Gofio — Restaurant in Madrid

Please read all of the negative reviews here and understand that they are all accurate, before booking a reservation here.

Food was nothing special. Bland flavors overall that made me feel like I never want to visit the Canary Islands.

The highlight of our dinner was definitely the service. It is awful. You will feel robbed. You will feel like you just wasted your time. You will feel unwelcome. They are so pushy and they are there to maximize your bill. It feels like you’re haggling with a vendor on the street throughout the dinner.

We tend to book Michelin starred restaurants without looking at the menu or cuisine to be surprised. When our server asked “are you ready to have a full Canarian experience” and then realized we didn’t know it was a Canarian restaurant, she seemed quite disappointed.

When we were shown the tasting menu options, we were immediately told the express menu was for people who didn’t have time and that it wasn’t good. We were being really pushed to get the most expensive menu but we ended up going with the middle menu, which was €125 per person. This was very visibly upsetting to our server, which set the tone for the rest of the evening.

Other than the bland tasting food and very short menu for €125, things really took a turn when I asked for olive oil to go with the bread. I was told no, they don’t have olive oil, which I find hard to believe. But that the server would bring out something to go with the bread. My wife and I each got 6 small pieces of cheese that were really not that great. We were never told whether this was complimentary (as olive oil normally would be and I asked for olive oil) or if we need to pay, how much. When the server brought out the cheese, she was really pushing for me to get rum to drink with it, I repeatedly said no as she kept insisting. She then started pushing for us to get tea. We said we would decide once my wife finished her drink. She wouldn’t let it go and was really pushy. We went back and forth a few times with her wanting to get us tea and us saying not now. It’s really not an attitude that is appropriate anywhere, let alone a Michelin starred restaurant. We kept saying that we would decide once she finished her drink, she kept saying ok she’ll bring two teas..

Once we finished the tasteless cheese, they brought out two teas. Absolutely no regard for what the customer wants. Told us to finish up the bread now otherwise they’ll need to take it away. What is this?

When we got the bill, we saw we were charged €50 for cheese we didn’t ask (I only wanted olive oil for god’s sake) and €15 for tea we didn’t really care for.

The attitude of the servers makes you feel wanting to leave the restaurant immediately. Not an enjoyable experience at all and completely ruined what we thought was going to be a great night. They do not deserve a star or to be on the Michelin guide.

Another thing worthy to read is the responses from management on these reviews. They are clearly unapologetic and will absolutely not take any accountability for the horrible staff or take any actions to make it right for...

As someone who loves and appreciates fine dining, please don't miss out on this incredible experience by an incredible team.

My partner and I got engaged during our holiday. Her parents, who have never experienced a tasting menu, let alone fine dining before, were planning to come in to surprise her; we had lined up a dinner to celebrate together on their first night. Unfortunately, their flight was cancelled until the next day and we had to desperately scramble to find a special place to celebrate together which would accommodate 6 persons and a fish allergy on the day. Gofio found space to take us in warmly and make us feel right at home.

The team's passion for sharing their Canarian culture with us cannot be understated. We all came in with limited exposure to the food, people, and history of the islands, but left feeling a personal connection to their home because of our experience at Gofio. The service was incredibly attentive and personal but never felt stuffy or pompous. They set up wine tasting games which helped us develop a taste for the differences (and we learned that the Canary Islands never suffered from phylloxera and thus has some of the 'oldest' vineyards still). They taught us about the different islands and shared memories from their time there. The cuisine felt familiar and unique at the same time. It was approachable while still finding a surprise in every bite. They really balanced out a meal that everyone could enjoy. At the end, the entire team came out to congratulate us on the engagement and presented us with some artwork they signed to memoralize our celebration forever. That meant the world to us and we're hanging it in our home proudly. They've got an invitation to our wedding once we've finalized our plans :)

My partner and I have been to many of the best fine dining restaurants in the world over the years - we're New Yorkers and know good food and service. We felt that the service at Gofio was the best we've ever had the pleasure of experiencing. We laughed and made jokes with the team, and were able to connect with them as individuals; we weren't put on some silly pedastal and met with a white glove at every corner. I'm really dismayed to see they lost their well-deserved star (as was El Mundo, who believes they're better than ever). Please, please, do not use this as a reason to go somewhere else. Gofio is still one of the best dining experiences in Madrid...

Came here as a treat to end our trip in Spain, and was looking through a list of Michelin star restaurants and luckily Gofio had openings at a time that worked for us.

Overall, the food was absolutely incredible. I thought that the majority of the dishes were well thought out, they explained how many of the ingredients were sourced in the local Canary Islands and the chefs had the opportunity to source the ingredients themselves in a recent trip. The food incorporated many cultural aspects of Madrid/Spain which was what we were looking to explore in the meal.

The front of house could make some improvements, we decided not to get any drinks as we are not heavy drinkers and immediately we noticed a change in attitude within our waitress, as if we weren't as valued guests for not shelling out additional money for this. For a Michelin star meal, we really felt like the waitress was a salesman upselling us on any possible additions possible. First it was the beverages, then immediately follows up with upselling the most expensive third course option (the one we chose). She said this would be around 9 courses but after the meal we counted it was about 15 (pleasant surprise, though lack of knowledge from the front of house). There were times that my partner and I had our courses plated differently, ie: the fork would be resting on the plate for mine, and sitting on the table for his. Very strange experience. We were also badgered at leaving a review for our experience, after our meal and followed up with a Whatsapp message. I feel this is inappropriate for a Michelin star restaurant.

Overall, delicious food. I wish the restaurant would have just one set menu so they can know the expected income per reservation and not treat individual parties depending on how much additional add-ons they can...