Los Porches tickets: drink or dinner

What you're booking

Los Porches is a tablao: a flamenco venue where performers play live while you sit, eat or drink. The ticket is for the show, and a host greets you when you arrive. It is not a tour and includes no transport. The venue describes itself as the biggest flamenco complex in Madrid, with three stages under one roof and more than 6,000 square metres of space. That makes it a very different place from the small old-town rooms many visitors picture. You choose an option when you book, and the next section explains the choice that matters most.

Drink or dinner?

The price covers the show with a drink or with dinner, depending on the option you choose. Pick dinner if you want one plan for the whole evening and don't want to find a restaurant first. The venue runs a grill restaurant, and Madrid's tourism board says diners can order from a grill menu and tapas during the show. Pick the drink option if you've already eaten, you want a lighter night, or you'd rather eat elsewhere in the city. Either way, the flamenco is the reason for the ticket. Whichever you pick, read the inclusions shown for that option on the checkout page, because the wording there is what applies to your booking.

• Dinner: one plan for the whole evening
• Drink: a lighter night, and you choose where to eat
• Either way: read the option's inclusions at checkout

What's included, and what isn't

Included: the show, a drink or a dinner according to your option, and a host who greets you on arrival. Not included: transport to the venue, and anything extra you order at your table. The venue's site lists a full restaurant menu, desserts, drinks and a wine list, so extras are easy to add. If you're unsure whether something is covered by your ticket, ask before you order rather than after the bill arrives. The booking page also says you can carry on with music and dance after the show if you wish, which is worth knowing when you plan your way home.

• Included: the show, a drink or dinner, a host on arrival
• Not included: transport to and from the venue
• Not included: extra food and drinks you order

Check the "tapas and wine" wording

The ticket's name promises tapas and wine, while its inclusions line describes a drink or a dinner depending on the option. Those are not quite the same promise. Read the description of the exact option on the checkout page, and check what your confirmation lists. If the two don't match, ask the staff at your table or write to the venue before you travel. If a proper dinner matters to you, choose the dinner option or eat beforehand, rather than counting on tapas to replace a meal.

One venue, three stages

The venue's site describes three stages with three different capacities in the same complex: a main stage, a lower stage and a private stage. The booking also refers to three stages. Neither says which stage your option uses, so don't assume a small room. If the size of the room matters to you, for example for a birthday or a quiet evening, ask the venue before you book. The site also lists private events and group classes, so this is a working events venue as well as a tablao. The venue also lists weddings, birthdays and company events among the occasions it hosts, which is a good reason to ask about your evening in advance.

Showtimes: two shows each evening

The venue's own schedule and the Madrid tourism board's page both list two shows each evening, every day of the week, with doors opening before each one. This guide gives no clock times, because the booking calendar and your confirmation show the time for your date, and times can change. Take the earlier show if you want a lighter night or a gentle start to the next day. Take the later one if you want flamenco to finish off a full day out. Check your choice against your way home, because the venue is outside the centre.

Booking here or booking direct

You can also book through the venue itself. Its site has a booking button and lists reservation phone numbers and an email address. Booking direct suits you if you want a group booking, a private event, a paella class or a flamenco class; the site says the group flamenco class needs at least ten people. Booking online here suits you if you want the total in your own currency, reserve now and pay later, and free cancellation up to 24 hours before. Direct bookings follow the venue's own terms, so read them before you pay.

Seats and the room

Choosing a table doesn't appear to be part of this ticket. The venue's site mentions Premium and Imperial tables on its main stage for events, but nothing shows that you can pick a category when you book. If sitting close to the stage matters, ask the venue first and tell the host when you arrive. Treat it as a request, not a promise. A table near the stage is a common wish, and staff can only say what is possible on the night. The booking is marked wheelchair-accessible. If you need step-free access to a particular stage or table, write to the venue before you travel.

Other ways to see flamenco in Madrid

Madrid's tourism board lists many flamenco venues, and most are in the centre. It names Corral de la Morería, Tablao Flamenco 1911 (formerly Villa Rosa), Las Tablas near Plaza de España, Tablao Flamenco Torero with its small stage in the centre, and Teatro Flamenco Madrid, which it calls the first theatre in the world devoted to flamenco. The same page says shows run on any day of the week and that many pair the show with dinner or a drink. If a short walk from your hotel matters more than a big venue, compare those first. If you want a fuller dinner and a large room under one roof, Los Porches is the one built for that.

• Los Porches: a large complex with restaurant, three stages and group classes
• Central tablaos: smaller rooms near the sights
• A theatre: a seated performance, with no table service listed

Read next: Los Porches vs Madrid's Other Tablaos

Who this isn't for

If you want a tiny room in the old centre, this isn't it. Los Porches is a large venue in Puente de Vallecas, a trip from most hotels. If you want a guaranteed tapas tasting, read your option closely, because the inclusions line describes a drink or a dinner. If you want to learn to dance, the venue's group classes need a minimum of ten people. And if you need to pick a seat category, the booking doesn't show one, so ask the venue first. In each case, a short email to the venue before you pay costs you nothing and settles the question.