Ramon Freixa Madrid inside the Hotel Único in Salamanca is the Catalan chef's two-Michelin-star Madrid room, with a contemporary Catalan tasting and a courtyard terrace dining option in summer.
Must order: The Concept tasting (EUR 195, 12 dishes). The black-truffle bun and the suckling lamb are signature dishes.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. The courtyard terrace is the seat to book April to October; ask the maitre d when reserving.
Address: Calle de Claudio Coello 67, 28001 Madrid
El Invernadero on Calle Ponzano in Madrid is Rodrigo de la Calle's one-Michelin-star vegetable-only room, the canonical Spanish gastrobotanica tasting, with the chef's own market garden supplying produce.
Order: Choose the 9 or 14-course vegetable-only tasting. The carrot-tartare and the smoked seaweed sashimi are signatures.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. The chef's table by the open kitchen seats 4 and is the seat to ask for when booking.
DiverXO at NH Eurobuilding hotel in Madrid is David Munoz's three-Michelin-star room. The 14-canvas tasting is the most theatrical fine-dining service in Spain, with painted pigs as plates.
Order: The full 14-canvas tasting menu only; no carte. The kimchi-marinated foie and the cochinillo dim sum are signatures.
Tip: Bookings open exactly two months ahead at midnight CET on the website. Set an alarm; the first 30 seconds sell out.
Coque in Madrid's Chamberi is the Sandoval brothers' two-Michelin-star room, with the tasting menu staged across five spaces: cellar, kitchen, sacristy, dining room and lounge.
Order: The full Caminos del Coque tasting (5 spaces, around 18 dishes) only. The roast suckling pig is the signature.
Tip: Allow 4 hours for the full experience; arrive on time as the journey through spaces is choreographed start to finish.
DSTAgE in Madrid's Chueca is Diego Guerrero's two-Michelin-star room: an open kitchen at the back, a 30-cover dining room around it, and a tasting menu that travels Mexico, Japan and the Basque coast.
Order: The full Days tasting menu (16 dishes) only. The mole verde and the eel-and-foie torchon are signatures.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. The counter seats facing the kitchen are first-come on booking; ask when you reserve.
Deessa inside the Four Seasons Madrid is Quique Dacosta's two-Michelin-star Madrid outpost, running the Universos and DNA tasting menus that brought him his Denia three stars north to the capital.
Order: Choose Universos (12 dishes, EUR 235) or DNA (16 dishes, EUR 280); both run the Dacosta canon.
Tip: Book through the hotel concierge or guide.michelin.com link. The dining room overlooks the Centro Canalejas; ask for window.
Saddle in Madrid's Almagro district is the modern grand-bistro by chef Adolfo Santos, the 2018 Michelin-starred room with a tortilla cart, French-Spanish carte and a top wine list.
Order: The truffle tortilla finished table-side from the silver cart. From carte, the lobster fricassee and the dover sole.
Tip: Closed Sunday; bookings via website or directly. The truffle tortilla supplement runs 28 euros and is worth the spend.
