Came on a Tuesday afternoon, easy reservations. You can either do classic 10 horse tasting menu or else there's a 14 course menu that they take cuisine around the world and use Spanish style cooking. My favorite dishes were 1) the Iberian pork shoulder with foie gras, mustard, ice cream, and oyster: the mustard ice cream was just a shot to the senses, the pork so tender and juicy all mixed together and 2) wild sea bass - with sweet tart, seemingly cranberry and garnish, the crispy skin, the slightly charred sea bass This was excellent, cannot recommend highly enough. The senses were all delighted, the history of the dishes, the service. read more

See all

El Club Allard is an elegant restaurant in Madrid that's fairly popular for its Spanish haute cuisine. We made reservations well ahead of our trip, and arrived early for lunch for a meal that differed from our typical tapas fare. We had the Rendezvous Menu which consisted of 10 unique dishes inspired by international flavours. I was a bit disappointed to miss out on the fish bowl but the imaginative edible cards, fish soup in beer glass, hibiscus flower and liquid N2 made for interesting presentations. Pork shoulder was crispy and succulent, sea bass fillet was fresh, and squid risotto was filled with ocean flavours. All were plated stunningly with the attention to detail expected of a high-end restaurant. The chef (Maria Marte) definitely cared for the guests' experience. The restaurant was worthy of its retained two Michelin stars. Everything from food to service and ambience was refined, and we were well taken care of if not blown away by the interesting flavours. read more

See all

Definitely get the full tasting menu as the peas and the pork dishes it includes were easily my favorite. Best meal I had in Spain over the course of a week. This place is amazing! Every dish was presented like a work of art. The peas with sea urchin and pigeon ham course was to die for. The dashi was a straight shot of umami. The tendons with langoustine were an unexpected treat. Pheasant was good. Iberico pork medium rare was amazing, too! The olive oil and butter paired with the bread were exquisite. Special shoutout to the somm who created a fun blind tasting for us. read more

See all

El Club Allard is on par with most Michelin restaurants I have been to. We did the 12 course prefix. Price was reasonable. Presentation was aesthetically pleasing (see my photos). The service was satisfactory. Each course came out at a great pace. The rhyme of water and wine refill was also satisfactory. Food was... good but nothing extremely memorable. The reason I deducted one star was because: 1. We asked our waiter for cocktail/martini menu, the waiter said we don't serve cocktail and gave us the wine menu. 5 mins later we saw the table next to us getting a gin and tonic and martinis. I was baffled, my initial justification was maybe our waiter didn't understand English very well, but if he didn't then he should not have said there isn't. I later waved him down and asked him why he told us no cocktail and pointed at the table next to us. He said "me no understand". Hmmm... 2. Maybe I am from LA and spoiled by all the good restaurants. I thought the food was just okay... some courses were semi interesting, but nothing memorable. Places like Bazaar, Alexander's or Bestia had more innovative dishes than this Michelin ** restaurant. 3. Finally, just a pet peeve of mine, being Michelin **, I expect impeccable service etiquette. When presenting each course to the table, there should be two waiters/butlers and present the course for each guest simultaneously. I noticed this was very inconsistent during our dinner. When the butler was busy, our waiter brought out my course first then my hubby's. Overall, it was still a good dining experience, but prob my first and last time. read more

See all

How do you rate a culinary journey that surpasses all expectations and experiences? I can only say that in my opinion, El Club Allard provided an well-deserving Michelin 2 star experience, with only a few drawbacks and extra tips. It's always difficult to write an extensive review on tasting menus, especially with the ever evolving nature of this business. I'd actually just refer to my particular menu list and the refer to the pictures for your viewing pleasures. Needless to say, all of the flavors were novel, wholesome and pleasantly familiar at times. Every protein feature was melt-in-your mouth delightful, and more importantly, filling as well. The chef personally came out and greeted us at the end of the meal and even allowed us to take a picture with her. Despite her short stature, her accomplishment and humility is to be emulated and revered. Now, despite the glowing review, there are some other aspects that should be addressed for a restaurant of this caliber. First of all, not speaking any Spanish was a bit problematic here, as much of the description (at least during the first half of the dinner) was sparse and carried no magic. However, this changed drastically when our sommelier showed up more often and explained the dishes and our second waiter was much more engaging and personally more excitable. The overall decor is quite serene, but formal and reminded me of Alinea, in that the mood caters to a more, no-nonsense crowd. Finally, they do charge extras for tea at the end...which...I am not sure how I feel as I had already paid several hundred Euros for this meal. At the end of the day, the experience was one of the finest dining journeys I have taken, and despite our disagreement with our first waiter and his indifference, we left feeling very fulfilled and enlightened. Food: 5 stars Service: 4-5 stars Ambiance: 4-5 stars Price: it's michelin... read more

