Street XO

Is Street XO worth booking in Madrid?

Yes, with one condition: you need to understand what Street XO is and what it is not. This is not a fine-dining room asking you to sit still for three hours. David Muñoz's Salamanca address is a high-energy Asian street food concept that borrows the chef's creative vocabulary from DiverXO but delivers it in a format that is looser, louder, considerably easier to access. If you want the Muñoz aesthetic without the tasting-menu commitment, Street XO is the right call. If you are chasing the full creative statement, book DiverXO instead and plan months ahead.

What Street XO delivers

The concept sits on Calle de Serrano, 47, in the Salamanca district, one of Madrid's most polished neighbourhoods. The kitchen runs from noon to midnight every day of the week, which gives it a flexibility that most of Madrid's serious restaurants do not offer. That all-day format is genuinely useful: you can drop in for a late lunch when the room is calmer, push through to an early dinner, or arrive late when the energy shifts and the crowd thickens.

Opinionated About Dining has tracked Street XO's rise steadily: Recommended in 2023, ranked #511 in Casual Europe in 2024, climbing to #637 in 2025 in a list where placement reflects sustained peer attention rather than a single strong year. That trajectory confirms the kitchen is not slipping. For the food-focused traveller comparing Madrid options across the casual-creative tier, Street XO sits well above the neighbourhood bistro category while staying well below the price and ceremony of a full tasting menu.

Groups and the private experience

Street XO's all-day, high-volume format makes it more group-friendly than most chef-driven restaurants at this level in Madrid. The room can absorb a larger party in a way that a 20-seat tasting counter cannot. For groups planning a meal together, the relaxed format and sharing-style approach to the menu means everyone eats at the same pace, which removes the coordination problem that plagues tasting menus with dietary variations across a table. Booking difficulty is rated Easy, which is a significant advantage over comparably acclaimed Madrid addresses: DSTAgE and Coque both require more lead time and less flexibility on format. If your group wants a high-quality shared meal in Madrid without the tasting-menu structure, Street XO is the most accessible option at this quality level.

For private dining specifically, the casual format works in two directions. The main room is animated and social, which suits groups who want atmosphere. If you need a quieter, more contained experience, contact the venue directly to ask about private or semi-private arrangements; the Salamanca address and the brand's profile suggest the infrastructure exists, but confirm specifics before committing. Compared with Paco Roncero, which is structured around a more formal private-dining proposition, Street XO will deliver more energy and less ceremony.

How it fits the wider Madrid picture

Madrid's serious restaurant tier runs from DiverXO and Deessa at the leading end down through DSTAgE, Coque, Paco Roncero in the full-service creative bracket. Street XO sits in a different category: it is the right answer when you want genuine culinary ambition without surrendering an entire evening or a very large budget. For the explorer who is also covering ground in Spain, perhaps Quique Dacosta in Dénia, El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, or Arzak in San Sebastián, Street XO fits cleanly as the Madrid casual slot rather than the Madrid occasion slot. Do not try to make it do both jobs.

The Asian street food framing also means it occupies a specific lane in Madrid that has few direct competitors at this quality level. It is not competing with Cocina Hermanos Torres or Azurmendi on their own terms. It competes on the question of how to spend a lively, food-serious meal in Madrid without a reservation obtained six months ago and a dress code that demands planning.

Practical details

Street XO is open seven days a week, noon to midnight, at Calle de Serrano, 47, Salamanca. Booking is rated Easy, reserve online a few days ahead rather than weeks, you should have no difficulty securing a table. Lunch on weekdays will give you the most relaxed version of the experience. Evenings, particularly Thursday through Saturday, run at higher volume and energy.

For more on where to eat, stay, explore in the city, see our full Madrid restaurants guide, our full Madrid hotels guide, our full Madrid bars guide, and our full Madrid experiences guide.