DiverXO is a unique space that has become a fantastic setting for the avant-garde, borderless, creative cuisine of the chef Dabiz Muñoz — a place where various immobile creatures such as flying pigs, multi-colored butterflies and silver-black ants accompany visitors from the very moment they arrive until they leave.
DiverXO has been awarded three Michelin stars, and in 2022 came to an honorable fourth place in the prestigious The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list.
DiverXO is a true reflection of the talent, personality and creativity of Dabiz Muñoz, who has been able to break down all established barriers in haute gastronomy. From the beginning, Dabiz wanted to end the gap that typically exists between eateries and fine dining restaurants. The main goal was to enjoy food and get people to have fun in a relaxed yet stimulating place.
In the Photo: Chef Dabiz Muñoz
As a child, Dabiz dreamed of becoming a great footballer, he played in the youth teams of the Atlético football club and had good success, but his love of gastronomy prevailed over football. His parents were regulars at the Viridiana restaurant in Madrid and they often took their son with them. Dabiz was fascinated by chef Abraham Garcia, who later became his idol. At the age of 12-13, Dabiz discovered haute cuisine, which completely changed his life.
He started cooking at home, creating incredible recipes that had never been made before. During this time, Dabiz had a clear vision that he wanted to open his own very successful restaurant where people would queue to get into it.
“When I graduated, my most cherished desire was to see the widest variety of cuisines in the world and explore them, — says Dabiz. — In 2002 I moved to London, a city with huge gastronomic opportunities, where I started my culinary career. I have worked in many international restaurants, including French, Italian and Asian restaurants Hakkasan and Nobu. These places have had a huge impact on my career, especially on my passion and love of Asian cuisine. After five years in London, I returned to Madrid ready to embody my dream and open my first restaurant DiverXO.”
Since its opening, DiverXO has changed 3 locations in Madrid and its history began in 2007 in a very small space with barely enough space for cooking, serving and storing food.
But Dabiz’s culinary talent and tenacity made DiverXO a success. 
In 2009, the restaurant moved to second place with more resources, where DiverXO received first, second and third MICHELIN stars consecutively every two years and became the only restaurant with 3 MICHELIN stars in Madrid. And Dabiz, who was 33 at the time of receiving the third star, became the second youngest chef in the world to receive such high recognition.
The DiverXO interior, designed by Lázaro Rosa-Violán, looks like a gastronomic “spaceship” ready to take off, equipped with luxurious white captain’s chairs, unusual wall paintings, shining lamps, air curtains that create “private cabinets”, sculptures of “winged pigs” that have become a symbol of creativity and imagination — reigning supreme in DiverXO.
“My father was skeptical about my dream of opening a restaurant, he kept telling me “You’ll get a restaurant when the pigs fly,” — Dabiz smiles. — But I still achieved my dream, and therefore these funny pigs are the most iconic elements of our restaurant. Everything that we create in DiverXO, as well as in our other StreetXO, CircusXO, GoXO and Ravioxo concepts that make up our XO world, is our imagination and creativity, which is why the design of the restaurant is based on creating a fantastic space with touches of beauty and purity, as well as crisp nuances that give an experiential sense of infinity.”
Recognized as one of the world’s most creative chefs, Dabiz presents a tasting menu of 12 courses full of psychedelic dreams and surprising twists at every turn, composed of lienzo (canvas) with authentic works of art on your table. Made with the best of Spanish ingredients, menu has a strong focus on Asian cuisine, which refers to Dabiz love to Asian culture and food. The waiters serve the food in stages, like applying paint to a canvas. The kitchen is total, simple, without distractions, but at the same time beautiful and elegant — all creating a feeling of a real spectacle.
“The Flying Pigs Cuisine”
The “performance” is suggested to begin with a glass of Champagne available to be chosen from selection of the day. (KRUG GRANDE CUVÉE EDITION 170 BRUT, A.O.C. CHAMPAGNE).
Award-winning sommelier Miguel Angel Millán has taken the beverage program to a very high level by developing a special wine list of exclusive and rare vintage and non-vintage wines.
