Diverxo – August 2025

Even amongst titans like Disfrutar and El Celler De Can Roca, Diverxo sat comfortably a step above in every regard.

In a similar sense to a restaurant like Alchemist, you see a constant "reformatting" of ingredients that appear slightly alien or presented in a way you've never seen before, but with flavor profiles that are comforting, nostalgic and represent fusion in a way that is both freeing and doing justice to a core dish and cuisine.

Textural contrasts are abound, multiple nations are often represented in a single dish and I particularly enjoyed the "dish within a dish" aspect to almost every course. There is a deep conscientiousness running through the menu to avoid even a semblance of redundance and a similar level of precision runs through the cooking. Every soft, tender chew of a protein to the glassy crunch of a parmesan whey emulsion cracker feels engineered to its limits.

More impressively than I've likely ever encountered elsewhere, Diverxo also captured broad use of exotic and native ingredients throughout the entire menu in a way that never felt compromised. Not only was a herbal pil pil kokotxa "pintxo" on a spoon the most delicious rendition of the ingredient we had in all of Spain, but it brought together Basque, Thai and Indian flavours in a single bite that still felt entirely natural.

Similarly a Japanese shaved ice ceviche dish reflected the humour underlying the restaurant, but the execution, bold flavours and simply how delicious it was is entirely serious.

While plating isn't as refined as a restaurant like Geranium or as those in the Nordics in general, stylistically they were by far the most impressive in Spain in terms of representing a style that is entirely their own. Even at the 3 star level there is a tendency to see the same plates, same cutlery, same visual structure to the plating, same green oil and foam etcetera, here they are pushing in an entirely separate direction that is far more interesting, and much more fun. Even as far as functionality goes, the giant horn was a surprisingly great way to drink soup, and the use of foam in a dessert was so effective it makes you wonder why chefs are still stuck in the 2000s using it purely for savory application.

It wasn't always the case in Spain even at the 3 star level, but the perfect English of staff was very much appreciated. The level of individuality of the service people and passion they had was also well beyond any other restaurant we visited. Particularly at the very highest level (Alchemist and Noma in my experience) the service staff are incredibly precise, but also showcase their unique personality and are memorable unto themselves. Absolutely the case here.

I went for the Danaux Plexippus pairing (link below for pics) at 900 Euros and it was well worth it, but in particular the sommeliers did an exceptional job at doing the wines justice by not overselling dreary details, they focused on core traits of the wine with their individual spin. The were knowledgeable, the choices were as impressive as you'd likely get anywhere on earth but they also kept it concise and fun. If you are considering making the splurge, I highly recommend it.

https://imgur.com/a/BsZRSe2

The distinct outfits between service people are also particularly memorable and make you feel like you're somewhere special. The layout of the restaurant with the curtains between tables worked similarly well, they may not have the natural beauty of a space such as that at Txispa or Noma, but they made the best of the space and seeing two hands dip between the curtains to lay down new glasses after each course was uniquely elegant. Also enjoyed the amusing detail of carpeted stairs made to appear visually like they were made of wood.

In terms of criticisms, if I had to truly nitpick I could say I'd have liked slightly more texture in the crab dish, or the rooster skin on the spoon of the baby eel chicken soup dish could have been a tad crispier. But these are few and far between and even these feel like a stretch.

The fact that the immediate response in my mind of what to criticize is that I would have liked more wine and more courses despite the fact that I was entirely full at the end of the meal regardless tells me that things are as close to perfect as is realistic.

If I'm the one voting for worlds best restaurant, no reservations in saying that I think Diverxo is almost certainly at the very top.

9.6