Restaurante Desde 1911 — Restaurant in Madrid

Over the past ten years, we’ve frequented many Michelin-starred establishments. During last year visit to Madrid, our dining experiences included Ramón Freixa, Smoked Room, OSA, and Cebo. This time, in our recent visit, we dined at Coque, Desde 1911, Deessa and Paco Roncero.

FOOD Desde 1911 in Madrid delivers a dynamic seafood-driven menu centered around the daily catch. During our visit, we sampled everything on offer. While the “Cambador Cockles in Green Sauce with Vegetables” didn’t quite meet our expectations, that was our only disappointment. Every other dish showcased exceptional ingredients, prepared with precision and creativity. A standout was the “Galician Lobster with Sobrasada Risotto,” an impressive and flavorful creation. The main course, “Avilés Scorpion Fish in Wood Oven,” truly elevated the experience—a masterpiece that let the superb ingredients shine. It excelled in an area where many restaurants struggle: presenting a main course that truly elevates the dining experience.

The meal ended on a high note with an outstanding cheese selection, offering excellent variety and generous portions. Desserts were equally memorable, blending innovation with a balanced sweetness that hit all the right notes.

One minor issue arose when I discovered a bone in my main course. I pointed it out to the server, but their response—a laugh, likely due to a language barrier—left the matter unresolved. Though I chose not to dwell on it at the time, in hindsight, it was a notable oversight in an otherwise fantastic dining experience.

SERVICE The service at Desde 1911 was professional and efficient, with staff providing insights into the restaurant's history and their passion for seafood. While this added a thoughtful touch, the overall service lacked a sense of warmth and personal connection. We were served by multiple staff members, none of whom extended their welcome beyond fulfilling their duties. The maître d' stood out with a brief display of charisma and hospitality, momentarily making us feel truly welcomed.

WINE SERVICE The wine service at Desde 1911 was professional and efficient. After we shared our preferences and budget, the wine server expertly selected a fantastic white bottle that complemented our meal. However, similar to the general service, the interaction lacked warmth and a personal touch.

AMBIANCE Desde 1911 provides an exceptionally spacious setup with a limited number of tables, ensuring privacy for diners. While the space isn’t particularly memorable, the atmosphere is comfortable. However, the lighting felt overly bright for a dinner setting, creating a less intimate feel. Overall, it offers a relaxed environment despite these minor critiques.

VALUE FOR MONEY Desde 1911’s pricing is on par with even two Michelin-starred restaurants. However, where others often fall short, it excels by offering exceptional value and a remarkable dining experience that justifies every penny

VERDICT Desde 1911 has firmly secured its place as my top choice for upscale dining in Madrid. It is the first to earn a five-star rating in my book, fully deserving of its Michelin star, for its ability to pair innovation with authenticity. The restaurant delivers an exceptional, generous, well-rounded, innovative, and complete dining experience that sets a new standard for fine dining in the city.

I highly recommend Desde 1911 to both newcomers and seasoned diners alike. Its dynamic and ever-changing menu ensures a fresh and exciting experience with each visit. I’d eagerly return for a second or even third dining experience to explore the creativity and quality that continually...

We came to see how Madrid's premier seafood supplier might run a high-end restaurant. Instead, we suffered indifference and dysfunction while witnessing a dumpster fire.

But let's start from the beginning. Desde 1911 is light, beautiful and luxuriously appointed. Family-run by the prestigious Pescaderias Coruñesas, on paper everything about this place is terrific. Who wouldn't want to eat here?

Unfortunately, we did. The cue should have been heating turned up to sauna, and table lighting bright enough for an interrogation, but I'm getting ahead here. The first real omen is their complex set menu, starting at €130 and up to €150, plus add-ons. It’s not cheap, and being a fish specialist you expect them to cook fish properly.

Each diner selects their entrees from a list of six, our server explains, you share the fish main then cheese and dessert are included. Would you like us to speak to you in Spanish or English, he asks. We prefer English, as one of our party is visiting and doesn't know Spanish. It's the most English we hear all night.

We make our selections to go with the fish of the day, a painted sea bream. One hangs forlornly in a glass box next to a pile of cheeses sweating in the heat. Our server recommends a light red to accompany the seafood - different! - but his red ears betray how hot he finds the room, too. 'The boss always says it's too cold,' he whispers.

The entrees all arrive mismatched. Some are delicious, others not so. The lobster is tough like rubber. The prawns crisp but greasy. Sashimi is a joy with fresh grated wasabi. We provide polite feedback about the lobster but the staff smile and just drop bread onto our plates. Our cloth napkins are replaced between every course and each time we stand up.

They present the baked fish main to us in a copper tray. Even now, it looks dry, but it's taken to a waiter station where it is dissected and placed on hot plates under cloches. Then, the bones are squeezed in a duck press before this juice is poured over each one. They’re then brought to your table and the cloches removed to reveal – some very overcooked, tough fish.

