Madrid overflows with history, architecture, culture, sport, and romance. Spain’s most abundant city offers exhilarating adventures for every sense. Masterpieces housed inside the Museo del Prado, Reina
Sofia, and Thyssen-Bornemisza appeal to the visual. They include works by such legends as El Greco, Goya, and Picasso. Sound is best captured during the iconic outdoor festivals at Iberdrola Music. The collective energy generated by 84,000 football-crazed fans at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium— proud home of 15-time European Champion Real Madrid— can be viscerally felt for miles outside the city’s most famous sports venue.
Yet it is Madrid’s globally renowned culinary arts that best exalt senses of taste and smell. Spanish history is steeped in revolution, and the capital city’s explosive, cutting-edge food scene has planted a flag of its own for the world to see. Joining Tokyo, Paris, and London, Madrid has also conquered every aspect of fine dining.
Leading the revolution is Dabiz Muñoz, three-time winner of The Best Chef in the World Award. His three-star Michelin restaurant is DiverXO. It is an absolute must-experience for fellow foodies craving not just spectacularly inventive dishes, but a full-charge sensory invasion replete with wildly affecting décor and hedonistic (borderline irreverent) SpanAsian cuisine.
Crab with XO Kimchi From the Mouth of the Guadalquivir River
Some history of my own.
I first visited Spain as a sophomore in high school, on a trip with my Spanish class. We explored many towns and along the way I fell in love with this magical country. It was Madrid, however, that truly captured my heart. The villages were charming, but I came to realize a fact: I am a city guy. Madrid is big. Twice the population of Barcelona, and Barcelona hosted a Summer Olympics. Energy, movement, and endless options sustain me. Access to a vibrant spectrum of unique restaurants and clever bars allows me to thrive.
Post-college I lived in downtown Los Angeles where dining options sprout like morning’s mushrooms. It awakened me to a gastronomical galaxy, igniting passions that continue to shape how I experience every city visited. The one constant throughout the years has been a marrow-deep connection to Spain. That high school trip was not merely an excursion. It was manifestly meant to be, and affecting on a spiritual level.
On an even more personal note, I was adopted at three months old. My incredible parents were always open and honest about it. Knowing this inspired musings about where I came from. So, I took one of those ancestry-DNA tests. 64% of my genealogy can be traced back to Spain.
Suddenly things began making sense.
A gentle tug I had always felt in my heart was now affirmed by science.
It is what leads me back to Spain time and time again. Particularly Madrid, where I proposed to my then girlfriend at the breathtaking Palacio de Cristal in Retiro Park, and where we later returned for our honeymoon.
Each visit added to our mission of experiencing more of the city’s iconic restaurants. Or at least the ones we could book. Some of Madrid’s Michelin-starred restaurants release reservations 30 to 90 days in advance, often right at midnight. Within minutes every seat of each seating slot is claimed like a winning lottery ticket by local foodies in the know, culinary-minded tourists, and celebrity critics from across the globe. Madrid’s fine dining landscape caters to a wide swath of upscale cuisine “apprecia-nados”, representing everything for which the city stands.
Innovation. Warm hospitality. Precision melding of old and new.
Here are some of Madrid’s dining exemplars that truly capture excellence:
DiverXO – 3 Star Michelin Restaurant
Chef: Dabiz Muñoz
Location: Calle del Padre Damián, 23
Style: Avant-garde fine dining
Madrid’s only three Michelin-starred restaurant, DiverXO, offers guests a dreamscape wherein boundaries between food, art, and imagination either vanish or never existed in the first place. Dabiz Muñoz is its visionary genius and master craftsman. He was honored as Best Chef in the World a jaw-dropping three years in a row (2021–2023). Each of Muñoz’s creations is a surreal masterwork. Each challenges convention, defies rubrics, and yet enchants every palate.
I have dined at DiverXO twice, and both visits were mesmerizing. Unable to secure a reservation online during the booking window, I reached out to the restaurant hoping that there might be some availability being held from the online booking system. Fortunately, there was. The staff were impeccable. Genuinely accommodating, professional, and eager to help— going above and beyond to find a table for my wife and me— knowing it was for a special occasion. We were made to feel celebrated throughout the entire experience.
