Smoked Room Madrid. Fire Omakase by Dani García — Restaurant in Madrid

Over the past ten years, we’ve frequented many Michelin-starred establishments. During our latest visit to Madrid, our dining experiences included Ramón Freixa, Smoked Room, OSA, and Cebo.

FOOD

The culinary presentation by the restaurant manager, involving several minutes of preparing butter and black truffle, was poised to be an intimate moment of engagement. Unfortunately, this potential for connection went unrealized. The anticipation built by the meticulous preparation did not translate to the palate. The butter, despite being paired with the luxurious black truffle, was surprisingly ordinary and tasteless. It was a letdown that such an elaborate display led to a flavor experience that was decidedly underwhelming. Same impression was repeated with the “sake infused crêpe Suzette”. The best course for us was “Shrimp from Motril, noisette butter and smoked pepper” Each course served at the restaurant was undeniably excellent. The ingredients were fresh, the preparation professional, and the produce of high quality. We thoroughly enjoyed every dish presented to us. However, despite the overall excellence, there was a missing element of distinction. In a two-star Michelin restaurant, one anticipates at least one dish that stands out as a signature, a dish that feels unique to the establishment and leaves a lasting impression, compelling one to return. Unfortunately, while all the courses were delightful, none possessed that memorable quality or a sense of place that defines a restaurant’s culinary identity. This isn’t to say the experience was negative—far from it. The food was enjoyable, and the dining experience was pleasant. Yet, in the echelons of Michelin-starred dining, it’s that extraordinary, unforgettable course that often sets a restaurant apart, and this was what we found lacking.

SERVICE Upon entering the esteemed establishment, we were greeted by the restaurant manager, a kind individual who, unfortunately, seemed to lack the charisma and hospitality that one anticipates in such a setting. His demeanor, though not unfriendly, carried a certain rigidity that suggested a performance where he, rather than the guests, was the focal point. The service at this Michelin-starred restaurant was satisfactory, warranting a 4/4.5-star rating. The highlight was an exceptionally enthusiastic server whose energy was infectious, making us feel like honored guests at his personal dinner party. His engaging demeanor and the delightful conversation we shared were the saving grace of our evening. In a venue of this caliber, one expects all servers to exude a similar spirit and hospitality.

WINE SERVICE A notable misstep occurred during the wine selection process. It is my preference to discuss wines directly with a sommelier, as their expertise is paramount in ensuring a harmonious pairing with the meal. However, the manager took it upon himself to inquire about our preferences, leading to a ‘broken telephone’ situation. This resulted in the sommelier presenting us with a wine that was the exact of what we had specified as our dis-like. Such an oversight is particularly jarring in a two Michelin-starred restaurant, where precision and attention to detail are expected.

VALUE FOR MONEY Taking into account the quality of the food, the exclusive nature of the restaurant with only six settings, and the unique experience of an open kitchen, it’s clear that the value for money is excellent.

VERDICT Smoked Room, secures a solid four-star rating in my book. It’s a place I’m likely to return to and recommend to others, albeit not a destination that demands a dedicated journey. As it stands, it embodies the essence of a two-star Michelin establishment, with room for improvement in service and wine selection. With a few adjustments, Smoked Room has the potential to ascend to a...

Smoked Room Madrid, 2*, April 2023

The owner and chef is Dani Garcia, who started his career in the kitchen of the famous Martin Berasategui before opening his own restaurant in Andalusia. Now Garcia is the head of a group managing 17 restaurants and bars, some brasserie-style and some of totally high gastronomy.

Smoked Room is a marvellous place, located at the -1 level of the Grand Hyatt hotel. It’s a cellar with an open kitchen with lots of fire 🔥 and a “bar” with 6 guests, plus one tiny restaurant room looking like an old Chicago lounge (black leather, black floor, dim light and style everywhere with only 2 round tables for 2 to 4 eaters. Let’s say it’s a pretty exclusive place. Smoked Room opened in 2021 and received TWO stars within months. It’s very rare and quite remarquable.

The menu is called “Fire Omakase” the “freestyle” type of menus in Japanese cuisine : the chef sends whatever he wants according to season and market. And that’s fine by me ! It’s the way I like eating best.

Tuber melanosporum butter was prepared at our table based on Bordier butter and truffles that were on the table under a glass from the beginning. It was the last truffles of the season for Spain.

Shrimp from Motril, noisette butter and smoked pepper, was amazing. So so so much better than the raw shrimp we had had the days before.

Then, so many great plates : Seaweed stew, smoked caviar and mint ; Smoked hamachi, roasted tomato essence and yuzu ; Smoked eel nitro tomato, red bell pepper caramel and "Ajo blanco malagueno ; Dashi tomato ; Charbroiled clams in tosatsu beurre blanc and fresh wasabi ; Charcoal baby eel, vin Jaune velouté and hazelnut praliné ; Dry aged wild turbot, grilled green tearpeas and pork belly dashi ; Smoked duck with carrots and orange sautéed crepes …. Are you still hungry ?

We ended with a marvellous Wagyu A5, 34 years aged soy sauce and fresh wasabi brushed at the table. A pure delight, probably 70% fat !

The sommelier Luis Baselga welcomed us in an amazing way with two glasses of a Brut Nature Cava ! Through the entire meal, he AMAZED us with his choices of mostly Spanish wines, including very old grape varieties, some of 150-200 years old vines, and lots of micro producers. The wine selection he made was just fantastic !!!

Then came three desserts and a beautiful tower of mignardises. We had : Japanese dried persimmons with Comte cheese and black truffle ; Charcoal pumpkin and mandarins ; and finally Grilled aubergine, chocolate and miso ice cream and melipona honey ! 🤷🏼‍♂️🙀👌

What a meal we had ! Clearly the best of our trip so far. This is absolutely contemporary gastronomy at its best ! 🔥🌟🌟+ !

Fa-Bu-Lous ! 👍🏼

PS : Please note that for people with mobility issues, since the main entrance features a giant staircase of 3 levels, they have a “secret” Handi entrance right on its left, with a long corridor arriving in the lobby of the Hyatt which then gets you to the -1 by the elevator. You must ask the hotel doorman for it as it opens from the...

Visited in August 2025 for the pop-up in Tivoli in Copenhagen (so NOT in the Madrid location). We had the omakase dinner menu (11 dishes) with an extra starter and the non-alcoholic pairing.

The food was excellent. While in my experience, many high-quality restaurants start and end the menu with their best dishes, the Smoked Room menu was an almost constant crescendo, at least for my taste - it felt like every dish was better than the last! The quality of the ingredients was obvious, and so was the care and thought that went into the making of each dish. While most dishes had - as is to be expected from the name of the restaurant - a smoked component, the smoky flavour blended well with other tastes and was never overpowering.

The non-alcoholic pairing included various teas, both bottled and freshly made. These were interesting and complemented the food nicely, I was very happy with this.

Service was both friendly and professional and, even though we were not in Madrid, I believe the staff was brought along for the pop-up.

I would have loved to have a description of the menu to bring home with me - both for the food and for the teas. My one big suggestion for Smoked Room would be that they send their guests home with a little "memory" of the visit in the form of a printed menu showing the food and drink pairings. At least this is what I'm used to from Michelin restaurants in Denmark :)

Overall, I can highly recommend the Smoked Room - regardless if it's located in Madrid or...