Movida at Hotel Madrid

Went to brunch here with a few of my friends. The food was amazing and $6 bottomless ?? Can’t beat that price at all. The tequila sangria was the best ! Karen was our server and she was so sweet and kept the drinks coming. Ryan and Chris also checked in on us and even let us go upstairs after the private party was over so we can see the outdoor patio. Good vibes great people def our Milwaukee brunch spot when we visit..Hopefully we can sit up there next time we are in town !

Amazing happy hour specials from 4 to 6 pm every day at the bar or cocktail tables in the bar area. Varied and tasty small plate specials of $1, $3 and $5 each to choose from - we tried lots at that price. $9 Sangria - red, white or tequila (I thought the white Sangria was the best)! Went with a friend to catch up on each other's lives. Lovely background music at a level that made it easy to converse without shouting at each other 🙂

This is coming a week late. I wanted to share what a wonderful experience we had last Sunday at Movida. Last minute reservation for 6, no problem. Celebrating my daughter’s graduation from UWM and had concerns about how busy this place might be. Got in and had wonderful service, great decor in a very clean environment, and a perfect brunch menu. Highly recommend this wonderful restaurant.

We dined at Movida Spanish Tapas Restaurant yesterday. We have been there a few times and the experience is good. Our paella order was incorrect and they did return it to the kitchen and served the correct dish 30+min later. No problem. So we were there a little longer but enjoy all the dishes we ordered. But I find the cleaning staff coming out at 9pm to mop floors and start to close up unsettling. The restaurant is open until 10pm. At that point we were no longer welcome.

It took very long to get our food because of a mix up in the kitchen, but the chef came out to talk to us and was super nice and explained everything! We got our bill comped and the food was amazing

Movida is such a fun restaurant. The decor is simple and elegant and I've enjoyed every meal I've had with them. Its a great place for a night out with friends or a date night, and the happy hour is incredible! There are some excellent entrees, but it's also a lot of fun to order a bunch of tapas to share (or not share! ;) ) as a meal.

My wife and I had dinner at Movida at Hotel Madrid this last Saturday before going to the Brewer game. We had 5 different tapas selections, and a couple of drinks, they were all extremely good. The service was fun and friendly, the outdoor patio was perfect. I loved the general vibe and decor. We would definitely return for dinner in the future. Thank you! NOTE: We did not stay in the hotel so I don't have a review for the rooms/hotel itself.

LOVE THE TEAM! Why would they ever change the red sangria? HAVE to bring back the original! Otherwise 10 stars! The OG Sangria is top shelf - a national treasure.

I came in to sit at the bar for happy hour and I ended up staying for hours! I was there on a Friday night that I’d expect mixed service from how busy they were with one bar open but there was a girl and a guy bartending and both were phenomenal so attentive and so knowledgeable of the menu. They offered great recommendations and service. Will definitely be back as soon as I can! Alexis and Alfred are the best! :)

Was a nice experience. Pricey and a tad loud but granted was New Year’s Eve. Service couldn’t have been better and interesting having unlimited tapas.

The unlimited tapas are the best deal ever! It’s a great way to try everything on the allowed menus. I came here 4 years ago and had to come back when we were coming through Milwaukee because it’s just that good. 4 stars cause the 20% service fee is low key a buzz kill when it’s just you and another person dining but whatever- I expected it from other reviews and their website. The red sangrias better than the white!

I came for happy hour, but we were told it only applied in the bar—not the main dining area—except for the sangria. The sangria was discounted from $12 to $9; it was good, not great. I ordered the tofu curry noodles. They were just okay. The tofu was bland and slightly overcooked, and the sauce was unremarkable.

Food was pretty good. I got the yogurt and the Birria grilled cheese. I would get it again for sure. The churros were hard and not great. Though, note if one person at your table gets the bottomless mimosa, they charge the whole table for it. We had a party of 15. Maybe 3 of us got the bottomless, and everyone at the table was charged. Yikes. We got the bill, and found that out, we started ordering more drinks AFTER the bill, to get our moneys worth then.

