Art lovers visiting Madrid know to go straight to the Museo del Prado, and sports fans make a beeline for Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. Now gourmands have their own large-scale destination. Platea, which opened this summer in the Salamanca area, combines restaurants, bars, and gourmet shops in one stunning complex set in the former Carlos III movie theater. Spread across five floors and more than 62,000 square feet, the space offers a variety of dining options—everything from tapas to Peruvian to Japanese—from chefs with a combined six Michelin stars. Three bars serve up cocktails, and shops on the ground floor sell cookware and gourmet foods. The crown jewel is Arriba, two-Michelin-starred chef Ramón Freixa’s restaurant on the first balcony, which puts a contemporary spin on traditional Spanish cuisine.
The interiors were brought to life by Lázaro Rosa-Violán, who was tasked with converting the cinema, built in the 1950s by architect Luis Gutiérrez-Soto. The noted hospitality designer drew inspiration from the 1940s and ’50s when creating each of the distinct spaces for the different cuisines. Sculptural wood walls curve into a canopy for the ground-floor bar, while red leather banquettes in the balcony restaurants give a nod to the stage curtain. And after a meal of theatrical proportions, visitors can stop by the second branch of local pastry shop Mamá Framboise—decorated by Dorin & Coppel—for a postprandial treat.
Platea, Calle Goya 5–7, Madrid, 011-34-91-577-00-25; plateamadrid.com
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