Situated just a short walk from the hustle and bustle of central Madrid, Street XO is three star Michelin chef David Muñoz’s side project and gift to the masses. If innovative and creative gourmet dishes served amongst a loud and theatrical environment and at reasonable prices are your thing, then Street XO is an absolute must when you visit Madrid.

The entry to the restaurant gives you an indication of what is to come

While Madrid has its fair share of foodie restaurants, they often come with extravagant price tags and must be booked well in advance for that ‘special night’. This is how we found ourselves scouring the internet trying to find fine, but creative dining without a reservation in Madrid and by chance, stumbled upon Street XO.

Spanish wonder-chef Dabiz (aka David) Muñoz is well known within the culinary world for his three Michelin starred restaurant in Madrid, DiverXO. But his side project, the gourmet street food project Street XO, has rapidly gained the attention of the masses. This project aims to bring Michelin starred quality and flavour to everyday people at a price they can afford.

Not what you might expect from a Michelin starred restaurant, right?

Taking the elevators to the 7th floor of the El Corte Ingles on Calle Serrano (see the map at the bottom), you emerge into a real foodie heaven. The floor is a gourmet experience, as beside Street XO sits an artisan ice-creamery and a cool little cocktail bar for
pre-dinner drinks.

The view directly into the kitchen where the magic happens

We joined the queue waiting for seats in the restaurant around 9:30pm (this is Spain after all) and a short time later we were seated inside with an unobstructed view to the kitchen and the organised chaos which ensued. We took our friendly waitress’ recommendations on cocktails (they were fantastic!) and started to peruse the many delights on offer on the menu.

For the first course, we chose a sharing dish, the Pekinese dumplings and Pig’s ear with strawberry hoisin sauce. We were hooked straight away! The dumplings were fluffy and juicy and the pig’s ear, while a first for both of us, was paired perfectly with the strawberry hoisin sauce.

Our first course: Pekinese dumplings and Pig’s ear with strawberry hoisin sauce

So it was with much anticipation that we were delivered our next two dishes, served with excited explanations by the chefs themselves. The first dish: suckling lamb shanks, Jabugo soul glace with chilli garlic fried udon, vegetables and corn; and the other dish, skate ribs on banana leaves with Indonesian Sambal sauce and creamy, spicy ‘salmarejo’. The lamb shanks were roasted to perfection with meat falling off the bone and the skate ribs were basted in a tasty, but not too spicy sauce. Both dishes did not last long before we inhaled them.

Skate ribs on banana leaves with Indonesian Sambal sauce and creamy, spicy ‘salmarejo’.

By now hooked on the amazing flavours, we decided to go for broke and ordered two more dishes: the Korean lasagne with old Galician beef and goat’s milk béchamel sauce, shitake mushroom wontons and spicy marinated tomatoes; and the roasted bone marrow with churros and an ‘almost jalapeno’ gazpacho.

Roasted bone marrow with churros and an ‘almost jalapeno’ gazpacho

We didn’t think our night could get much better, but we were so very, very wrong. The Korean lasagne was the highlight and skilfully mixed kimchee and Korean flavours with an eternal favourite, the traditional Italian lasagne. Although the roasted bone marrow was probably a little rich for our tastes, we enjoyed every mouthful and happily devoured every trace of it.