Li-Onna — Restaurant in Madrid

The good: Food was distinguished and well presented, the steak had exceptional quality and the ratios were not scarce. Both of the Cocktails I tried were different, surprising and pretty good taste.

The bad: First, place was way too dark, it was even hard to see the menu and you had to use a flashlight.

Service was an absolute mess. I got my table but no one gave me a menu, then someone comes to me indicating that the kitchen closes in 15 minutes and asking if I wanted something else when I haven’t even looked at the menu. No one offered or asked for water and they even took out my glass without asking. I ordered 2 entrees and a steak as the main. I got first entree, waiter asked me if I wanted soy sauce but then completely forgot about it. Then I got a steak before my second entree. The broccoli side of the steak was fairly spicy and no one warned me about it. The after I got my second entree, sauce was so strong that my tongue even felt odd, completely overtaking any flavor from the meat and then I got the soy sauce, 2 courses late. Once I was done, a couple waiters pass by and completely ignored me even after seeing I was fully done. I intentionally asked for the bill and the waiter still insisted if I wanted dessert. I got the bill but the waiter left even though I was more than ready to paid so I had to wait another few minutes with the card on my hand for another waiter to notice my signals of me wanting to pay. Absolutely a...

Originally, we were just going to have a drink at the bar before having dinner somewhere else. It was still early for dinner (7 pm) and we were curious about the live DJ music on Wednesdays that we had read about in a magazine at our hotel. The fact that it was still empty and before the dinner rush turned out to be very lucky for us, as the manager, Ferrán, was exceedingly kind to us, showing us around and telling us about their concept for the restaurant. I readily admit that I’m a bit snooty and don’t generally go for places that do fusion cuisine or that have music (at all). But Ferrán was so wonderful we decided to cancel our reservation at the other restaurant and stay for dinner. Good thing we did because we had a delightful evening! The cocktails that Moises made for us were lovely, the food that Santiago served us was sensational, and Ferrán came back to our table throughout the evening to check on our satisfaction. The music turned out to be quite fun, and the atmosphere up-scale urban in a hip way. Best of all, the dishes were not only beautiful, they were also delicious! I don’t often write restaurant reviews, but it was all round such a great experience, I felt compelled to do so. We‘ll for sure be back and are looking forward to...

Li-Onna is an outstanding Japanese restaurant in the heart of Madrid, just a few blocks from Puerta de Alcalá. The food, service, and atmosphere are redefining how restaurants operate in the city. We ordered the Hamachi Sashimi, Salmon Sashimi, Kushikages, Crunchy Rib Eye Bites, and several nigiris. For the main course, we had the octopus, accompanied by one of the best side dishes I’ve ever tried: a cauliflower seasoned with an incredible savory dip. For dessert, we tried the date bread, which was fantastic, soft, sweet, and crispy all at once. As Mexicans, we were thrilled to find that it’s the only place we’ve seen in Madrid serving carajillos. For drinks, I highly recommend the tap beer they serve the Japanese Kirin Ichiban. The music and service are top-notch. Go and let your mind be blown by one of the best culinary experiences you can...