– COLD POACHED PIGEON WITH PALO CORTADO WINE MACERATED FOR A WEEK
Served with Smoked Caviar, Marine Plankton, Palo Cortado Wine Macaroni and Grilled Embryonic Egg Yolk Soaked with Its Juice and Spiced with Fermented in Salt Chiles Paste and Purple Oxalis
INSPIRATIONS FROM SOUTHEAST ASIA
- THAIPIRINHA
- GREEN CURRY — Tear Peas Softly Sauteed in the Wok for 8 Seconds, Homemade Jalapeño Peppers and Matcha Green, Tea Curry, Finger Lime, Emulsified Butter Whey with Fine Herbs
- LAKSA SINGAPORE — Chicken Broth in Laksa with Mini Roasted Thigths, Bbq Bacon and Wild Trout Roe
RED TUNA WITH TOMATO
- CURED RED TUNA BELLY with Homemade Tomatoes Consommé 24 Hours Cooked
- TUNA MARROW MARMITAKO with Yellow Tomatoes, Calamansi
and Yellow Chili
UPSIDE DOWN WORLD…FROSTED SALAD FROM THE BACK OF THE FRIDGE AND THEIR SEA SIDES
THE SALAD
- ON THE BASE: Tomato Heart Seeds, Creamy Bittersweet Olive Oil Dressing,
Rocket and Steamed Edamame. - ON THE SURFACE: Ice Scales with Slightly Spicy Lettuce Emulsion, Jerez Vinegar, Lettuce Buds, Oak Leaf, Oxalis and Mosaic Leaves
THE SIDE
- TURBOT with Spine Emulsion and Sichuan Pepper
- SEA BREAM with Spine Emulsion and Java Pepper
- RED MULLET with Spine Emulsion and Sansho Pepper
– WARM SASHIMI WITH UPSIDE DOWN FRIED BABY EELS, Galician Clams Valoute “Al Riesling”, Enoki Mushrooms, Grilled “Sepieta”
“In order to create a fantastic and creative environment that combines elegance, great attention has been paid to the materials used in the kitchen, serving tables, wall cladding and flooring, such as Silestone and Dekton, — continues Dabiz. — What I love about these products is not only the sense of calm they offer so that the fantasy element can flourish, but also the fact that they give a sense of infinity, which is very important to me. The DiverXO concept is a bit like a roller coaster that you get on and it shakes you, you know when you’re up but you don’t know when you’re down.”
– FOIES… FROM THE SEA AND THE LAND — Grilled Duck Foie with Sea Urchin, Jalapeños,
Horseradish and Sansho Pepper
2 wine pairings, available to accompany the menu, features a very creative approach of Miguel Angel Millán. Along with the basic wine pairing, “Pairing to high flights” is a selection of hand-picked highlights, which includes the most prestigious wines from the restaurant’s collection, as well as rare vintages.
“Pairing to high flights” — PT.1
- FLEURY PÉRE & FILS, SYMPHONIE D’EUROPE EXTRA BRUT 1992 (A.O.C. CHAMPAGNE)
- VALENTINI, TREBBIANO D’ABRUZZO 2017 (D.O.C. ABRUZZO)
- M.CHAPOUTIER, LE MEAL 2009 (A.O.C. HERMITAGE)
- SAKE ASAHI SHUZO DASSAI 23 HAYATA (DIVERXO) JUNMAI DAIGINJO
- BENJAMIN ROMEO, COLECCIÓN N° 5 PARCELA EL SAUCO 2017 (D.O.CA. RIOJA)
- LUIS PEREZ, LA BARAJUELA RAYA 2016
- DOMAINE MACLE, CHÂTEAU CHALON 1994 (A.O.C. CHÂTEAU CHALON)
– STEAM EXPLOSION WITH PIL-PIL CUTTLEFISH — Iberian Pork Dumpling Filled with Spanish “Jabugo” Broth, Korean Gochujang and Peppermint. Grilled Cuttlefish with Yellow Pepper Pil-Pil and Fried Rock
Fish Flakes
– FRIED EGGS WITH BLACK PUDDING, CRUNCHY BITTERSWEET EAR WITH LILY BULB
GALICIAN LOBSTER WAKING UP ON THE BEACHES OF GOA
- Slow Roasted in Tandoor, Buffalo Milk Skin and Flower,
Mature Tomato Buffalo Butter Massala, Tree Tomato Chutney and Sushi Rice
- INDIAN SALMOREJO PANI-PURI with Lobster Claw
- LOBSTER HEAD VINDALOO with Huacatay
ARAGÓN FOREST MOISTURES
- INERIAN AGNEI LAMB SKIRT STEAK Roasted in the Embers of the Sarmiento
- BROTH OF THE ROASTED LAMB with Its Stewed Cheek, Buttermilk with Pyrenean Herbs Oil and Black Garlick
Gnocchis - LAMB FRIED MILK with Ponzu Sauce
– CHLOROPHYLL XO TO THE EMBERS WOK — Vegetable Rollercoaster of Acid Bites, Bitter, Spicy, Smoked, Sweets, Sour, Salty, Umamis, Citric… Crunchy, Creamy, Unctuous, Silky, Etheral, Morbid, Hot-Cold, Crispy..
