Restaurant in Madrid, Spain
Two Michelin stars on a Casino rooftop.
A two-Michelin-star creative kitchen on the rooftop of the Casino de Madrid, Paco Roncero is technically rigorous and rooted in Madrid's own food culture, with three tasting menus and consistent La Liste 95-point recognition. Book two to three months ahead for dinner; the Esencia menu at Thursday or Friday lunch is the most accessible entry point at this level.
At the €€€€ price point, Paco Roncero is one of Madrid's most serious commitments. You are booking a two-Michelin-star tasting menu experience at the leading of the 19th-century Casino de Madrid building on Calle Alcalá, steps from La Puerta del Sol, and the price reflects that address, that pedigree, and that level of technical ambition. Three menus are available: the Esencia (the most accessible, available Thursday and Friday lunch only), Madrid, and the flagship Gran Madrid, all with optional wine pairing. If you are deciding between the three, Esencia is the entry point for price-conscious visitors; Gran Madrid is for those who want to see everything the kitchen can do.
The physical setting is a genuine factor in the booking decision, not just atmosphere dressing. The restaurant occupies the leading floor of the Casino de Madrid, a majestic neoclassical building on one of the city's most storied streets. The interior carries an avant-garde aesthetic laid over that 19th-century structure — a deliberate contrast that gives the room a distinctive character you will not find at ground-level fine dining peers in the city. There is also a terrace, which makes timing your reservation around warmer months worth considering if outdoor dining matters to you. For a food-focused traveller comparing venues in Madrid's upper tier, the combination of historic architecture and contemporary design makes this a more spatially compelling choice than most competitors at the same price level.
The editorial angle here is cuisine mastery within the creative Spanish tradition, and the evidence supports the claim. Paco Roncero holds two Michelin stars (2024 and 2025), scored 95 points on La Liste's Leading Restaurants list in both 2025 and 2026, and ranked #447 in Opinionated About Dining's Europe list (2025), up from #513 in 2024. That upward movement is worth noting: the kitchen is not static.
Culinary approach centres on traditional Madrid cuisine reinterpreted with technical precision. The chef's long-documented enthusiasm for olive oil runs through the menu as a recurring technical and flavour reference, rather than a garnish. Dishes draw on the bars and traditional eating culture of the Spanish capital , a calamari sandwich reframed for a fine dining tasting menu, for example , which gives the progression a local coherence you do not always get from creative kitchens chasing international abstraction. The foie gras preparation with white chocolate has been cited as a standout across multiple trusted sources. Desserts, particularly preparations involving violet and a beetroot-and-black-garlic combination, are flagged as among the more surprising moments of the meal.
Vegetables are present in the menus and given serious treatment, though a fully plant-based menu is not currently available. If that matters to your group, it is worth flagging at the time of reservation.
For context among Spain's two- and three-star creative kitchens, Paco Roncero occupies a specific position: it is technically rigorous and Madrid-rooted rather than globally abstract. Visitors who have eaten at Arzak in San Sebastián, Azurmendi in Larrabetzu, or El Celler de Can Roca in Girona will find a different register here , more urban, more grounded in a single city's culinary identity. If you are building a broader Spain itinerary, this is a meaningful stop alongside Martin Berasategui in Lasarte-Oria, Aponiente in El Puerto de Santa María, or Cocina Hermanos Torres in Barcelona.
This is a near-impossible reservation. Two Michelin stars, a high-profile location, and consistent La Liste recognition mean demand runs well ahead of availability. Book as far in advance as the reservation system allows , at minimum several weeks out, and realistically two to three months for a Friday or Saturday dinner. The restaurant is closed Monday and Sunday. Dinner service runs Tuesday through Saturday from 8 pm to 1 am. Lunch is available Thursday through Saturday from 1:30 pm to 6 pm. The Esencia menu is only available at Thursday and Friday lunch, so if budget is a factor, those slots are the target.
