@PedroPero,
At the old StreetXO in its former space on Serrano (now the WOW building), the wait was ridiculously long.
At his new headquarters further up at Serrano 47 at El Corte Inglés, at least there is a long red leather bench outside the restaurant door for people to sit until StreetXO opens. Once it opens, they seat you at the bar where you can have a cocktail until your space is ready.
Currently I don’t know how long the wait is; a TA review said they had to wait 1 hr. 20 min until the second seating, although they arrived 30 min. before opening.
There are seats on the terrace, so maybe…if you arrive 30-45 min before opening, you might be able to snag a place during the first seating.
I only know that it is more organized than before. But my impatience has kept me away.
The Mexican Can Chan Chán is also up there on the top floor, and it gets excellent reviews from the professional food critics and takes reservations. http://www.canchanchan.es
I might swing by one day before they open and see how long the wait is, maybe they’ll let me sit at the bar and snack as well as drink. It’s an easy walk from the hotel, so no big deal if I can’t get in without a huge wait.
Now that I’ve seen that photo of the gambas al ajillo I have to put the Goya location of Casa del Abuelo on my list. I think I passed its a few times when walking from my hotel to the restaurants in Retiro (Laredo, La Catapa). They look amazing!
Yes, you would have passed it walking up to the Retiro to La Catapa if you took the Goya route, which we take. I wouldn’t go for a full meal but instead just to try the gambas al ajillo, or try them at Taberna Elisa with the heads intact.
I had the bocadillo at EL BRILLANTE (long time ago) and I thought it was great, even though the place seems to be derided for being touristy and all that…I thought it was fun, and convenient to museums. if I have time to try next time for lunch, where would you recommend, Maribel?? (I like the tentacles more than the rings but that’s probably not an option…)
Don’t go to El Brillante. Go to La Campana or Las Postas in the environs of the Plaza Mayor to be with the locals.
Or…, better still, go upscale and have one at the venerable and elegant downstairs deli of the historic Llhardy on the Carrera San Jerónimo, where my mother and I used to go for consomé laced with sherry served from a silver samovar and cocido croquettes.
This is a Christmas ritual for us, to have a cup of consomé, cocido croquettes (Lhardy serves one of the most elegant and expensive cocidos - David Muñoz and Tim Cook had one recently together) and a sampling of their new flavors of turrón. It´s a true classic, saved from extinction a couple of years ago, thankfully, by Pescaderías Coruñesas.
If you don’t already know Lhardy, just like Mantequerías Coruñesas in Salamanca, it caters to the “carriage trade” and has impeccable products.
Very few people know that Llardy serves a bocadillo de calamares.
Bocadillo de calamares and beer for breakfast!! I usually don’t have my first meal of the day until 10am-ish so this is perfectly normal for me. .Plus I hear it gets very crowded for lunch, so the earlier the better.
Maribel I’ve never been to the famous Lhardy but will have it on my list of definites for next time, for the bocadillo. I imagine one should dress up a little to dine there…
@erica,
For the beautiful downstairs gourmet deli, where I have sherry-laced consumé and cocido croquettes, or sometimes breakfast, one doesn’t need to dress up, but you’ll see ladies of a certain age in their finest who have been shopping here forever.
For the equally beautiful upstairs dining room, now taken over by Pescaderías Coruñesas (the finest purveyors of fish & crustaceans), yes, you might want to dress up a bit in keeping with the elegance of the environment.
Lhardy serves one of the best but most expensive cocido feasts in town, along with beef Wellington, filet of sole Evaristo in champagne, squab in crapaudine and their legendary soufflé–dishes of a bygone era.
It was the first haute cuisine restaurant in Madrid, established in 1839.
I’m on vacation, what the heck 