See all

Creative cuisine served in an elegant restaurant and the best part, the staff is unpretentious and you feel right at home. No formal dress code and I saw a few guests wearing jeans. 10 - 15 courses but the dinner may last from 2 hr to more depending on your pace. No stuffiness at all. Not bad for a 2 michelin star place. Chef Diego Guerrero talks to every guest before the meals for suggestions and afterwards for feedback. Memorable dishes: - Butter Fish Tapa served over a rice sheet which is on top of a soup and that's above a candle! - Eggs with bread and pancetta with a potato cream sauce - the fishbowl - egg dessert which you can find pic all over the web read more

El Club Allard is hands down the best restaurant and dining experience I have ever been to. Not only do this establishment blow any American chef and restaurant out of this world, the pricing is just amazing. I took my girlfriend now fiancé here on our first night in Madrid. Reservation was made well in advance since the restaurant space was small. The space and the building was beautiful. When we arrived, we were seated right away. We were provide 2 tasting menu options as well has the perfect bottle of wine to go along with our meal. The bottle of wine was so good, it cost only 15 dollars US. If that bottle was served in the US, easily 60-100 dollars. We were served a playful amuse business card. The dipping was heavenly. It was made with truffles. Our faces lit up and god excited for what's to come. Every dish we had was perfect. Seasoned just right. Nothing was overly salted. You can honestly taste every ingredient. Nothing was over powering, just perfect. From the pork, to the seaweed risotto, eel, duck and playful savoury cupcake, this was such an experience. I've been to many restaurants all over the world, international dining is just far superior, from service to food! This restaurant is honestly world class! read more

See all

Loved it! They blew out all my circuits with this meal. This was my first meal in Spain. The time was tight. Our plane landed around 1pm and our reservation was for 2pm. Here were the four of us: rushing off the plane, grabbing our luggage, bussing to our hotel and changing from our sweaty airport clothes, before cabbing it to Club Allard. Whew! We made it. They seat us immediately in a semi private room. Mozart and Bach played in the background as the food tantalized our senses. One of our friends took notes. Someone else moaned when appreciating the flavors and textures. The surprises blow your mind. Food you thought would not work well, has such depth of flavor and richness. Such as the cherry soup and caviar. And such beautiful presentation of traditional food in unexpected way. Ex: The delicate caviar leaf and the game truffle. And consumption of food that you usually did not enjoy, you found yourself appreciating. Ex: The smoked sardine with varying gradients of smokiness. Dishes I wish I had two more portions of were the pea's ravioli, egg with bread and pancetta, cuttlefish and the wagyu. (But physically, you really don't want two more portions because after the first dessert, you are 200% full). The pea's ravioli was delicate film sweet potatoe, filled with creamy sweet pea. The iberique was ground into a creamy soup and served at table side. All of us desired to lick the bowl clean. The egg with bread and pancetta was just perfectly executed. Crispy phyllo flakes with the runny Hen egg and creamy slightly salted potatoe sauce. This was such a savory, creamy and hearty dish. Fuciformis cuttlefish with wasabi mayonnaise was the most unique and delicious entree on the menu. The briny cuttlefish was the perfect complement to the rich smoky seafood enriched wood mushroom, giving this dish the perfect earthy taste of the sea. This dish was umami-ously our table's favorite. Wagyu picanha was just perfectly done. Soft tender wagyu slices topped with fried beef slices and slivers of mushrooms. The balance of flavors and textures was so well done, I wanted to spend half an hour appreciating and savoring each bite. Unfortunately for me, we were already 2.75 hours into our course and my dining companions had already finished this dish. This restaurant made me changed my mind about the last meal. I want the form, beauty and umami taste of the fuciformis cuttlefish and one hour just to savor it. read more