You step into a positively electric ambiance charged with equal parts wild fantasy and sleek, restrained elegance.
The décor is as daring as the menu offerings. Flying pigs adorn the restaurant, emerging from walls and soaring overhead. This perfectly echoes Muñoz’s tasting menu, aptly named La Cocina de los Cerdos Voladores (“The Flying Pig Cuisine”). Think Alice in Wonderland meets gastronomic dream through the lens of a mad, yet genius chef. Showers of color and bold design statements perfectly mirror Muñoz’s boundary-obliterating approach to fusion cuisine. Visual Arts and Culinary Arts dance in superb synchronicity. Where many chefs strip dishes down to minimalism, Muñoz embraces the opposite — a controlled chaos that only he can orchestrate. Ingredients that wouldn’t normally earn chairs in the same symphony are somehow coaxed into the most soaring harmonies.
Expect a thrilling performance that blends notes from Asia, Latin America, and Spain, while balancing dramatic flair with technical precision. Every bite exalts. Every course enchants.
The team at DiverXO extended hospitality beyond our meal. They graciously helped us secure a reservation at StreetXO— Muñoz’s more playful, street-food-inspired restaurant— which will be spotlighted in an upcoming article. The affection shown to all guests, and the ingenuity of every plate is not an accidental juxtaposition. It is confirmation that DiverXO was never intended as a mere restaurant.
It was meant to be a revolution.
Booking Tip: reservations are available 90 days in advance, but book quickly. Lunch reservations tend to be easier and allow for the same quality of service, food, and ambiance.
Indian Salmorejo Pani-Puri with Lobster Claw. Iberian Agnei Lamb Skirt Roasted in the Embers of the Sarmiento. Broth of the Roasted Lamb with its Stewed Cheek, Buttermilk with Pyrenean Herbs Oil and Black Garlic. Lamb Fried Milk with Ponzu Sauce.
Smoked Room – 2 Star Michelin Restaurant
Chef: Dani García
Location: Inside Leña Restaurant, Paseo de la Castellana, 57, Madrid
Style: Flame-grilled haute cuisine
Behind the door to Leña, Chef Dani García offers one of Madrid’s most exclusive dining sanctuaries. Smoked Room is a 14-seat reliquary devoted entirely to the art of fire. Awarded two Michelin stars, this intimate setting is all about the precision of smoke, heat, and flavor converging primal elements into seductive alchemy.
The best seats in the house are at the chef’s counter, a cozy space with only eight seats where diners sit just a few steps from glowing embers to watch each dish distilled to perfection by open flames. The room hums with quiet intensity. Crackling of seasoned wood. A rhythm of chefs demonstrating unmatched expertise. And softly muted conversations of those lucky enough to be witness the rustic magic.
It gets warm gazing into the “fire works”, so dress accordingly. But being in the lair is what Smoked Room is all about. This is where spectacle scales to the spectacular. Mirrors angled above counters allow guests a chef’s-eye perspective of those precise cuts. The artistry of plating. And a final imprimatur before each dish is certified “perfect”.
Every dish is kissed by smoke, transforming the ordinary into the unforgettable. If you love those woodsy, bone deep, grilled flavors as much as I do, Smoked Room will tickle your taste buds and soothe your soul. The chef’s counter is deliberately understated. A sleek stage with just-right lighting provided by open flames. Cuts of Spain’s finest meats and fish hang in the wings, awaiting cast iron grills and stovetop skillets.
It’s primal and elegant all at once. The junction of flesh and finesse. Where raw elements are masterfully forged into house specialties that transcend description.
Being at the heart of the process adds dramatic quotient to the entire dining experience. Talking with chefs, watching flames flick at sculpted cuts of meat, and seeing golden sparks dart above orange coals will be seared into your memory. The cumulative effect allows each dish to take on a life of its own. One that is as immediate as it is unforgettable.
Smoked Room isn’t just about what’s on the plate. It’s about what happens in the abstrac where flame induces flavor and where each curled wisp of smoke whispers a story.
Booking Tip: Choose a counter seat for direct interaction with the chefs. It gets warm, but the energy is unmatched.
Fire and finesse at Smoked Room—where every dish begins in the embers.
