REVIEW: Ernie's Station 1950s-Style American Diner
Calle de las Fuentes, 10
Madrid - between Puerta del Sol and Opera off the Calle Arenal

Over the holidays, I was doing some shopping with a couple of Spaniards and we were deciding on places to have lunch in downtown Madrid and decided on the 1950's-style "American Diner" Ernie's Station.



I'd passed this place several times and found it curious from the outside. I'm not into fast food so I never went before, but you know how young Spaniards can be - and one in our party was young and a fan of hamburgers and other American stuff so I relented.

Our youngest Spaniard ordered the hamburger and fries, which he said was really good. Our other Spaniard ordered the hot dog and fries - which was not an American-style hot dog at all, but rather a German-style sausage. Even the Spanish woman at the next table ordered the same thing and, upon it being served to her, asked the waiter, "Is this the typical American hot dog?" and the waiter confirmed that it was. I just shook my head. I tried the German-style "American Hot Dog" from our other Spaniard and it was REALLY, REALLY good, but not what was expected. I stayed clear of the hamburgers and hot dogs and ordered the Tex-Mex chicken enchiladas which were also very good. Oh, and we'd started with a big pile of nachos with cheese, refried beans, and guacamole. Yum!! Man, that was good. It's been a long time since having nachos.

Not sure if the waiters spoke English, either, but the menus were in both English and Spanish if I recall correctly. The waiters, I think, were Eastern European men. The decor was semi-typical of the 1950s-style diners you find in the USA, but it had less 1950s "stuff" around. There were, however, lots of wall-coverings. The tables were pretty normal and I don't recall seeing booths, though. It was a good effort at being an "American Diner", but lacked a lot, too. The downstairs bathrooms were large, modern, and clean.

There's a "Peggy Sue's" 1950s-style American Diner in Chueca I've passed several times and it looks totally, typically like what we Americans expect from this kind of diner. This is a large chain of American diners throughout Spain and throughout Madrid including in Huertas. I've not yet been, however. Has anyone?

PEGGY SUES: (photo below)


Saludos, MadridMan