It is the oldest flamenco tablao in the world, formerly known as Villa Rosa. Located in Plaza Santa Ana, just 3 minutes from Puerta del Sol, its facilities are steeped in countless stories and anecdotes of the cultural and social life of the city. Known as "The Cathedral of Flamenco", it has been the stage for the best artists in the history of singing, dancing and guitar playing.
Easily recognisable by its impressive, tiled facade, great flamenco dancers and singers have graced its stage over the years, and it has been frequented by huge names from the world of arts and showbusiness, including Ernest Hemingway and Ava Gardner; famous bullfighters such as Luís Miguel Dominguín; and even members of the Spanish royal family, including King Alfonso XIII.
The extraordinary exterior dates from 1927, covered in tiles and relief work created by the great ceramicist from Seville, Alfonso Romero Mesa, who was also responsible for the tiles we can see in Madrid’s famous bullring, Las Ventas.
The performance space is set within a series of columns and rounded arches, inspired by Granada’s Alhambra, in the Andalusian Moorish style. Its tiled panels depict stories from Madrid, bullfighting scenes, and flamenco images, preserved intact since their creation by the city’s finest ceramicists. The beauty and quirkiness of this venue make it a unique space to create scenes for film, art, music, and television. It has been used as a location for major film directors such as Pedro Almodóvar in High Heels, Fernando Trueba in The Queen of Spain, Manuel Gómez Pereira in Why do they call it love when they mean sex? and Emilio Martínez-Lázaro in Spanish Affair 2.