Casa Jaguar: a jungle paradise in central Madrid

After a long, hot summer, Madrid is starting to wake up again as people slowly trickle back from their holidays. If you’ve recently returned and the thought of going back to work or school is getting you down, then do not despair! There’s a fabulous new restaurant in town called Casa Jaguar and it’s the perfect antidote to those post-holiday blues.

Tucked away on a side street near Ópera, Casa Jaguar opened just before the summer. It’s owned by four business partners, one of whom is also the owner of Camoatí (another of my favourite restaurants in Madrid, you must try it if you haven’t already!). Walk through the door and you feel like you could be in another country. The huge Rousseau-inspired jungle mural, wicker chairs, wooden tables and palette of browns and greens blend perfectly to create an ambience that is both exotic and cosy.

The large, wooden-topped bar is the perfect place to sit and have a drink whilst chatting to the lovely Fabian (another of the owners). He’ll whip you up a delicious cocktail, or you can choose from the large variety of Latin American beers and carefully curated wine list.

And that’s before I even get started on the food. My goodness, the food! I’ve visited Casa Jaguar for both lunch and dinner, and everything I’ve tried has been exquisite. From Tuesday to Friday they offer a menú del día for the bargainous price of 12 euros, which includes a starter, a choice of two mains (one is always a veggie option) and dessert or coffee. Best of all, the menu changes every day so there’s never a chance to get bored!

I went for dinner the other evening with a couple of friends and the food was even tastier. We ordered a starter of roasted potato and yucca wedges with guacamole and a Peruvian spicy cheese sauce, which we managed to polish off in about 30 seconds.

For my main course, I decided to stick with the vegetarian theme and ordered beetroot and sweetcorn risotto with spinach, sun-dried tomatoes and goat’s cheese – absolutely divine.

Cat (a die-hard carnivore) opted for the beer and honey braised pork with sweet potato mash. This got a big thumbs-up from her.

Ella went for the tropical shrimp with pineapple, coconut milk and rum, with coriander rice on crunchy green banana. As delicious as it sounds (so delicious that she snaffled a piece of pineapple before I could take a photo!).

The whole menu is awash with delicious Latin American ingredients and flavours. The desserts looked amazing too, although we were all too full to try them! Everything is very reasonably priced and the service is fantastic. Jaguar you? After my visits to Casa Jaguar, very happy!

Info

Casa Jaguar Website, Facebook and Instagram
Address: Calle de los Caños del Peral 9
Metro: Ópera, Callao, Santo Domingo
Telephone: 910 245 712
Opening hours: Tuesday-Thursday 13h-16:30h, 21h-00h, Friday-Saturday 13h-16:30h, 21h-01h, Closed Sunday and Monday (Currently closed for lunch in August but full opening hours resuming 6th Sept onwards)

(First photo courtesy of Casa Jaguar’s Facebook page)