Head-to-Head · Madrid
DiverXO vs La Terraza del Casino
DiverXO is Madrid's only three-star, Dabiz Muñoz's roller-coaster; Paco Roncero's two-star rooftop, the classic. Book DiverXO for thrill, Roncero to dine well.
The Verdict
DiverXO is the only three-Michelin-star restaurant in Madrid, and the most divisive ticket in the city. Dabiz Muñoz runs his 'Kitchen of the Flying Pigs' inside the NH Collection Eurobuilding in Chamartín, a single avant-garde tasting that careens through Asian-Spanish fusion at a deliberately disorienting pace. A seat requires a prepaid ticket of around €450 a head before drinks, the calendar opens 90 days out, and the room scores 10 for food, 10 for the spectacle and 8 for value. Nothing else in the city eats like it.
La Terraza del Casino is the classical counterweight, and in 2019 it took the name of its chef: it now trades as Paco Roncero Restaurante. The two-star room sits on the rooftop of the Casino de Madrid building at Calle de Alcalá 15 in Centro, a grand belle-époque space where Roncero's modern-Spanish tasting menus lean on technique and Mediterranean produce rather than shock. It holds three Repsol Suns alongside its two stars, and it scores 10 for food, 10 for the room and 8 for value.
The choice is temperament. DiverXO is a high-wire act you submit to; Paco Roncero's rooftop is a polished, grown-up tasting you settle into. One rewrites the rules of a Madrid dinner, the other perfects them.
Scores, Side by Side
| Score | DiverXO | Paco Roncero Restaurante |
|---|---|---|
| Food | 10 / 10 | 10 / 10 |
| Atmosphere | 10 / 10 | 10 / 10 |
| Value | 8 / 10 | 8 / 10 |
Which One for Which Occasion
| Occasion | Editorial Pick |
|---|---|
| A bucket-list meal | DiverXOMadrid's only three-star and one of Europe's most talked-about tastings; you book it to say you have. |
| A grand-occasion dinner | Paco Roncero RestauranteThe belle-époque rooftop on Calle de Alcalá is the city's most beautiful fine-dining room for a formal night. |
| Adventurous eaters | DiverXODabiz Muñoz's Asian-Spanish fusion is built for diners who want to be surprised, even unsettled. |
| A classic tasting menu | Paco Roncero RestauranteRoncero's technique-led, Mediterranean modern-Spanish menu is the more composed, less chaotic of the two. |
| A Madrid anniversary | Paco Roncero RestauranteThe rooftop views and refined service suit a romantic milestone better than DiverXO's frenetic counter. |
Price and How to Book
The split is thrill versus polish. DiverXO sells prepaid tickets around €450, opens its calendar 90 days out at midnight, and is the city's only three-star; the full picture is in the DiverXO review. Paco Roncero Restaurante, the room long known as La Terraza del Casino, books more flexibly for its two-star rooftop tasting; the detail sits in the La Terraza del Casino review. Both anchor our Madrid dining guide.
For cuisine context, weigh DiverXO against the best tasting menus worldwide and Paco Roncero against the best Spanish restaurants worldwide. For occasion fit, line them up with our picks for an anniversary and impressing clients. More Madrid match-ups sit on the compare index, including DiverXO vs Deessa and La Terraza vs Ramón Freixa.