Such a fantastic menu and the food was superb. I hope those chefs are getting paid well because they are killing it!!! Loved the ambiance- the low lighting was perfect. The service was good, but it was almost /too/ good? Our server would come to fill our water glasses every 5-10 minutes, and would check in with us too much. I’m not sure if that’s just the brand of the place but I and my whole party felt it was a little odd. Other than that, we had a great time and will totally be coming back here. The prices are very decent and affordable for high end tapas!

**Movida Tapas Experience Review** We had a fantastic time doing the tapas at Movida! There were so many delicious choices, and it was great to have multiple options for our vegetarian friend. Our server, Kari L., was awesome. She really got the vibe of our table and, along with the rest of the team, made sure we had a great night. Even with the 75-minute limit on tapas, we never felt rushed, which was a nice surprise. One thing we wished for was that the brisket sliders were part of the tapas menu. Overall, we had a great experience with tasty food and friendly service. Highly recommend!

First time visit for brunch on Sunday. Okay service, our server did seem busy with a larger table. However, I’m always curious if automatic gratuity de-incentivizes the hustle. Nonetheless, the food was good and did come out timely, when we were able to make our orders. The Birria grilled cheese and tomato & toast - amazing. Seriously

Enjoyed the Pink Brunch with a group of 12 here. The group enjoyed their food overall but I wish there were a few more options for the food allergens in our group (pescetarian, celiacs.) There was a mix-up of the non-alcoholic and regular mimosas which isn't fun when the group includes pregnant women. I also think for making the entire table partake in bottomless drinks refills should have occurred more often. Ambiance and decor were great and our server was kind. Glad we all found free street parking really close too!

Service was good, food was good, I thought the prices were good for a tapas restaurant. Drinks and wine were overpriced. The restaurant setting was a bit cold. We did the chef paella which was HUGE! and a great value for the price, unless you are a monster eater you will have take home. The only disappointment was the 18% "service fee". We were a party of two, not 6 or 8. It's such a virtue signal to say "we do that to cover labor costs or healthcare" or whatever. How about you just raise your prices 18% and be like any other business and pay your team? But if you want to be a euro style model then don't tell your staff to ask for a tip on top and don't bring my bill for at least 30min after you've asked 5 times if we need anything else or at the very least, let us finish our wine first, it's rude. Anyway, if the prices were a bit higher on the food and the service fee disappeared, I'd have given 4 stars.

The space is modern and stylish. It felt like we were in for an upscale experience but it failed to impress. We had a reservation for 7pm, but waited 45 minutes to be seated. In that time, about 10 parties came and left because the one hostess working did t show her face because she was likely pulled in other directions. Management was invisible the whole time and it seemed like the staff needed leadership. When we finally got our table, 3/4 of the dining room was empty leaving us wondering what took so long. The staff was quickly delivering food but since it was by committee, it felt more like a cafeteria experience. The food was just ok and felt like it just missed the quality that they were trying to convey. The drinks were over priced as it was mostly ice. I took 4 sips and was finished with my $15 drink. Unimpressive. I think it could be great with better management that ensures customer satisfaction. I would try it one more time.

Did not stay at the hotel but went there to celebrate my sister‘s birthday … so my stars for the rooms were the dining area only. Not a lot of selection for brunch. The steak omelette was ok. Something I asked not to be included in my eggs was included but the waiter was great & gracious enough to comp me on my mimosa as a kind gesture - which also was my favorite item out of all i had.

Food was good but I am confused about the gratuity. This was dinner for just two people. My husband had tried to call for reservations but was never able to reach anyone. Perhaps they only do it online. It was a Thursday night and the place was pretty much empty. We were offered a place at the bar because we didn’t have reservations, which we didn’t mind but still wondered at because the main dining room was still mostly empty the entire time we were there from about 6:30 to after 8pm. The service was fast and friendly, the food and drinks were good but I don’t know if they were $225 good. It turns out there was a gratuity automatically added, but she wouldn’t bring back my itemized check after I gave her my card. The cc receipt had a line for another gratuity and I really wasn’t sure how to react to that. Overall it left me with a feeling of distrust in the place and a reluctance to recommend to others based on that.

