Restaurant in Madrid, Spain
Fire-focused asador. Book for Saturday lunch.
Julián de Tolosa is Madrid's most reliable asador, with Chef Mikel Gorrotxategi delivering consistent, tradition-focused meat cookery in the Retiro district. Ranked by Opinionated About Dining for three consecutive years and backed by 943 Google reviews, it's a cleaner choice than the city's more theatrical alternatives when the cooking — not the spectacle — is what you're after.
If you've visited Julián de Tolosa once, you already know the formula. The question on a return visit is whether it holds up — and the honest answer is yes, more reliably than most restaurants in Madrid at this level. Chef Mikel Gorrotxategi runs a kitchen focused on one thing: the asador tradition executed without compromise. That consistency is precisely why regulars come back, and it's what makes this a stronger repeat booking than many of the city's more theatrical alternatives.
The asador tradition in Spain is about restraint — fire, quality product, and the discipline not to complicate either. Julián de Tolosa applies that discipline more rigorously than most Madrid addresses that claim the same category. Where other steakhouses in the city lean on side dishes and sauce work to pad the experience, Gorrotxategi's kitchen keeps the focus on the main event: the quality of the meat and the precision of the cook. For returning diners, that means the second visit teaches you more about the kitchen than the first , you're no longer distracted by novelty and can actually assess the technical execution.
Ranked #118 in Opinionated About Dining's Casual Europe list in 2023, the restaurant has since settled to #227 in 2025 , a drop in ranking but not in reputation. OAD rankings at this level reflect category competition more than quality decline, and in a category as tightly contested as European casual dining, holding a ranked position across three consecutive years is a meaningful signal. A Google rating of 4.1 across 943 reviews suggests broad consistency rather than polarising peaks.
Saturday lunch is the session that rewards the most. The kitchen runs service until 4 pm on Saturdays, which gives you time to eat without the evening rush dynamic that compresses the experience on weekday nights. Sunday dinner is not available , the restaurant closes after the afternoon service , so plan accordingly if you're visiting over a weekend. Weekday evenings from 8:30 pm work well for smaller groups who want a quieter room, though the Retiro neighbourhood location means it draws a local professional crowd rather than heavy tourist traffic at any hour, which keeps the atmosphere grounded.
Avoid arriving at opening on a Friday or Saturday evening if you want a calmer room. The 8:30 pm start fills quickly, and the gap between the lunch and dinner services means the kitchen is rested rather than depleted , an argument for booking the first evening slot rather than later in the night.
If your first visit was a broad exploration of the menu, use a second booking to go narrower and deeper. The asador format rewards diners who focus: order the cut you're most curious about and let the kitchen's technique carry the meal rather than spreading across multiple dishes. This is a kitchen that benefits from trust , the fewer instructions you give it, the better the result tends to be. Compared to Smoked Room, which layers progressive technique onto the asador framework, Julián de Tolosa is the more traditional and less theatrical option , the right call if you want the tradition without the production.
For context on how Madrid's broader dining scene sits around it, the city's high-end creative restaurants , DiverXO, Coque, Deessa, and Paco Roncero , operate in a fundamentally different register. Julián de Tolosa is not competing with them on ambition or technique breadth; it's competing on mastery of a single tradition, which is a more honest and often more satisfying bet. If you want creative Spanish cooking, look at DSTAgE instead. If you want the asador done well and done consistently, this is the cleaner choice in Madrid.
Hours: Monday to Saturday 1:30–4 pm and 8:30 pm–12 am; Sunday 1:30–4 pm only. Location: C. de Ibiza, 39, Retiro, 28009 Madrid. Booking difficulty: Easy , walk-ins may be possible for lunch midweek, but booking ahead is advisable for weekend sessions. Cuisine: Asador-Steak, led by Chef Mikel Gorrotxategi. Awards: Opinionated About Dining Casual Europe, ranked three consecutive years (2023–2025). Google rating: 4.1 from 943 reviews.