See all

We always book a splurge meal for each trip and decided on Club Allard for our Spain vacation. My husband is not into anything too avant-garde so that narrowed down some choices. A draw for me is chef Maria Marte. She is not only the only female chef in Madrid with any Michelin stars but her story of starting off as an immigrant dish washer and now worked her way up to the head chef is awesome. The restaurant is very close to Plaza Espana and the royal palace. You enter a building in the corner and it doesn't seem quite like a restaurant from the entry. The dining room is light in color, tons of space between the tables for privacy. It's certainly a posh place and I recommend a jacket for the men. There are 2 choices for the tasting meals, a shorter 10 course "Rendezvous" and a longer 14 course "Seduction". We opted for the later. The wine list was also extensive and to be honest really reasonable priced for this caliber of restaurant. We saw a lot of bottles priced around 50 euros, and I don't think I saw any quadruple digits (at least not in the Spain section anyways). Our waiter helped us pick up 2 bottles of Spanish red that are less well known but were both fantastic. Ended up being cheaper than getting the wine pairings. Ok now the courses: Starters: - Smoked Eel with Coconut - My husband usually does not like eel and he loved this dish. The eel is very light in flavor here but the smokiness and coconut flavors paired well. - Red King Prawn Bombon - Looks like a Godiva truffle but even prettier. Interesting but slightly fishy for us. - Shot of Butter Fish and White Asparagus - Wow, I was expecting fishy because it's well a shot of fish, but the flavors were awesome, lots of umami. - Quail Egg and Truffle Cupcake - The playful "classroom" theme started here. I made the mistake of biting the cupcake in half and dripped the delicious filling all over, what a waste! Haha. - Norway Lobster - Man oh man, this was by far the best bite of shrimp/lobster/crawfish spectrum of shellfish I've ever had. Just incredibly tender. I could make a whole dinner out of this for sure. Best bite of the night! - Comte Cheese Soup - A nice soup, was just ok relative to rest of the menu. - "Sea Rice" - A painstakingly chopped up piece of calamari made to resemble a line of rice, lots of sea flavors. - Venison with Chen-Chen Sand - Probably my least favorite of the meal, the venison was somehow on the mealy side for me. Main dishes: - Baked Turbot - Excellently cooked piece of fish with sauces of seasonable veggies on the side. - Wagyu Picanha - Super tender beef and a very rich and flavorful sauce. Desserts: - Hibiscus Flower and Pisco Sour - Almost too pretty to eat! Tasted just like pisco sour. - Cheese in 2 textures - Less memorable of the desserts - Creamed chocolate - A couple different consistencies in this plate made it interesting. - "Blackboard" - The signature ending here. A bunch of sugar candy things that you can actually write on the board with and eat. Fun! During the dessert course, they brought us an extra big board of sweets to eat with our fingers because it was our anniversary celebration. Really awesome! Overall, we had a fantastic meal here with fabulous food and wine. The service was also top notch. While not every single bite was WOW, there were many that were very memorable. If each bite was sensational, then I would expect 3 stars, but to be honest, I haven't had that at 3 star establishments either. But we certainly appreciate the excellent cooking and a good amount of creativity. And for the caliber of the food? I think the price is a steal compared to the US restaurants! read more

See all

Hidden in a nondescript building, a couple of people in our group were unable to find the place without assistance. Inside is a minimalistic space of rooms some closed off from others with tables for large and small groups. The food was Incredible employing all the senses. We had an 11 or 12 course meal each fantastic. The service was world class, so excellent you barely knew they were there except when an arm extended from behind you to change plates and silverware. The main server did make his presence felt announcing with much gusto the each course as it arrived. The bathrooms are a bit strange but the waiters were quick to arrive and demonstrate how to use them. This was the best overall culinary experience in Spain by far. Highly recommend it. read more

My family and I came here to celebrate my mom's 65th birthday while we were traveling in Spain. I have to say being from San Francisco and having culinary geniuses around every corner I thought it would be a good meal but didn't have any crazy expectations. The staff here blew us away. They sat us in a semi private room toward the back of the restaurant. In the room was a large round table and a book shelf with the restaurant's Michelin awards. The staff didn't speak the best english so some of the nuance was lost but they were incredibly friendly and attentive. We decided to do the rendevous menu for five. The first course although not very good was super innovative and fun. Our meal consisted of about 16 courses. The garden mushroom truffle course and the dessert were my favorites of the night. But each course was delicious. Overall, this was one of the best meals of my life. The only other 2 star resturant I had been to til now was Manresa in Los Gatos and club allard made that experience feel mediocre. At the end of the meal Chef Guerreo comes out to every table to do his rounds. The total tab for 5 (with wine pairings for 2) was ~520euro. This seemed like a bargain considering the beautiful execution. They also threw in an extra pre-dessert which was special for mom's birthday. At the end of the meal, my indian mother who has never been to a meal like this couldn't stop talking about the little details. The most amusing part for her was they used the tiniest mushrooms in one of their courses. Its the little details that make a place great read more