This is a review of the Movida restaurant. I did not stay in the hotel. I went on Christmas Day with my family for early dinner at around 4:30PM. The food was excellent. There were only a few dishes on the unlimited menu that were bum spots, those being the dishes with ricotta. The ricotta is literally just ricotta. Bland, uninspiring, not a lick of seasoning in any of the many dishes it is included in. I'm seeing a lot of reviews that mention the confusing gratuity - and even at this point, hours later, I'm unsure exactly where my money went. There is a mandatory 20% gratuity on all bills. The server explained that he doesn't see any of that money, and it instead goes to the mysterious "them". Who is them? The bar-staff? The food-runners? The owners? The guest is expected to not only foot a 20% gratuity, but tip in addition so that your server can see something. At least, that was the way it was explained. The service was excellent. For a busy day, it being Christmas and all, Giovanni was incredibly attentive and all of our food came in a timely manner. I'm a big tipper. I've worked in restaurants before. I can not reckon tipping 20% in ADDITION to the 20% I've already tipped in the gratuity. I don't understand the model. My belief now is that Giovanni was lying in order to receive a higher %. I'm still not sure, though. I wish I could be sure that ALL of my money went to the server and not in mysterious directions.

Not authentically Spanish at all. Small, tiny menu for brunch with few options, their paella had no mussels, didn’t use bomba rice. Si eres español, no te vayas aquí con expectaciones de comida española auténtica. That being said, the waiter was very nice and provided fantastic service.

We only ate there - no need to stay when home is but a few blocks away! Of the restaurant, the good: the ambience is great. Its a very clean, detailed and gorgeous space. Very hip, fun and inviting. More so, the service was excellent. Very friendly and proactive. The bad: the food was expensive, all things considered. It *is* tapas - so that faire tends to run high, although even with the "all you can eat," at $50/head, there are only a few tapas menu sections you can choose from. The ugly: while tapas being expensive isn't exactly headline news, there isn't exactly a vacuum of tapas places you can choose from and the one thing they need to be is delicious. In light of that, they weren't memorable or all that good. In fact, much of the food came out cool - not warm - not exactly the "cool factor" i suspect the restaurant was going for! My honest review: I'm glad we went actually. It was a fun date night and a nice place - but we both decided we'd never go back. Especially since zocalo is literally right there with far better food at far more reasonable prices.

I recently dined this past Thursday with my girlfriend, who is not from Milwaukee, to celebrate her birthday. I had previously celebrated here and had a great experience, so I was excited to return — but this visit left me very disappointed. Despite the restaurant being relatively slow, our service was poor. We waited a long time for drinks, were brought the wrong ones at one point, and our bill initially included items we didn’t order. While the manager eventually corrected it and offered a complimentary drink credit and $10 gift card, the situation felt poorly handled. I also didn’t realize a 20% service charge was already added to the bill, something the manager never mentioned and that is only disclosed in fine print on the menu. (I did not read this at the time) As a result, I unknowingly tipped on top of it — something I wouldn’t have done had I been properly informed. I would have left no tip. It feels pretty deceptive, especially to automatically add a service charge for a party of just two. Overall, after I left, I felt scammed and disappointed. I will not be coming back.

I was shocked that this was the place I heard people rave about in the past. Maybe today was an off day being mother’s day and a fixed menu, but our experience was below average. The food was uninspired and plain, the silverware was mismatched, and the plates looked to be diner quality. The entire room decor was odd, like an overflow dining area and since there was nothing to break it up it was so loud. We had to ask the bussers to clear our plates when they came by to fill water, which just seemed like poor service. Our server was great, she seemed to be the only one working the busy floor and I felt for her. Again, maybe dinner service is better but that was abismal.

was really excited to go based off other reviews and recs. i’m sure it was a brunch thing but their paella was a huge bummer. it’s just huge portion fried rice with green olives and mayo drizzled on top lol. i could see a redemption story if i go for dinner.