Exploring beyond Madrid? Spain's broader fine dining circuit is well documented on Pearl , from Arzak in San Sebastián and Azurmendi in Larrabetzu to El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, Martin Berasategui in Lasarte-Oria, Aponiente in El Puerto de Santa María, and Cocina Hermanos Torres in Barcelona. For everything else in the city, see our full Madrid restaurants guide, Madrid hotels guide, Madrid bars guide, Madrid wineries guide, and Madrid experiences guide.
No formal dress code is listed, but the Retiro location and consistent OAD recognition across three years place this in smart-casual territory. Think what you'd wear to a well-regarded neighbourhood restaurant in a professional Madrid district , neat but not formal. Suits are not required; trainers read as underdressed for an evening sitting.
It works for solo diners, particularly at lunch. The midweek lunch service is the lower-pressure option , fewer groups, a quieter room, and no need to commit to a large format. The asador style means you're ordering individual cuts rather than sharing dishes, which suits solo eating well. If solo dining in Madrid is a regular habit, lunch Tuesday through Thursday is your leading window here.
The kitchen's focus is the asador tradition, which means the meat is the order. Gorrotxategi's reputation is built on the quality and handling of the main protein rather than an elaborate supporting cast. On a return visit, pick one cut you haven't tried and let the kitchen's technique do the work , this is not a restaurant that benefits from over-ordering across the menu. Specific current dishes are not confirmed in our data, so check with the restaurant directly for the day's options.
Yes, but with one caveat: this is not a theatrical experience. There are no tasting menu theatrics or elaborate presentation formats. What it delivers is the kind of meal where the quality of the product and the precision of the cooking do the work , which is the right kind of special occasion if that's what you value. For a more produced special occasion experience in Madrid, Coque or DiverXO will suit you better. For a meal where the food itself is the event, book here.
The restaurant is bookable and has a direct booking difficulty rating, which suggests it can handle groups without significant friction. The Retiro address and consistent multi-year OAD ranking suggest an established operation rather than a small counter format. For large groups (8+), contact the restaurant directly to confirm capacity and any group-specific arrangements , seat count is not confirmed in our data. Midweek lunch is the lower-competition session for group bookings.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Julián de Tolosa | Asador-Steak | Opinionated About Dining Casual in Europe Ranked #227 (2025); Opinionated About Dining Casual in Europe Ranked #194 (2024); Opinionated About Dining Casual in Europe Ranked #118 (2023) | Easy | — |
| DiverXO | Progressive - Asian, Creative | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Coque | Spanish, Creative | Michelin 2 Star | Unknown | — |
| Deessa | Modern Spanish, Creative | Michelin 2 Star | Unknown | — |
| Paco Roncero | Creative | Michelin 2 Star | Unknown | — |
| Smoked Room | Progressive Asador, Contemporary | Michelin 2 Star | Unknown | — |
Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.
Dress neatly but don't overthink it. This is an asador in the Retiro neighbourhood — the format is traditional and the crowd tends toward well-dressed locals rather than formal occasions. Clean, put-together casual works. Leave the tie at home.
Yes, and it's one of the stronger solo options in Madrid's meat-focused category. The lunch service (1:30–4 pm daily) is the right session: lower-pressure, well-paced, and easier to secure a single seat. The kitchen is built around individual cuts, so you won't feel obligated to order for a table.
The kitchen's identity is asador — fire and quality product with minimal intervention — so lead with the main cut rather than spreading across the menu. On a return visit, go narrower: the asador format rewards focus over breadth. Specific menu items aren't documented here, but the premise is consistent with the Basque-Navarran tradition chef Mikel Gorrotxategi works within.
It works well for a special occasion if the occasion suits a traditional Spanish asador rather than a tasting-menu format. For multi-course progressive dining, DiverXO or Coque are the Madrid answer. Julián de Tolosa, ranked #194 on OAD Casual Europe in 2024, delivers on food quality and atmosphere without the ceremony — good for a celebratory meal with people who eat seriously.
Groups are manageable here, but confirm directly with the restaurant at C. de Ibiza, 39. Saturday lunch (1:30–4 pm) is the most relaxed service window for larger parties given the extended session. Evening service runs until midnight Monday through Saturday, which gives flexibility for dinner groups who want a longer table.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