For Belgians eating *** rated is always better abroad : the average price is much more reasonable then back home. In Madrid we chose Club Allard, and managed to walk out with max 150 EURO less. Aperitive was Cava nothing compared to the average bubbles you drink at home. Silksmooth. Then we took Club Allard menu with everthing from eatable menu to rice that turned out to be squid. My first *** experience and I loved it. read more

El Club Allard - Modern European Near Me - Madrid, M

Fantastic meal. And great service. We came here to enjoy our last evening in Madrid. We both got the 14 course meal and enjoyed every plate. And unfortunately I had a bad headache hit me through the meal, the kind that makes you nauseous. The restaurant was very attentive and helpful through that, and helped make our evening very enjoyable. And even through that, I could taste each plate and enjoy the beautiful flavors. I would highly recommend this fine establishment to anyone visiting Madrid. read more

Spectacular food, impeccable service, and an artful presentation barely begin to describe the incredible experience of dining at El Club Allard. The 15 plates were each pushed to the edge of culinary physics and design with items like mint smoke, edible menus with aioli, olive oil caviar, aquarium presentations, and dessert 'eggs' with chocolate shell, custard white and mango yolk. The most amazing gastronomic experience my boyfriend and I have had. We were blown away. El Club Allard is worth a trip to Madrid. read more

First off. My words can not begin to describe the culinary "experience" that is Club Allard. I walked right by the non descript building that houses the most incredible dining experience of my life. I can't do this restaurant (culinary theater?) justice by trying to describing the 3 hour production. Yes, it took that long for my meal to be completed! I repeat. I was entertained and fed for 3 hours! Like a great movie or play that you have seen and your friend hasn't and you don't want to spoil it for them.......I'm not going to spoil it for you. Just go and send me a message. It IS pricey but worth EVERY dollar. The servers were incredible and very informative and Chef Diego Guerro's vision and flavorful explosions were nothing short of the best production I have ever witnessed. Please go, the atmosphere, ambiance and impeccable taste and decorum will astound you. read more

Just enjoyed a dining experience at El Club Allard to celebrate my wife's birthday. Hands down one of the top three or four meals in my life. Next time in Madrid, this will be a first stop. The third Michelin star is not far away. read more

See all

I want to qualify this review by telling the reader that this is one of the six restaurants that we ate in during the last week of November 2014. To put this review in context, we were six people who were in Madrid four days re-visiting and trying new restaurants. We ate at Casa Lucio, (twice lunch and a late dinner), El Paraguas, La Trainera and O'Pazo which were all stellar. We also ate at Ten Con Ten which was okay but highly overrated. I have never written a bad review as I would not want to hurt the people who make their living by working in a service industry. Having said that, I can not hold back my absolute contempt for the food, the service and the ambience of El Club Allard. This was on my list of fine restaurants in Madrid; it should never have been on my list or any other list when it comes to gourmet dining. The gimmicks of eating a tasteless paper, akin to receiving a communion wafer, was just the start. The cold razor clams were dirty with grit. The silly foam additions on every other plate were totally lacking of flavor, truly a new low in Spanish cuisine. The turbot was like rubber. We had the Superior menu which only meant we had more insipid dishes than any one person should ever try to eat. What was truly appalling was the service! We had a waiter who thought it was funny to plop down our silverware after each course. He seemed to have some personal, internal joke going on that made him speak about each dish as rapidly and incomprehensible as he could. He was rude and insulting. I had wanted to walk out after the first ten minutes but did not want to embarrass the rest of the members in my party. This was a mistake because two of our guests were sick with food poisoning for 24 hours, ruining two days of our holiday. To finish up, the ambience of the room that we sat in was cold and dark; a gray room made especially for visiting tourists. I apologize to the reviewers who had a good meal here but I truly recommend you try the restaurants that I mentioned in the beginning of this review, so as to know where the great food, excellent service and warm ambience can be enjoyed while in Madrid. read more

