17 best restaurants in Madrid, according to our team in Spain

Sala de Despiece

Inspired by butcher’s shops and salas de despiece (cutting rooms), this vibrant, innovative restaurant, which opened a decade ago on Chamberí’s Calle Ponzano, was a pioneer in communal countertop dining. Even now, the place tends to be packed to capacity, with a dedicated local audience for chef Javier Bonet’s creative nose-to-tail exploration of Spanish gastronomy. Lucrezia Worthington

Address: Sala de Despiece, C. de Ponzano, 11, 28010 Madrid, Spain
Website: saladedespiece.com

Smoked Room

It took chef Dani García six months to snaffle two Michelin stars in one go for this shrine to fire and smoke (which is essentially a special section of his steakhouse, Leña). Only 14 diners can gather around the Japanese-style bar to see the show every night: an up-close-and-personal chef’s table where flame-lashed meat, fish, eels and barnacles are finished on your plate, and a “todo es humo” (“everything is smoked”) tasting menu with a “Japanese spirit” is the order of the day. Lucrezia Worthington

Address: Smoked Room, Hotel Hyatt Regency Hesperia, P.º de la Castellana, 57, 28046 Madrid, Spain
Website: grupodanigarcia.com

Diverxo

A second consecutive top prize at the Best Chef Awards last year helped seal Dabiz Muñoz’s outsized reputation for eccentric, attention-grabbing dishes. Set a short hop up the Paseo de la Castellana in the NH Eurobuilding hotel, DiverXo showcases Muñoz’s food-as-theatre across tasting menus that aim to surprise. Two further ventures in the city, StreetXo and the newly launched dumpling bar RavioXo, are more casual but equally clever. Lucrezia Worthington

Address: Diverxo, NH Eurobuilding, C. del Padre Damián, 23, 28036 Madrid, Spain
Website: diverxo.com