We have never stayed at the Hotel. We have visited Movida several times for late afternoon snacks and dinner and have always enjoyed great tapas and service. Unfortunately, this recent trip was our worst experience yet. We went for brunch after Don's TV & Repair lost power during the storm on August 10th and recommended we reschedule at Movida. While the staff seemed friendly, the service was incredibly slow, and the omelets we ordered had an off taste. On a positive note, the appetizers were delicious. To make matters worse, our desserts were mistakenly served to the table next to us. Instead of leaving them there, the server apologized to those customers, took the desserts back, and then delivered them to us, which left us shocked and amazed. In my opinion, that should never happen. We were in a rush, so we accepted the desserts but did mention our concerns to the server. Additionally, we were a party of three, and they automatically included a 20% tip on the bill. Given this experience, I highly doubt we will return.

Update Jan 2026 After connecting with Movida we visited again. Happy to say that we had a wonderful dinner and the service was fantastic. Food, drinks and atmosphere were great. Our server was very attentive, courteous and upbeat. We’ll be back again! Nice job Movida! I’m sad to give such a poor review because Movida has such great atmosphere and delicious food. However, the service we received on recent visit was terrible and overshadowed everything good about our visit. Dinner took over 2 hrs for 6 people with just two rounds of tapas and drinks. We mentioned numerous times to the server that we had a show to catch and if there was any way they could hurry. However, there was little effort to help and it turned out that half of our second round of tapas was never ordered so we ended up hungry, angry and 15 minutes late to our show. The server never apologized or even seemed to acknowledge what happened. On top of that we were unaware of the 20% service charge and still left additional tip following our poor experience. I’m hopeful this isn’t typical for Movida as we were excited by the menu and atmosphere

Went with friends this past Saturday for a birthday calibration. Immediately noticed it was extremely dark inside, to the point we couldn't even read the menus without pulling out our phones for extra lighting. Once we got to ordering, things were looking up as the server was excellent, very attentive and pleasant. We ordered a bunch of Tapas for their $49 all you can eat deal. Serving sizes were larger than expected, and they started to bring out food quickly. However, we quickly noticed that the food was extremely salty. Some dishes were actually inedible due to all of the sodium. This surprised several people within the group as they had eaten there before and they claim the food was good. Towards the end of the evening, we did tell the server and the last couple of dishes did seem a bit better in the salt department, but our opinions had already been formed by then. I don't think I will return to Movida again.

Atmosphere was cold, hard, and cheap. Felt like a cheaply designed Airbnb rental than a nice and hospitable restaurant. The inside was a bland white drywall box with no warmth or thoughtful design. It was uncomfortably dark. The worst lighting I’ve experienced in a dining space. The food was consistently over salted with little flavor. It was difficult to eat. Requested classic/traditional Manhattans, the bar added unnecessary ingredients like cinnamon that ruined the drinks. Overall, poor execution across dining, and atmosphere. Service was good, but overall not worth the experience.

We went for New Years eve with a reservation for three. I expected there to be a wait but the wait was for over 1 hour despite the reservation. When we got to our seats the waitress seemed to be friendly at first. However, she proceeds to neglect us for the rest of the night while she serve every other table except us even though there was only 3 tables left. We availed the unlimited tapas but we felt like we did not gain the full experience because she only came to our table 4 times to deliver drinks, deliver the initial tapas, the take away boxes and the bill. She did not ask us again if we wanted more tapas even though the we have purchased unlimited tapas experience. By the time she went back to our table it was the closing of the kitchen and we could not really order much anymore. Terrible experience. I would not recommend this restaurant to anybody that wants to have a great experience for a special occasion to go here. The food was good but the experience leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

Terrible experience, do not waste your money here, there are waaaay better tapas restaurants around Milwaukee for better price and service. We have returned to Movida for a second time to give it another shot, the first time was not the best but thought everybody had a bad day, so here we go. To begin with, their red sangria tasted like syrup. Then we ordered a salad and the patatas bravas to start, the cheese on the salad was at the bottom of the plate, so of course after you eat all the arugula that is when you finally see the cheese, which is probably great since it is a terrible cheese quality. As for the patatas bravas, pffff not a pinch of salt, they served half of a full size potato with not enough of the terrible salsa that had no flavor and not spice at all, the “bravas” on the potatoes was completely missing. Finally, the paella… no texture, it was like a mush pile of rice with a weird dressing on top, I have to say they did a great job by making a plate of rice taste like crab cakes! To end this beautiful night, they included a 20% service charge in the bill! We will never be back there.

