DiverXO is a high-end, avant-garde tasting menus served on outré dishware in a sleek, modern dining room.

© Adriaan Van Looy/Courtesy of DiverXO

DiverXo

Top choice in Madrid


Madrid's only three-Michelin-starred restaurant, DiverXo in northern Madrid is one of Spain's most unusual culinary experiences. Chef David Muñoz is something of the enfant terrible of Spain's cooking scene, almost Dalí-esque in his refusal to be bound by culinary conventions. It's all about surprises – his team of chefs appear as you're mid-bite to add surprising new ingredients.

The carefully choreographed experience centres on the short (2½-hour, seven-course) or long (four-hour, 11-course) menus, and is utterly unlike the more formal upmarket dining options elsewhere. The nondescript suburban setting and small premises (chefs sometimes end up putting the finishing touches to dishes in the hallway) only add to the whole street-smart atmosphere.

The reservation system (https://diverxo.com/en/reservations/) is itself unlike anywhere else – only possible a month in advance, you buy 'tickets' for €250, etc.