Restaurant in Madrid, Spain
Book early. Fills daily for good reason.
Lakasa is one of Madrid's most consistent market-driven Spanish restaurants, holding a Michelin Plate in both 2024 and 2025 with a 4.5 Google rating from over 2,700 reviews. Chef César Martín's updated take on traditional cooking, including the signature Idiazabal cheese fritters, comes in at €€€ — well below the city's tasting-menu tier. Book two to three weeks out: it fills almost every day.
Lakasa is one of those Madrid restaurants where the booking window matters more than the decision itself. According to the Michelin Guide, it is full almost every day — and that assessment is supported by a Google rating of 4.5 across more than 2,700 reviews. If you are planning a visit to Chamberí, book as soon as your dates are confirmed. Waiting until the week before is a genuine risk.
The case for booking is clear: Lakasa delivers updated traditional Spanish market cooking at €€€ pricing, which puts it well below the €€€€ tasting-menu tier occupied by DiverXO, DSTAgE, and Coque. For a food-focused traveller who wants serious cooking without committing to a three-hour tasting menu, this is one of the sharper options in the city.
Chef César Martín runs a kitchen built around market sourcing and technical precision applied to Spanish regional tradition. The Michelin Plate , held in both 2024 and 2025 , signals consistent cooking that meets a defined quality threshold without claiming the full star. The distinction matters for decision-making: Lakasa is not trying to be Deessa or Paco Roncero. It is doing something more grounded , seasonal, ingredient-led cooking where the sourcing does the talking and the technique stays in service of the produce rather than ahead of it.
The Michelin description specifically flags the Idiazabal cheese fritters as a signature item. Idiazabal is a smoked sheep's milk cheese from the Basque Country and Navarre, and frying it well requires restraint: the crust needs to hold without overwhelming the cheese's smokiness. That this dish has become the venue's calling card says something about the kitchen's priorities. It is a confident, low-ego move to anchor a reputation on something that simple.
The menu structure also includes half-portions, which is a practical feature worth noting. It means you can cover more ground without committing to full plates across the table , useful for a group that wants to eat broadly rather than deeply on any single dish. For a food enthusiast visiting Madrid and wanting to understand the range of the kitchen, that flexibility is a real advantage over restaurants that lock you into a fixed progression.
Cooking here connects to a wider tradition of Spanish market-driven restaurants that take seasonal produce seriously without turning the meal into a concept. For context on how that approach plays out elsewhere in Spain, El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, Arzak in San Sebastián, and Azurmendi in Larrabetzu each represent the upper end of that lineage. Lakasa operates at a different price point and ambition level, but the shared commitment to ingredient quality and regional identity is legible.
Lakasa sits on Plaza del Descubridor Diego de Ordás in Chamberí, one of Madrid's more residential and low-key districts. The address is not a tourist magnet, which partly explains why the crowd skews local and repeat. Visually, the plaza setting means you are arriving at a proper neighbourhood square rather than a high-traffic dining corridor , the kind of approach that rewards a short walk from the metro rather than a cab drop-off at the door.
The restaurant is open Monday through Friday, 1:30 pm to 11 pm, and closed on weekends. That schedule is worth building your trip around. If you are in Madrid on a Saturday or Sunday only, Lakasa is not available. For weekend visitors, our full Madrid restaurants guide covers alternatives. For those with weekday flexibility, the lunch slot from 1:30 pm is worth considering , Spanish lunch culture means midday service here will be a proper meal, not a condensed version of dinner.
The venue suits a food-focused traveller who wants a genuine local experience: a neighbourhood room, market-driven cooking, and a menu that changes with what is available. It is less suited to someone looking for spectacle, a theatrical tasting menu, or a room designed to impress on first glance. If that is your priority, DiverXO or DSTAgE are more appropriate choices.
For farm-to-table Spanish cooking in other cities, La Bombi in Santander and Nou Manolín in Alacant offer a point of comparison. Cocina Hermanos Torres in Barcelona and Quique Dacosta in Dénia represent the more technically ambitious end of Spanish seasonal cooking if you are travelling beyond Madrid. Martin Berasategui in Lasarte-Oria anchors the leading of the market-cooking tradition for reference.
Google rating: 4.5 from 2,723 reviews. Michelin Plate: 2024 and 2025. No Michelin star. Price range: €€€.
Reservations: Book as early as possible , Michelin confirms the restaurant is full almost every day; aim for at least two to three weeks out, more during peak travel periods. Hours: Monday to Friday, 1:30 pm to 11 pm; closed Saturday and Sunday. Dress: No dress code confirmed in available data; smart-casual is safe for a €€€ neighbourhood room in Madrid. Budget: €€€, positioning this below the full tasting-menu tier. Half-portions: Available, allowing broader menu coverage per visit. Getting there: Plaza del Descubridor Diego de Ordás, 1, Chamberí , walkable from central Madrid metro stops in the Chamberí area.
For more on where to stay, drink, and explore around your visit: our full Madrid hotels guide, our full Madrid bars guide, our full Madrid wineries guide, and our full Madrid experiences guide.