Food was amazing! Atmosphere was cool! Service staff failed us. Waitress hardly checked in after putting in our order. We made our way through a round of drinks and she never came around to ask us if we wanted seconds. We made reservations to celebrate a birthday. I checked in with the waitress on the way to bathroom to be sure she would have something brought out for the birthday celebration. She said of course. The dessert never came. Our waitress ignored our table for about 20 minutes even though we clearly needed service. I had to walk up to management to ask for the check.

We were there for dinner to celebrate sisters nights. Three sisters out to have fun. Don’t go to movida madrid restaurant. We had spanish meetballs that were overly cooked. Garlic shrimp that was too lemony. And movida parlla that was overly infused with olive juice. Yuck. Dricks were so strong that i could only have a sip. Even my sister who likes her alcoholic drinks said damn these are so strong. No taste. Just straight alcohol. Never going there again. I went to madrid and barselona. This is not food from those cities. I give it a one star. Never going back.

The food was exceptional, but the service fell short—especially considering the 20% automatic gratuity. We had a party of 12. The server explained that checks couldn’t be split six ways, which was understandable. However, he told us the process was “complicated and hard to understand,” and then instructed that one guest should collect and relay the entire table’s food order to him. Oddly enough, he still took our drink orders individually. When the food arrived, the server assistants asked us who ordered what—even though the server had said it would be served “family style” and not tied to individuals. The process was confusing. Over the course of two hours, no one checked in to see how our food was. Water glasses sat empty most of the night, and we had to remind the server multiple times just to get refills. I’m sure this is a great spot for a date night or a small group of 2–4 people, but I would not recommend it for larger gatherings.

We went there with a party of 7 and had to put down $25 per person for a reservation and when we got there the lighting was so dark you couldn’t see the food or the menu. Half of the food was so salty we could barely eat it, the other half was mediocre. We each had 2-3 drinks from the bar and the bill was $800, $125 was gratuity, we felt ripped off and the food wasn’t even that good, i wouldn’t recommend going here.

Can’t believe they call the dish we had paella. It was a plate of overcooked mush. There was a 20% service fee on a table for 2, with an inattentive waitress. Feel like I got scammed

The food was good, but unfortunately the service completely ruined the experience. My husband, my son, and I felt ignored and neglected throughout our visit. While other tables were being regularly checked on and served, we were not. We ordered the tapas with the expectation of the all-you-can-eat experience, yet we only received four plates total and were never offered refills. We also never received water. To make matters worse, the waitress confused our bill with another table’s, which added to the frustration. My son even noticed the waitress giving us looks that felt uncomfortable and unwelcoming, almost as if she was disgusted. The difference in how we were treated compared to other guests was noticeable and deeply disappointing. As people of color, the experience felt exclusionary and unwelcoming. The food has potential, but the service and overall atmosphere made us feel unwanted. I would not recommend this restaurant to people of color, as we did not feel respected or welcomed.

The food is great. The experience is disappointing this place used to be so good. Now you can only order 3 items at a time whether you are in a party of 6 or 2. We were 6 people so 2/3 of our group had to wait for food. It was not explained well at all. Its tapas can't we just order what we want and you bring it when it's ready? The pink brunch for $25 used to include coffee and a drink, now thats extra its $25 for food only and thats alot for waffles and uninspired churro. Mandatory 20 percent tip added to every bill no matter if the service is good or not and server has to tell you she splits that so anything extra she gets directly. For dinner we ordered two tapas, two drinks per person and a couple of paella to share. $400 for 6 people. We have tried this place.for.brunch and dinner we wont be back. It used to be good but things have changed.