When in Spain, which I believe has the greatest food in all of Europe, you absolutely must collect a Michelin star or two.  On our trip with the kids (10 and 12 years old), I was excited to take them to their first Michelin starred experience, and this restaurant absolutely lived up to my expectations. Cocina Hermanos Torres has two Michelin stars (out of three) and has easily earned those stars.  From the incredible food, the impeccable service, and the very hip ambiance, all four of us absolutely loved our experience here.  

When you arrive, you are directed into a very large open space which is mostly black, but has many skylights, so before everything gets dark, there is still some natural light in the space.  All of the tables, which had white tablecloths and very comfy chairs, are around the edges of the restaurant, and in the middle are three very large cooking and prep stations with enormous hoods and lots of lighting.  There are additional prep stations away from the center of the stage, but most of the work gets done here.  The Hermanos Torres are there in the middle, directing the show, because it is most definitely entertainment and not just a meal, and every moment is precisely choreographed.  The kids loved how the servers would come and place all four of our plates on the table at the exact same time, and when we were done, the plates would be whisked away at the exact same time as well.  The vibe of the place was very cool, but animated.  Everyone who was eating there seemed to be excited to be there, and the entire staff seemed to be excited to be working there.  It was all very positive and lively. 

The service was beyond perfect – exactly what you would expect at a restaurant like this.  We had a primary server who was there at every course explaining what the food was, and exactly how to eat it.  We also had a primary sommelier who brought us the wines for each course, explaining what they were, where they were from, and why it was chosen for this course.  I loved talking to her about the wines, and she was so enthusiastic, it made for an even better experience for me. In fact, my husband and I loved one of the dessert wines so much, that she brought us an extra pour! (For the record it was the Alambre 20 anos de Setubal – incredible!) The kids drank non-alcoholic wines, which were poured into glasses for them and served periodically as though they were drinking the real stuff, which was a nice touch as well. Their glasses were never empty.  All of the servers seemed to love that we brought our kids, and were excited to hear what they thought about the food.  Both Hermanos came to our table at different points throughout the 3+ hour evening to welcome us and ensure that we were enjoying our experience and the food, which was lovely considering how extremely busy they were in the kitchen! 

The food, of course, was amazing.  Every course was interesting and plated like a piece of art. Usually with so many courses, in this case 16, there are a few “misses,” but apart from one or two that were just not a favorite, I can’t say there were any misses here. Interestingly, one of my favorite courses, the onion soup, “from Fuentes, Cured Parmesan Cheese and Aestivum Truffle (From our Father’s Garden)”, was the least favorite of the kids, so my husband and I eagerly ate up their leftovers.  Honestly I have never had a more delicious onion soup – it was so creamy, and there was a wreath of crispy parmesan cheese and truffle and other goodies that it all was just heaven in my mouth.  I was 100% not disappointed when the kids didn’t want to eat all of theirs! 

Some of the other highlights of the meal were some of the fun finger foods to start, including sunflower seed ice cream, which was like a savory halva ice cream sandwich – the middle part of the sunflower in the photo below. Other favorites from the meal were the “Large Prawn from Huelva, Pickled Daikon, Bearnaise of Sea Fennel and Seaweed,” which was a tasty new addition and gorgeously plated (I think I ate this one the fastest it was so delicious!), the “Red Mullet with Mashed Roots, Herb Emulsion and Pate,” which was stunning to look at with a large edible gold leaf on top, and the fish simply melted in your mouth, and the “Iberian Suckling Pig, Apricots, Tamarind and ‘Migas de Pastor'” at the end of the savory courses which was the perfect mouthfeel combination of crunchy and fatty.  The desserts were fun and interesting, although I think we were all fading a bit at that point to truly appreciate them.  The dessert highlight for me was the “Picota Cherry from Jerte, Milk Almond Ice Cream, Hibiscus and Aromatics” which was the perfect balance of sweet and tart.

We left the restaurant extremely happy, entertained, and with very full bellies after about three-and-a-half hours. We loved every minute of being in this incredible and unique space, hosted by two brothers who, you can tell, love their job, because their smiles are genuine and bright!

A few notes here – First, I think that this was an extremely good value per Michelin star.  The meal was 225 Euro per person, which I honestly think is a steal based on the level of service you get here, as well as the high level of ingenuity going into the experience and the food.  I have had much more expensive dinners at Michelin-starred restaurants not nearly this good or worth it. 

Second, our kids are very adventurous eaters and are willing to try anything.  Eli, our 12 year old, loves anything spicy and is always picking the weirdest thing on the menu to try no matter where we are.  Clara, 10, is not quite as adventurous but is always willing to try anything, even if it looks or sounds weird.  We really hyped up this experience for the kids, and so they were excited to try all of the interesting courses, even if it wasn’t something they thought they would like.  We have taught them to notice the details, and appreciate the time and effort it takes to put something like this together, so it was worth it for us to bring them here.

That said, third, Europe really does cater to kids.  Everywhere you go, you can see playgrounds, and people really dote on children, and this was also the case here, at this super fancy restaurant. 

Finally, I just want to thank the entire staff at Cocina Hermanos Torres, for one of my favorite restaurant experiences of my life, and an experience that my kids will remember forever.  Salud!

UPDATE 11/22/2022: Cocina Hermanos Torres received their THIRD Michelin Star today! Very well deserved, our experience was perfect!