My Wife and I were in Madrid for three days and on that time we wanted to try at least one of the michelin star restaurants . My Wife is Vegan so I always I have to either email or call restaurants we want to try to make sure they will be able to accommodate her dietary restrictions and also this way if the chef needs to get ingredients that they don't usually have , they will have the time to do so. I emailed El Club Allard to check if they could prepare a Vegan menu for her and there was no problem for them to do so ( i did call other top restaurants and they weren't or actually they din't want to modify any of their menu items ) besides I read so much about El Club Allard I wanted to try it. What can I say, it was Incredible, the Textures, Flavors and Creativity of Chef Maria Marte not only for my 13 course 3 hour lunch but what The Chef did with my Wife Vegan menu . It is really commendable the effort put into creating for Her such an interesting creations that matched every dish I got with a Vegan dish for her. This Restaurant is one of the best we have been and We have been at the best restaurants in the World , being Paris, Rome, Monaco, NYC , LA ,London and We can add Madrid to the list. We are going to be back in Madrid and I called to see how soon I can make reservations and I talked to Alba Sanchez and she mentioned to send her a copy of My Wife's menu so when we go next time when we are in Madrid The Chef would be able to make another Vegan menu with different dishes, that just show their dedication and care they have for their customers. Also I would like to mention How good, professional and friendly the staff was . Another interesting fact worth mentioning , the cost of our Lunch including two glasses of Cava and three glasses of wine was more or less the same price of what just two entrees would cost in any of the top restaurants in Paris read more

Amazing, amazing, amazing. Maria Martes worked some serious magic at our dinner here. Serious complements to her for catering her menu to a vegetarian. Each vegetarian dish was unique and more amazing than the last. The wine pairings were beyond worth it - our sommelier made our dinner even more wonderful by pairing wines, catering to our experiences (asking about where we were from, what we had tried and liked, and also introducing us to new varietals -- all with serious flexibility and flair). I can't recommend this place enough, completely worth the cost (and perhaps even the cost of the trip to Madrid). read more

Top class restaurant with excellent degustation menu. Quality fresh ingredients, dishes were tasty but not overly pretentious. Some items had a twist to it which added an element of surprise and made it a more memorable experience. Service was impersonal but highly professional. Overall the price was actually very reasonable for a lunch at a 2 michelin star restaurant. read more

If you expect to 'order' food, then you've come to the wrong play. This is theater. This is performance . And for myself and friend, one of the most memorable food experiences of all time. I've been to dw40, baulud's 1, 2 & 3, and a myriad of other great places in the uk, France, Italy. This was an event unto itself. We ordered the middle choice (the table must choose one of three, I guess you would call them , 'tastings' - and all get the same experience - with subtle variations for allergies/diet). From the first of 11 presentation, we were swept away. 2 1/2 hrs later we landed - walking on air from the infused foam. There is no real explaining the food, as everything is specific to the day and time of year (spring for us). The best to say is: it is deconstructed, reimagined food that will make you understand what the molecular buzz is all about - if you are open to it. (Up until this, I was...'eh'.) Several tables were expecting more traditional options, but it seemed the resistance dropped by the second half, and they were as exuberant as us by the end. There was absolutely nothing that did not surprise and/or send us into roll-your-eyes nirvana. But, a couple of highlights: the quail egg yucca cupcake with truffle dots is probably the best thing I have ever tasted - one bite that goes on forever - Proust would write another dozen episodes good. The 'onion soup, that looks like an ice cream Sunday - the squid rice with grass foam - the dreamy Brazilian beef shoulder in caramelized/wine reduction - the actual dessert of chocolate crumb intensity. But I want to stress: everything was a dance - a set up, reveal and change that pulled you through like a finely tuned film. If you figure a Broadway play will cost you $125+ per ticket, and this experience is more memorable than most of those, then it's a pretty good bet for a special night at the theater. read more

Simply amazing meal! Starting from the presentation of the food and ending with meal itself being fantastic. The dishes are fantastic and prepared with a lot of imagination. Highly recommend to both locals and tourists. read more

Best meal in my life so far. Art and food meet superbly. Most memorable dish in my 10 (11?--I lost count) course dinner included the intensely aromatic smell of a log fire under the bowl that I wafted as I ate the truffled appetizer. Incredible! Service okay but language may have been a barrier. Sommelier friendly and approachable. read more

Our favorite dinner of our trip in southern Spain. The food was amazing, interesting and fun and the staff were all extremely friendly. Highly recommend. read more

I celebrated my Birthday in the Club Allard on December 13th with my sons and my dear friends from Russia. We absolutely loved it! It was very unusual and outstanding dining experience. Regardless of the fact we were dining in the magnificent place of 19th century we felt very comfortable and cozy. The staff was very pleasant and every... read more