The sweet part of the menu is especially surprising when instead of traditional sweet desserts, salty and even slightly spicy desserts appear on your table.
– TOASTED BUTTER RISOTTO WITH TUBER AESTIVUM — Rice Pudding Cooked Like a Risotto, “Creamed” with Toasted Butter, White Pepper, Nutmeg and Beetroot, Modena-Rhubarb Vinaigrette, Black Olives Cookies,
Rhubarb Cream and Madeira Wine Spaghetti
“For me, there is no boundary where spicy ends and sweet begins, — says Dabiz, — so my desserts have many amazing flavors. For many visitors, this may seem unusual and even strange, but this is another side of our fantasy, which ultimately causes a certain delight on the guests’ faces.”
– BLACKCURRANT BUBBLEGUM — Coconut Ganache, Black Garlick, Blackcurrant Bubblegum and Liquorice, Coconut-Yuzo Ashes Ice Cream
“Pairing to high flights” — PT.2
- CAYUSE VINEYARD, CAILLOUX SYRAH 2017 (WALLA WALLA VALLEY A.V.A.)
- SCHLOSS JOHANNISBERG, GRÜNLACK-SPÄTLESE 1964 (RHEINGAU)
- BARBADILLO, AMONTILLADO RELIQUIA (DO. JEREZ)
- CHÂTEAU COS D’ESTOURNEL, CHÂTEAU COS D’ESTOURNEL GRAND CRU CLASSÉ 2000 (A.O.C. SAINT-ESTEPHE)
- JOSMEYER, HENGST GRAND CRU 1993 (A.O.C. ALSACE)
- DOMAINE DES BAUMARD, QUARTS DE CHAUME 1990 (A.O.C. QUARTS DE CHAUME)
- VOUETTE & SORBEE, SAINÉE DE SORBÉE BRUT NATURE (A.O.C. CHAMPAGNE)
JAPANESE BOMBON — BOMBON SOUL AND JAPANESE TECHNIQUE
- Cottage Cheese Petit Suisse, Wild Strawberries, Fermented in Sake Rice, Smoked Lapsang Souchong Tea
- Soaked Biscuits in Milk, Croissant and Black Coffee
- “La Pedroche Cheesecake”: 36 Months Parmesan Cheese with a Touch of Stilton and Cabernet Sauvignon Vinegar Reduction
- “Madriz” of Violets and Blackberries, Moroccan Lemon, Mangosteen and Toasted Sesame
Dabiz Muñoz: “When we opened DiverXO, many doubted its success, they told me that it was a big risk, and such a restaurant would not be interesting in Madrid. But I am proud to say that the restaurant has proven to be the catalyst for Madrid becoming not only a top dining destination in Spain but also an international culinary touchstone. We showed young chefs that it is possible to open a restaurant without much investment, you just need to persevere authenticity and not be afraid to take risks. During the existence of DiverXO, so many different wonderful moments have happened to us that we continue to look for motivation to make DiverXO even more creative and avant-garde, which in any case again involves big changes and big risks, which does not scare us, but on the contrary even more set for success.”
Menu The Flying pigs cuisine — 365€
Wine selection — 150€
Pairing to high flights — 300€
DiverXo
Address: NH Eurobuilding, C. del Padre Damián, 23, 28036 Madrid, Spain
Contacts: +34 915 70 07 66
Instagram: @dabizdiverxo
Text: Marina Timo
Photo courtesy: EATWEEKGUIDE
