Ministry of Foodies Review
Cuisine: Meat
Average price per person: 100€
Environment: 9/10
Food: 9.5/10
Service: 9/10
Other: Vegetarian options, Gluten-free options
Website: https://www.casacanito.com/
Piantao is an Argentinian Parilla with a contemporary character founded by Javier Brichetto. In 2024, it was voted among the world’s best 101 steak house restaurants, in a list that every meat restaurant wants to be included. Piantao has two locations in Madrid, one in Legazpi as well as one in Chamberi.
We visited with a couple of friends for dinner on a Saturday.
Location/Environment
The location in Chamberi is quite large with wood and leather tones and enough space among tables to feel privacy.
It has an open kitchen which is something I always enjoy in restaurants, particularly in steakhouses since you can admire the fire element and the cooking at the grill. The space is large enough that you don’t leave there smelling like smoke which is another big plus.
Piantao – Menu
The menu in Piantao has at its forefront various meat cuts from Argentina, the US, New Zealand and Europe. The menu includes for each meat cut the level of its tenderness, taste and infiltration which is a nice touch.
Apart from that there are several appetizers, vegetables and desserts as well as a very extensive wine list.
Service
The staff is polite and professional, without being overbearing. All the dishes were served timely and we got some recommendations on the best combinations to try.
Piantao – Food
Once you order you will receive some appetizers including bread, a carrot soup veloute and some traditional Argentinian condiments like chimichurri sauce.
Our first selection was the smoked roast croquetas. This version has no bechamel inside and is filled with juicy and tender meat. The outside was very crispy and made a great combination together with the meat filling.
The tomatoes were served with burrata cream, the traditional Spanish tomato cold soup, Salmorejo in a more creamy texture and cider pickles. This was a refreshing dish with very interesting combinations of creamy, acidic and sweet flavors. I would definitely order this again.
The empanadas is something I always try when I visit an Argentinian restaurant. The filling was flavorful and properly cooked although the dough was a bit flaky for my taste.
For the main courses, we opted for a very tender Argentinian ribeye with a great ratio of meat and fat, keeping it juicy.
In addition, we ordered the roasted chicken was also very tender and marinated with red pepper paste which gave it a depth in flavour. Presentation-wise the chicken leg was a nice element to the dish.
My personal favorite was the Wagyu A5 sirloin. This was literally like butter melting in your mouth and one of the most tender and flavourful sirloins I have ever tried. Don’t miss it if you visit Piantao.
Furthermore, as side dishes, we opted for classic french fries as well as a roasted sweet potato with cane sugar and beef gravy glaze. The sweet potato looked almost like a steak and had an equally interesting flavor due to the glaze.
Finally, for dessert we opted for their cheesecake with dulce de leche which was a very good version. The dulce de leche gave enough flavor without being overly sweet thus making the dessert really enjoyable.
Also, we tried the lemon tart with a merengue and lemon pie ice cream. This was a nice ending to cleanse the palate and moreover to cut down on all the “meatiness” from the rest of the meal.
Conclusion
I was pleasantly surprised by Piantao as it definitely surpassed my expectations. In summary, all the dishes were anywhere between very good and excellent. In addition, the Wagyu sirloin is now on a shortlist for my favorite dishes in 2025. Together with Raza are now among my top options for meat in Madrid. Piantao is a nice option for a special occasion or in order to have a memorable meal with friends or family. Definitely recommended.
Visit: February 2025