Spain has some of the best food in Europe — and, let’s be honest, the world. Of course, its incredible capital would have over 20 Michelin starred restaurants.
Madrid’s sole three-star restaurant, DiverXo, is described by Michelin critics as “pure hedonism!” and makes it a point to make fun of itself by being purposefully basic. For instance, it serves some of its dishes on wrapping paper that has “xo” printed all over it, as a wink to both its name and the “Gossip Girl”-y “xo xo,” which in text language means “hugs and kisses.”
DiverXo clearly likes to joke about its image, adding pictures of punks, clowns and Voldermort-esque villains on its website rather than the typical images of beautiful-looking dishes. Still, the restaurant very much does care about its image, un-ironically calling videos of its artistically staged meals “canvases.”
This contradiction between an “Emily in Paris” self-proclaimed basicness and a hipster unawareness of the parody it becomes of itself is actually part of the DiverXo experience.
That and the delivery of delectable dishes brings people to the restaurant.
Where to stay: Barceló Imagine