Reservations: Book well in advance , this is one of the harder tables to secure in Madrid at this tier. Address: C. Alcalá, 15, Centro, 28014 Madrid , central location, walkable from La Puerta del Sol. Budget: €€€€; wine pairing is available on all three menus and will add significantly to the total. Hours: Tuesday–Wednesday dinner only (8 pm–1 am); Thursday–Saturday lunch (1:30–6 pm) and dinner (8 pm–1 am); closed Sunday and Monday.
See the full comparison section below for Madrid peers.
Yes, with specificity. Paco Roncero is the right booking if you want a technically grounded two-star creative menu in a space with genuine architectural character, rooted in Madrid's own food culture rather than international abstraction. The improving OAD ranking and consistent La Liste scoring suggest the kitchen is performing at or above its historical level. It is not the right booking if you want a more globally boundary-pushing experience , for that, DiverXO is the Madrid answer. If you are travelling through Spain for fine dining, this belongs on the itinerary alongside Spain's other two- and three-star kitchens. For Madrid specifically, explore our full Madrid restaurants guide, our full Madrid hotels guide, our full Madrid bars guide, our full Madrid wineries guide, and our full Madrid experiences guide.
Yes, for the right diner. Two Michelin stars, a 95-point La Liste score, and a rooftop setting inside the Casino de Madrid at one of the city's leading addresses make this one of the stronger cases for spending at the leading of the Madrid fine dining market. If you are comparing it against Coque or Deessa on value terms, Paco Roncero's combination of setting, awards trajectory, and technical ambition justifies the spend. If your ceiling is lower, the Esencia menu at Thursday or Friday lunch is the most accessible entry point.
Smart formal or business formal is the appropriate register. The Casino de Madrid building sets a tone , this is not a modern casual dining room. Madrid's two-Michelin-star venues generally do not enforce a written dress code, but arriving in anything less than smart dress at a restaurant of this standing will feel out of place. Treat it as you would a formal dinner in a Paris two-star, such as Alléno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen or Arpège.
The venue data does not confirm a bar dining option. This is a tasting menu-format restaurant and the experience is structured around seated menus rather than walk-in bar access. If bar-counter dining flexibility is important to you, Smoked Room or CEBO may be worth considering alongside it.
It works for solo diners, particularly at lunch when the Esencia menu keeps the commitment lower in both price and duration. Tasting menu restaurants in Madrid generally accommodate solo guests at the table, though you will be paying a full per-head menu price. If solo dining at the counter with social energy appeals more, Casa Mortero offers a different format to compare against.
The Gran Madrid menu is the fullest expression of what the kitchen does and the one that justifies the two-star rating on a plate-for-plate basis. The Esencia menu is a reasonable introduction at a lower price, available Thursday and Friday lunch only. Wine pairing is offered on all three and, for a technically driven creative menu of this kind, pairing is worth adding if your budget allows , the kitchen's approach to olive oil and ingredient-forward cooking rewards wines chosen to match.
The menus are set, so ordering is not the decision , choosing between the three menus is. The foie gras preparation with white chocolate and the calamari sandwich interpretation have been flagged across multiple credible sources as standout courses. Desserts, particularly the violet and the beetroot-with-black-garlic preparation, are cited as genuinely surprising rather than formulaic. If you have dietary preferences around vegetables, flag them at reservation , the kitchen gives vegetables serious treatment, though a fully plant-based menu is not available.
