Horcher — Restaurant in Madrid

I cannot give a higher rating to this place after our lunch there the other day. The place is beautiful, the food is delicious: original and unique dishes, tasty and well made, but the service - for this kind of restaurant- could definitely been improved. I have been in other "fancy" but not as expensive places and I have had a much better atention. The staff is really nice and wanting to accommodate but we had to ask for menus, at the beginning and later for desserts. They did not ask whether we had any food allergies or something we did not eat and brought appetizers of beef terrine (I do not eat beef). Waiters were running around and were difficult to get ahold of. (And the place is not even that big!) We were looking at the wine list for 15 minutes and no one came to help - I found it really weird that they do not have a proper sommelier. (The guy that finally came to make some recommendations had no idea. I am a professional of the wine industry so I know a little to be able to make this statement) When you pay 150 eur per person you expect an impeccable service...

Plus, the cherry on the pie: My brother was not allowed to come in without wearing a blazer. Ridiculous! Especially when he was already in jeans and sport shoes (and a dressed up shirt). This is not warned in advance (instead they refer you to the website - where this is not stated in the main page). They lent him a jacket, at least they sorted it, but the level of ridiculousness is...

The last surviving classic luxury restaurant of Madrid with a centenary tradition and serving genuine central-European recipes with excellent execution in the kitchen and very attentive and professional service. Classic elegant ambiance and decor. Excellent game dishes in season. Soufflé potatoes also great. While I really like their famous baumkuchen, I think there is room for upgrading their dessert offerings. Update January 2025: this time the experience was a bit disappointing so I am adjusting down the rating. The food quality remained high but presentations were on the rough side, not aligned with the elegance of the place. Service has significantly deteriorated in many ways: had to ask a few times for my wine glass to be refilled, dishes that don’t come out at the same time, final preparations like a flambé not performed table side. Finally the atmosphere has also gone down, cramming too many tables in the main dining area, making it very busy for the waiters and diners. Elegant dress code is no longer enforced, just a...

The service is great, very friendly and attentive staff, great wine. The food was awful. The crudités was dry and old. My fish had horribly cooked skin that was not near crispy, potatoes good. Tomato with the fish was just like tomato paste from a can, extremely dense. Herb oil was good but sparse. Minimal seasoning. The fish was edible but only parts of it. I hate flabby skin with no texture on fish. Butter came in water as ice melted. Dessert was dense with little relief. The flavors were not melded well on any dish. There was a lack of texture or a diversity of senses like you would pay at a restaurant of this price and quality. Atmosphere and staff were excellent. The food was just so below par. Edible but lacking flavor, texture and all extremely dense with little relief. Beautiful restaurant but food lacks depth nor a sense of balance from flavor...