The Madrid fine-dining comparison set sits mostly at €€€€ and centres on tasting menus. DiverXO is in a different category entirely , three Michelin stars, an immersive multi-course format, and one of the hardest bookings in Spain. DSTAgE and Coque are both two-star operations where the commitment is to a full tasting menu progression. Paco Roncero sits in the creative-contemporary tier at €€€€. Lakasa at €€€ is the more practical choice if you want serious cooking without the tasting-menu format or the matching price tag.
For market-driven Spanish cooking at a comparable price, Lakasa has few direct rivals in Madrid at the €€€ tier. If you are willing to move up to €€€€, DSTAgE offers modern Spanish cooking with two Michelin stars and a tasting-menu format. Coque is the right choice if you want a full creative progression with strong wine service. For something more experimental, DiverXO is in a class of its own but requires booking far in advance and a significantly higher spend. Lakasa is the practical answer for a food-focused visitor who wants quality without the full tasting-menu commitment.
Yes, with a specific profile in mind. Lakasa suits a special occasion where the focus is on ingredient quality and a genuine local atmosphere rather than theatrical presentation or a multi-hour progression. The €€€ price point keeps it accessible relative to Madrid's starred tasting-menu restaurants. The Michelin Plate across two consecutive years and a 4.5 Google rating from over 2,700 reviews confirm consistent quality. If the occasion calls for spectacle or a fully structured tasting menu, DSTAgE or Coque are better fits.
Lunch is the stronger recommendation for first-time visitors. Spanish lunch culture means the midday service at a restaurant of this calibre is a full, unhurried meal , not a condensed version of dinner. The 1:30 pm opening means you arrive into a proper service slot rather than a transitional one. There is no data to suggest the menu changes significantly between lunch and dinner, but the pace and atmosphere of a Madrid weekday lunch tend to suit market-driven cooking well. Either service works; lunch simply plays to the restaurant's strengths more naturally.
There is no confirmed bar seating data available for Lakasa. Given the neighbourhood restaurant format and the consistently full house described by Michelin, seating at the bar or counter without a reservation is unlikely to be a reliable option. Book a table. If you arrive in Chamberí without a reservation and want a drink before or after, our full Madrid bars guide covers the neighbourhood options.
Three things worth knowing before you go. First, book early , the restaurant is full almost every day according to Michelin, and this is not marketing language. Second, use the half-portion option: it lets you cover more of the menu, which is the right approach in a kitchen that changes its offer based on market availability. Third, the Idiazabal cheese fritters are the dish most closely associated with the kitchen's identity , order them. The restaurant is closed on weekends, so your visit requires weekday planning. The address in Chamberí is a genuine neighbourhood rather than a tourist corridor, which is part of the appeal.
Book at least two to three weeks out as a baseline. During peak travel periods , spring and autumn in Madrid, major public holidays , extend that to a month or more. The Michelin Guide's characterisation of the restaurant as full almost every day is consistent with the volume of Google reviews (2,723 at 4.5), which suggests a long-established, high-repeat crowd. This is not a difficult booking by the standards of DiverXO or the starred tasting-menu restaurants, but it is not a walk-in venue. Booking difficulty is rated Easy by Pearl, meaning that with reasonable lead time you should secure a table without difficulty.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lakasa | Spanish, Farm to table | €€€ | Easy |
| DiverXO | Progressive - Asian, Creative | €€€€ | Unknown |
| DSTAgE | Modern Spanish, Creative | €€€€ | Unknown |
| Smoked Room | Progressive Asador, Contemporary | €€€€ | Unknown |
| Paco Roncero | Creative | €€€€ | Unknown |
| Coque | Spanish, Creative | €€€€ | Unknown |
What to weigh when choosing between Lakasa and alternatives.
DSTAgE is the closest comparison if you want creative, market-driven Spanish cooking with a single Michelin star and a similar commitment to local sourcing — though at a higher price point. Coque offers a grander, more theatrical experience in a different league of production. If you want something more casual and neighbourhood-focused, Lakasa at €€€ is harder to beat without stepping up to starred territory.
Yes, with a caveat: Lakasa suits occasions where the food itself is the centrepiece rather than a formal, ceremony-heavy environment. The Michelin Plate recognition and Chef César Martín's market-driven precision make it a credible choice for a birthday or anniversary dinner, but if you need the full production of private rooms and silver service, Coque or Paco Roncero will feel more appropriate.
Both services run the same hours — 1:30 pm to 11 pm Tuesday through Friday — so the menu format is consistent across the day. Lunch is worth prioritising if you want a slightly more relaxed pace; dinner tends to fill faster given the Michelin Guide's note that the restaurant is full almost every day. Either way, book in advance.
Bar seating availability is not confirmed in the available venue data, so do not assume walk-in counter access is possible. Given that Lakasa fills almost every day according to the Michelin Guide, arriving without a reservation is a risk not worth taking at €€€ per head.
Start with the Idiazabal cheese fritters — the Michelin Guide flags them explicitly as a signature dish. The menu is built around market sourcing and updated regularly, and half-portions are available, which gives you flexibility to range more widely across the card. Lakasa is in Chamberí, a residential Madrid neighbourhood rather than a tourist corridor, so factor that into your logistics.
Book at least two to three weeks ahead, and further if you want a specific date on a Friday. The Michelin Guide notes that Lakasa is full almost every day — this is not marketing language, it is a practical warning. Lakasa is closed Saturday and Sunday, so your window is Monday to Friday only.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
