MuXgo — Restaurant in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

The clock strikes 8 PM. The air in Las Palmas is thick with promise.

Course 1: Garlic soup with confederated grapes and shrimp. It arrives without a word of introduction, like an uninvited guest at a party. The presentation? Non-existent. It’s a bowl of something. The taste? A watery, bland mess. Imagine a school cafeteria soup, but with ambitions it can’t possibly live up to. Food served without a soul.

Intermission: The Bread Saga, Act I. The bread arrives. Or rather, it's thrown onto the battlefield. We’re not sure what its purpose is. It's an awkwardly cut crust piece, a social outcast of the bread world. Are you not supposed to trim the crusts? Or maybe serve it in a vessel that doesn't scream "we gave up"? To accompany this brick, a disproportionately large plate holding a single, lonely tear of fig and whey butter. The bread itself is clearly yesterday's, or perhaps from last week's archaeological dig. The tiny smear of butter is uninspired, a sad, distant cousin of a bad Dulce de leche. Course 2: Conferred carrots with carrot sauce. Okay, here we go. A beautiful plate, well-presented. A flicker of hope! The taste is intriguing, the vinegar tang is sharp and interesting... but then it just stays there. It mugs the aftertaste and refuses to leave. It’s all sharp edges, no roundness, no comforting finish. Something is missing. Taste: 4/5 (for the effort). A new slice of bread is served. My old, hard piece is left on my plate like a monument to past failures. The rest of the table gets a fresh slice from the same gigantic, uninspired loaf. I ask my companions. The verdict is in: it’s just as dry and hard. A certified brick.

The purpose of the new bread remains a mystery… The wait begins. 23 minutes have now passed since the carrots departed. The lonely bread slices sit there, waiting for a friend, a purpose, anything… The meat has arrived. The plate is cold. Let’s see if the food is warm. The presentation… laughable. A sloppy mess where the potato purée is bleeding into the brown sauce. The meat, tragically, is cold and tough. The purée is fine—but it’s hard to fail a potato purée. The leek is unevenly cut, overcooked, boring, tasteless. But the real crime is the fat. If you’re brave enough to serve big pieces of fat on the meat, you know it has to be rendered and warm, melting in your mouth. This felt like having a rough, chilled, hard piece of butter stuck to the roof of my mouth. Disgusting. It's a sad state of affairs when the overcooked leek is better than the main protein. Rating: A hard 2/5. And now, after the meat course is finished, they clear away the lonely bread. Its purpose in this world will forever remain unknown. The clock is now 9:00 PM… a spoon has arrived. It sits there, gleaming. The clock is now 9:30 PM. The spoon is still here. My companion. My only friend. It seems the service is completely out of sync, a chaotic ballet of items being brought and left behind without reason. The wine we received for the meat is now warm and tastes, unsurprisingly, not very good. The clock is now 9:34 PM. Dessert is here. Placed on the table. No explanation. I have to ask what it is. I’m told I can eat it "however I want." The presentation is a joke—an upside-down mug with a cookie on top meant to look like a cactus. Presentation: 0/5. They’re not even trying. Taste: 2/5. It's okay. The textures clash and it looks like a mess. The idea was probably that it would be so delicious you'd overlook this. The idea was wrong. Overall Verdict Service: 2/5 Food: 2/5 Presentation: 1/5 Amount of food: 0.5/5 My partner, Hans, leans over and whispers the most profound truth of the evening: "Good thing I have banana chips in the room." My vegan friend adds, "It’s incredible they have a Green Star." I cannot, for the life of me, understand how this restaurant received a Michelin star. This is a direct challenge to the guide and its inspectors.

Overall Rating: 1/5. I would recommend it to my worst enemy. P.S. I’m going out...

A Taste of the Canary Islands Like You’ve Never Known. Inside the legendary Santa Catalina, a Royal Hideaway Hotel, Muxgo delivers more than just a fine dining experience—it’s a deep dive into the heart of Canarian culture, told one bite at a time. We stepped in at 1:45 PM for lunch and were instantly drawn into a space that blends simplicity with soul. The setting is minimal but rich in personality, brought to life by the bold, expressive works of local artist Ana Beltrá. The room feels like a canvas where food, art, and atmosphere blend seamlessly. The hospitality? Top-tier. Friendly, multilingual servers made us feel immediately at home. But what truly elevated the experience was Chef Borja Marrero himself—walking through the dining room, engaging with every table, serving dishes and sharing stories behind each creation. That kind of presence is rare. Muxgo has earned both a Michelin Star and the prestigious Green Star, a symbol of its commitment to sustainability and local sourcing. Marrero’s vision revolves around the concept of “closed loop” cooking—using ingredients straight from his own organic farm in Tejeda, high up in Gran Canaria’s volcanic heart, a UNESCO-protected area. Every plate reflects this harmony between land, tradition, and innovation. There are three tasting menus to choose from ("Los Orígenes," "Lo más profundo de Tejeda," and the executive menu "Sin olvidar el territorio,") each built around iconic island flavors, but reimagined with a modern lens. We went all in: a 16-course journey across the Canarian culinary map. Opting for the 16-course tasting menu, we embarked on a culinary exploration of reimagined Canarian classics: from gofio and ropa vieja to rancho and an array of local cheeses. The standout was the innovative use of cactus, featured in various forms, including a delightful homemade focaccia. The goat cheese soup was a revelation, delivering a depth of flavor that lingered long after the last spoonful. From the very first bite, the dishes were surprising, nostalgic, and elevated. Classic recipes like ropa vieja, rancho, and gofio appeared with new textures and delicate balances. Local seafood shone—like the sweet Mogán shrimp—and the use of goat’s cheese in all its forms was spectacular. But the ingredient that kept stealing the spotlight? Cactus. Yes, cactus—served roasted, fermented, pickled, and even baked into their unbelievable homemade focaccia. A true revelation. One of the most memorable courses was the cheese soup—a warm, silky fusion of various Canarian cheeses, rich but perfectly balanced. It hit deep, in the best possible way. Then came dessert, and it was anything but predictable. Every plate carried complexity: earthy, sweet, floral, acidic—no two bites were the same. Each dessert was a masterpiece, offering a symphony of tastes that captivated the palate. The harmonious blend of tradition and innovation at Muxgo makes it a must-visit for any culinary enthusiast. For those seeking an immersive gastronomic adventure that honors tradition while embracing innovation, Muxgo stands as a beacon of Canarian...

My colleague and I were hotel guests and excited to sample a Michelin star restaurant. The empty tables on arrival on Saturday night should have been a red flag to us. We went ahead anyway with the full tasting menu and wine pairing. Unfortunately the creations however well presented and introduced by our waiter were consistently underwhelming. We persevered hoping for something to excite and impress but each taste was as uninspiring as the last. The wines were mostly good in themselves but pairing wine with such minimal flavours doesn’t really make sense. At the end we explained to the waiter that we were so underwhelmed by the whole experience that we were struggling to understand the whole concept and justification for the large bill. We waited to discuss perhaps with a manager or chef but were left unattended. Eventually we enquired what was happening and were told to take it up with the hotel reception.

The hotel reception advised us that someone would contact us to discuss before next day check out but no one did. On check out the whole meal bill was added to my total and there was no one available to discuss our complaint. I asked the reception to remove the charge and left my contact details so that I might get to discuss with the restaurant management. I was uncomfortable about not paying but equally unimpressed by the...