To continue the cafeteria theme, five bowls of vegetables appear: mushy brussels sprouts in honey, undercooked carrots in honey, raw and overcooked cauliflower and wrinkled radishes. We can’t decide if the mushrooms are preserved in oil or just cooked in a lot of it. There’s zero connection between the fish and the sides which leaves us even more confused. We see plates from the table behind us being cleared with much of their fish uneaten.

We feel nauseous. More polite feedback goes ignored. Two servers struggle to lift the heavy cheese table to us, then another server starts flinging and hacking cheeses onto a plate without even telling us what they are. Desserts, when they arrive, are basic and unchallenging. We leave them mostly unfinished.

But the crowning glory of the night was the total lack of empathy shown by any of the staff for our feedback, confusion at the meal’s progression and clear dissatisfaction with what we were served. Desde 1911 might be run by a successful seafood wholesaler, but it’s a lesson in hubris and dysfunction to see them run a restaurant where your end product should be happy customers and delicious food, not the opposite.

Better they stick to selling fish than...

Ponte en esta situación: Eres una directora de cine y la productora te dice que para la próxima película abras IMDb y elijas el equipo que quieras. Sin restricciones. Producción, equipo artístico, técnicos… O en esta otra. Eres un manitas y te acabas de comprar una casa que necesita reforma. Vas a Leroy Merlin y el director de la tienda te da barra libre al módico precio de gratis. Un sueño ¿no? Pues así debe de sentirse todas las mañanas el jefe de cocina de este restaurante cuando llegan los camiones frigoríficos a Juan Montalvo y elige lo que va a dar de comer hoy a sus clientes. Una materia prima excepcional venida de Garrucha, de Isla Cristina, de Muro o de Vigo.

Este restaurante es la estrella del grupo Pescaderías Coruñesas que tiene varios más en Madrid. Entre ellos y desde hace poco, Lhardy. Dicen de sí mismos: “Desde 1911 Madrid es el mejor puerto de España. En Desde 1911 la estrella eres tú.”

La decoración es muy agradable. Madera, grandes ventanales y buena iluminación. Hay tres espacios. Un amplio reservado, una sala desde la que se ve la cocina y un patio para el aperitivo o el café. Hay música. Innecesaria, intrascendente y a un volumen mayor de lo deseado.

Además de la materia prima, hay dos cosas originales. Una es el menú. Una mezcla de menú degustación, (donde el restaurante decide por el comensal) y carta (donde el comensal decide). Aquí se pueden elegir los entrantes, entre tres y seis, pero el plato principal lo elige el cocinero. Y en función de eso pagarás.

La carta está bellamente escrita a mano y con faltas de ortografía. Pocas y disculpables.

Como aperitivo hubo un Salmón ahumado ecológico, con dominante de madera y unas Quisquillas de Motril aliñadas en crudo sin interés. Nos ofrecieron una cerveza que Mahou embotella ¿y elabora? para el restaurante. Bien presentada pero nada que destacar. Cuatro tipos de pan del obrador 130º cortado al momento.

Al hacer la comanda vino el jefe de sala con un carro de productos del día. Muy llamativo pero sin refrigerar. Había urta, merluza, gamba roja, langosta, calamares, bogavante y hasta angula cruda. Creo que el producto estaría mejor en una vitrina refrigerada, pero el carro forma parte de la segunda originalidad del restaurante. Hablaremos de ello más adelante.

Probamos todas las entradas. En todas destacaba la calidad del producto y las cocciones variadas aunque excesivas. Muy bien la Merluza de pincho con tallarín de calamar y el Sashimi y ceviche de urta.

El plato principal ese día era Rodaballo de Vizcaya en horno de leña. Una pieza magnífica y de tamaño más que suficiente. Se nos presentó en una gran cazuela que venía del horno. Se lo llevaron para prepararlo y luego servirlo con campana. Como todos los pescados gelatinosos, el rodaballo agradece la brasa y cualquier otra preparación, tanto el guiso como el horno, desperdician la piel y su textura. Aun así, el plato cubría las expectativas y las cuatro guarniciones de verduras acompañaban a la perfección.

El queso se presenta en un carro también. Mucha variedad aunque poca originalidad. No entiendo muy bien su sentido en un restaurante de este tipo. Tras más de veinte minutos de espera, llegó otro carro. Esta vez con los postres. Calculo que debe haber más de quince mesas y un solo carro atendido por una sola persona. Igual que el queso. Y de ahí la espera. Seis postres y tres tipos de helado. Casi todos ellos bastante pesados aunque buenos. Tarta, babá al ron, filloas... Muy bien el helado de almendra y el de mango con wasabi.

No vimos la carta de vinos porque sabíamos lo que queríamos y, grata sorpresa, pudimos tomarlo a un muy buen precio. Buen detalle.

Pasadas cuatro horas desde que llegamos y después del café, pudimos levantarnos de la mesa con la tripa llena. Y eso que pedimos el menú más corto.

Desde mi punto de vista, es un restaurante particular. Con personalidad y que apuesta por un concepto distinto a lo habitual en los restaurantes de producto. Es innovador y hay que reconocerlo. No vas a pagar menos de 200€ por persona, así...