Movida Offers Lovely $25 Brunch

Movida. Photo taken March 13, 2025 by Cari Taylor-Carlson.

You will not find a better price for brunch than the $25.00 Classic Pink Breakfast at Movida at Hotel Madrid. Consider what you get for that price: The Pink Breakfast includes a Starter, a Main, Dessert, Coffee, and a drink. If you order each of these items separately, the total would come to $46.00.

They serve this weekend brunch in a second-floor dining room which we accessed from a side door on Bruce Street. This was not the Movida I remembered from my last visit when we had a meal in a rather dimly lit dining room in the front of the building. That room still functions as a dining room, but is not where they now serve the Pink Brunch.

The building now known as Hotel Madrid was built in 1910, and has recently undergone major renovations according to an Urban Milwaukee article by Jeramey Jeanine. I nosed around and found a bar/restaurant, the original restaurant, and a second kitchen on the first floor. When you include the private dining room on the second floor, the dining room where we had brunch, and a dining room on the first floor underneath where we had brunch, the number of restaurants in the hotel totals five. There are also two patios, one at street level and one on the roof. Hotel Madrid, incidentally, has never actually been a hotel, according to our server.

Movida is mainly known for upscale Spanish cuisine which they serve after 4:00 p.m. On the menu you will find a selection of Tapas, Tostas, Bowls, and of course Paella and Churros con Chocolate. You will also see Paella and Churros on the brunch menu that leans to more classic breakfast entrees than to Spanish specialties.

The Nutella and Mascarpone on a warm toasted English muffin was a delicious mess. When the Nutella melted into the mascarpone, it was a tasty match of sweet chocolate hazelnut and slightly tart mascarpone. If you chose the $25 brunch, you had more Starter choices: Granola and Yogurt, a Buttermilk Biscuit with Chorizo Gravy, and Grated Tomato and Lemon aioli on an English Muffin. You could also order any of the Starters a la carte as well as the Mains and the Churros.

There were two paella choices, Garden Paella and the Movida Paella with chicken, chorizo, Spanish olives, Calasparra rice, and lemon aioli. For the Garden Paella, the chef topped Calasparra rice with carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, scallions, and lemon aioli. The veggies were crisp and there were a lot of them. The Calasparra rice, the short grain rice traditionally used in paella, reminded my companions and me of Thai sticky rice because it was fat, firm, and the grains stuck together. The paella needed a little more time on the heat to get more of the crispy rice kernels that make paella special.

The Birria Grilled Cheese was a mix of tender beef, mozzarella, caramelized onions, and scallions. It was a spectacular grilled cheese sandwich that soared when dipped in the dipping broth or au jus. The Breakfast Potatoes were magical. When the chef took an ordinary Yukon Gold, cut it into chunks and deep-fried it, alchemy happened. You do not want to overlook those potatoes when you order your Pink Brunch Main.

The Breakfast Burrito was a humongous flour tortilla filled with chorizo, cheddar, caramelized onions, tots, scrambled eggs, and aioli. It was a feast of flavors bonded by the aioli and Mexican crema.

There are more Mains: Apple Pie French Toast; Steak and Cheese Omelette; Pulled Pork Omelette; Huevos Rancheros; and a Veggie Burrito.

You will want to finish as we did with Churros con Chocolate. The dipping sauce was a nice addition, but not necessary because the churros were crunchy, sugar-coated, and perfect bites to finish our delicious brunch.

We found Movida delightful with excellent service and tasty food served in a light-filled, second-floor dining room that invited us to linger with a second cup of coffee.

Photo Gallery

12►

On the Menu

The Rundown

• Location: 600 S. 6th St.
• Phone: 414-488-9146
• Hours: 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Mon-Fri, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sat, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sun
• Neighborhood: Walker’s Point
• Website: http://Movidamke.com
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/MovidaMke
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/movidamke/

Existing members must be signed in to see the interactive map. Sign in.