience more than a contrived tourist experience (being first time travelers to Spain, we’ve seen many of the latter too). We had a wonderful time and would recommend to anyone."

"I scheduled a cooking class for my birthday and received more than I expected. First of all Ariadna (Ari) was very easy to communicate with and she responded very quickly to my messages. Coming from Los Angeles I wanted to learn how to prepare authentic Spanish dishes and abuela (grandmother) Antonia did just that. We had a food allergy and she accommodated for us. The class was very interactive where I participated at my level of comfort. I was the only non Spanish speaking but Ari made sure that I was included with her rapid translations and I was involved in the fun conversations. I am going home with the confidence that I can prepare a Paella and traditional Spanish omelet for my friends as a souvenir. I highly recommend this class for its fun and informative level. And ask to get a tour of Antonia's beautiful custom designed apartment, you will be amazed at the craftsmanship."