Coque – 2 Star Michelin Restaurant
Chefs: Mario, Rafael, & Diego Sandoval
Location: Calle del Marqués de Riscal, 11, Madrid
Style: Multi-sensory tasting experience
Dining at Coque feels like stepping into a brilliant stage play told in four acts.
We open with the cocktail bar. Move seamlessly toward the wine cellar. Meander through the kitchen. And discover the allure and intrigue of the main dining room. Each act is a dreamscape designed to heighten anticipation for what is next.
Run by the legendary Sandoval brothers, Coque is celebrated for its progressive Spanish menu, post-modern interiors, fun and funky plates, and one of Madrid’s most complete wine collections. From the moment of arrival, the sequence of events feels deeply experiential. Guests are warmly greeted and guided to the cocktail bar for savory bites and a drink before heading downstairs to the magnificent wine cellar, where the house’s Master Sommelier offers superb tastings, along with jamón ibérico-inspired bites, all while sharing a glimpse into the restaurant’s historical vault.
Next is the panaderia, where a seductive aroma of fresh-baked breads wafts freely. You meet the baker, sample his treasures, and witness craftsmanship that goes into every loaf served that evening. From there you step into the kitchen, where chefs offer exquisite amuse-bouche paired with a creative libation while describing the genesis of the dishes you’re about to enjoy.
Finally, you’re escorted to a distinctly elegant dining room, wherein full tasting unfolds. Presented is a harmony of technique, innovation, and emotion. The final act is a house specialty that floods the imagination. A signature pastry carousel propelled by pure magic, that is both whimsical and fantastical. Delicate details awaken and transport your inner child to a perfect ending of a dining experience. The entire evening feels more like an adventure than a dinner.
Booking Tip: Opt for the full tasting menu and allow time to enjoy the full journey.
A whimsical finale at Coque—desserts served on a carousel of pure imagination.
DSTAgE – 2 Star Michelin Restaurant
Chef: Diego Guerrero
Location: Calle de Regueros, 8, Madrid
Style: Contemporary creative cuisine
Dining at DSTAGE — notated for “Days to Smell, Taste, Amaze, Grow, and Enjoy”— offers a masterclass in creativity and comfort. Chef Diego Guerrero has crafted an experience that feels both audacious and intently personal, where fine dining loses its formality but never its brilliance. Set within an industrial-chic space in the heart of Madrid, the restaurant’s open kitchen invites guests into the artistry of the process. You can watch the chefs at work, sense their focus, and feel the rhythm of a team in abject synchronicity. Guerrero’s food is playful, heartfelt, and exact— a reflection of his belief that dining should surprise and amuse as much as it should satiate and impress.
A highlight from my meal was a corn “cotton candy” dessert, a dish that captures childlike wonder. You don’t expect corn to take center stage in a dessert, but this ethereal golden cloud dissolves on the tongue with airy sweetness and subtle warmth. Each bite is at once fleeting yet memorable— an unpredictable ending that lingers long after the last spoonful.
At DSTAGE each flavor tickles a memory. Each course whispers a secret. Guerrero doesn’t simply serve food — he creates moments and amplifies moods.
Booking Tip: Book online and you should have open slots available for your preferred date.
The signature dessert from Chef Diego Guerrero, Maiz, is a fun and delicious cotton candy popcorn ice cream masterpiece and a wonderful way to end the meal.
Insider Tips for Dining in Madrid
· Choose Lunch Over Dinner: Locals dine late (after 9 PM). Lunch offers the same tasting experience at a more comfortable pace. You then have time for a siesta and to explore some of the great tapas spots, take a food tour, or just enjoy the vibrant city at night.
· Plan Ahead: Michelin starred restaurants open reservations 30–90 days in advance, often at midnight. Set a reminder.
· Ask for a Menu Signature: A signed menu is a memorable keepsake from your dining experience.
Signed DiverXO menu from Chef Dabiz Muñoz
Trust the Chefs: Madrid’s culinary scene thrives on creativity— let the tasting menus surprise you.
Madrid’s fine dining scene reflects the city itself. Its creativity and passions are always dynamic, never static. Whether it’s the unbridled imagination of DiverXO, the captivating mystique of Smoked Room, or the curious playfulness of DSTAGE, each restaurant tells its own tales with unique style and grace. Together, they make Madrid a must-experience destination for food lovers worldwide.
