Chispa Bistró Madrid — Restaurant in Madrid

Major let down on every level and as a group of 6 for a birthday event, we really expected better service and attentiveness from the staff.

Let’s start with the obvious, the food, the appetisers are good, nothing really creative or new about them however just good is not what this bistro aspires to be.

Then the titanic hit the iceberg with the mains, hands down, the most disappointing part. The steak even for a person who eats rare, was moo level blue and overly salted, you would think paying the price on the menu for it would at least get you a decent steak, we are not really asking much here. The meat was overly fat, with an extra heavy hand of salt and just took a quick look at the flame before it was decided good enough for the table.

We even tried to cancel this steak 20 minutes ahead of time but the chef refused, which was extremely baffling to us when it arrived in its moo-state. What a waste of food, since no one managed to even eat a bite due to how much salt it had, couldn’t they cancel that earlier?

This leads us to the service, which was abysmal for a bistro aiming to be on the Michelin guide, it took them 30 minutes to service our wine, and a good 15 minutes to take our orders. During our meal no one came over to check or see if we needed anything, to the point we had serve our own wine, again this is supposed to be on the Michelin guide. When a dish was explained it was in such a low voice we didn’t hear anything and just had to eat and discover the flavours.

The wine recommendation was bad, the two bottles that were recommended, somehow ended up the exact opposite of what we asked for and did not compliment the food.

At the end of this genuinely bad experience, nothing was offered in form of apology or the staff making sure the table left on a bright note.

If you want a let down, this is the place to go to in Madrid.

If you never have been to a Michelin guide or star restaurant, I see how this bistro can come off as a wow, but it if you already have been to a few of them. This one...

Fine dining in the modern era. This place is about a passion for food, wine, excellence, and fun. No starched white tablecloths and snooty servers here. The chefs are working in an open kitchen, and the sommelier is on the floor, working the front of house and talking in depth about wine, terroir, and pairings. I know we were a bit underdressed, and anyone can tell by looking at our group that we aren’t the type of family who eats at Michelin Guide restaurants every week, but Ismael made us feel welcome and relaxed, like he truly wanted us to be there and have the full experience, not like he was doing us a favor by letting us dine there. That’s a special gift in the service industry, to show hospitality to all your guests and to remember that you are creating a memory for them. The other thing to remember is that you never know who it is you are serving; and everyone deserves to be treated well. (Unless they are a*holes. Restaurants should be allowed to remove rude people, but that’s another story) Long story long, between Chef Juan D’Onofrio, Chef Gabriel Sodré, and Sommelier Ismael Justo there exists at Chispa Bistro a truly pleasant, energetic, exciting feeling created by people who love what they do, work hard at it, and return day after day to do it again. The food is magic, I won’t go on about the individual dishes, enough other people have done that. We tried for three starters, three mains, three cheeses, and three desserts for four people, but we fell a little short as we got full. We asked Ismael to pair our wines by the glass after we started with a round of champagne. Every pairing was perfect.

Next time we are in Madrid, we will make another reservation. Thank you, Chispa. You’ll get that...

The restaurant offers a limited seating arrangement, with a stylish décor predominantly in gray and black tones, complemented by stone and wood textures. A noteworthy feature is the semi-open kitchen, providing diners with a view of the chef's culinary skills.

The waitstaff was exceptionally friendly and offered bilingual service in English and Spanish. During my visit, I enjoyed the Huevo, setas y vainas and Rack Ternera dishes, along with delightful appetizers of mussels with kimchi and steamed egg in chicken broth. The meal concluded with the refreshing fresas, té rojo e hibiscus dessert, all of which were delicious and original.

This fusion restaurant combines Spanish, Latin American, and Asian influences, delivering top-notch quality in both cuisine and service. With most dishes priced between 20-25 EUR, it's definitely worth a visit. Be sure to book ahead due to...