Two to three months ahead for a Friday or Saturday dinner is a realistic minimum given two Michelin stars and consistent top-100 recognition in La Liste. Thursday and Friday lunches are somewhat more accessible but still require advance planning. This is among the harder reservations in Madrid , harder than Deessa or CEBO, and in the same difficulty bracket as DiverXO. Do not leave it to the week before.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paco Roncero | Creative | Paco Roncero is at the heart of Madrid, on Calle Alcala, just a few steps from the world-famous Madrid square La Puerta del Sol. The restaurant is on the rooftop of the majestic Casino de Madrid build...; La Liste Top Restaurants (2026): 95pts; Chef Paco Roncero, who is always pursuing new goals in line with his ‘never stop moving’ spirit, awaits you in a truly unique space, boasting an elegant, avant-garde aesthetic... on the top floor of a 19th-century building! Here, where there is also a spectacular terrace, you can enjoy a culinary experience in the form of three menus, all with wine pairing options: Esencia (more affordable and available Thursday and Friday lunchtime), Madrid, and, finally, the Gran Madrid. The chef, who has an unwavering enthusiasm for olive oil, demonstrates his full creativity and imagination in his starters (his Filipino of foie gras with white chocolate is particularly noteworthy), and focuses his menu on traditional Madrid cuisine, paying homage to the Spanish capital's bars (we loved his version of the calamari sandwich). The desserts will surprise you (the Violeta and his original beetroot and black garlic are particularly recommended)!; Chef Paco Roncero is a busy bee active in many fields, but the main restaurant in Madrid's Casino fortunately still has top priority as his personal signboard. In a capital like Madrid, such top-notch establishments can enjoy a large international audience, which is necessary. But we at We're Smart also check whether these top establishments give an important place to vegetables in addition to caviar, turbot, truffle and lobster, or even better, have a 100% purely plant-based menu on offer! Good and bad news: in the menu, vegetables are definitely on offer pure, but a fully pure veggies menu is not in the cards yet. Maybe if you mention it when making your reservation?; Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Europe Ranked #447 (2025); La Liste Top Restaurants (2025): 95pts; Michelin 2 Stars (2025); Chef: Paco Roncero document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", function() { var el = document.getElementById("Achievements_chefs"); if (el && el.parentNode) { el.parentNode.removeChild(el); } });; Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Europe Ranked #513 (2024); Michelin 2 Stars (2024); Opinionated About Dining Top New Restaurants in Europe Recommended (2023) | Near Impossible | — |
| 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 | — |
| Smoked Room | Progressive Asador, Contemporary | Michelin 2 Star | Unknown | — |
| CEBO | Creative | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.
At €€€€, yes — if two-Michelin-star creative tasting menus are the format you want. The La Liste score of 95 points (2025 and 2026) and consistent two-star Michelin recognition confirm this is not a prestige-only play. The Esencia menu offers a more accessible entry point at Thursday and Friday lunchtimes, which helps calibrate value before committing to the full Gran Madrid format.
The venue occupies the top floor of the historic Casino de Madrid, an institution with a formal architectural character. Dress accordingly: no jeans or trainers is the safe assumption for a two-Michelin-star rooftop setting of this nature. Smart evening wear is the default expectation at this tier in Madrid.
There is no bar dining format documented for Paco Roncero. The restaurant operates on a tasting menu structure across three formats — Esencia, Madrid, and Gran Madrid — so walk-in or counter-style eating is not part of the offering here. If flexibility matters, Smoked Room nearby offers a more intimate counter-based creative format.
A tasting menu format at this price point can work well solo — there is no group dynamic to manage and the kitchen's pacing is fixed regardless of party size. The rooftop terrace and architectural setting of the Casino de Madrid also give a solo diner plenty of context. Book well ahead and request a window or terrace seat if dining alone.
Yes, specifically if you want creative Spanish cooking grounded in Madrid culinary tradition — the menu pays direct homage to the city's bar culture and ingredients. Three menu tiers give you some flexibility: Esencia is available Thursday and Friday lunchtimes at a lower price point, making it a lower-risk entry into the format. All menus include wine pairing options.
The kitchen runs set tasting menus — Esencia, Madrid, and Gran Madrid — so ordering à la carte is not the format here. Editorial sources highlight the foie gras Filipino with white chocolate and the calamari sandwich as standout dishes within the menu, alongside a beetroot and black garlic dessert. Choose the Gran Madrid menu if budget is not the constraint; Esencia if you want a shorter commitment.
Book at least four to six weeks out. Two Michelin stars, a high-profile central Madrid address, and consistent top-100 La Liste placement mean this fills quickly, particularly for dinner and weekend lunch slots. Thursday and Friday lunchtimes for the Esencia menu are the most accessible windows. No booking phone or online system is listed in the public record, so contact via the Casino de Madrid directly.
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