Beyond the dumpling pekinés, with crispy pig's ear and strawberry hoisin, the carta runs to a pork belly bo ssam with pickled mussels, a carabinero Singapore Katong laksa off the robata, a ramen XO in a 24-hour broth of acorn-fed ham and foie gras, soft-shell chili crab and a Black Angus so ssam. The space splits into a central bar overlooking the kitchen, a terrace, a private dining room and the AISH cocktail bar.

Dabiz Muñoz created StreetXO in 2012 as the soul of what he calls alta cocina callejera, high-end street food: street cooking from around the world run through the codes and techniques of haute cuisine. It is the most informal, brash and innovative concept in his XO world, alongside DiverXO, RavioXO, GOXO, AISH and Pollos Muñoz, and excess is its essence. The restaurant describes itself as an alley that belongs to no city but borrows from all of them, a street festival more than a dining room. It holds one Sol in the Guía Repsol.

StreetXO first opened in November 2012 as a U-shaped bar in the Gourmet Experience food hall of El Corte Inglés in Callao, which Muñoz described as a casual, fun format for street cooking. In January 2015 it moved to the top floor of El Corte Inglés at Serrano 52, where it had its own space next to Salón Cascabel and Rocambolesc. When that building was sold, StreetXO closed there in July 2022 and, after months of works, reopened on 19 January 2023 on the top floor of El Corte Inglés at Serrano 47.

The new space more than doubled in size, from about 220 square metres to 560, while keeping roughly the same 80 seats. The look stayed the same on purpose, down to the Ferrari-red bar with the mirror above it that has followed the concept since 2012, but the interior became a single bar with no tables around it, and the cocktail bar was added as a place to wait for a seat instead of queuing on the street. The terrace opened in spring 2023.

The format of a bar restaurant with food made in front of you, loud music, fusion and no bookings set a trend that has been copied many times since. Muñoz has said StreetXO is financially fundamental to UniverXO, the group he runs with his wife, Cristina Pedroche, as president. There was also a StreetXO in London, which closed in 2020 during the pandemic.

The carta is a run of shareable plates, most between €16 and €30. Cold dishes include yellowtail sashimi with passion fruit and ají mirasol (€23) and a Tokyo salmon aguachile (€22). Then come croquette nigiri, four to a serving, topped with akami bluefin tuna or gochujang beef tartare (€19 to €20), a steamed club sandwich (€16), the Peking dumpling with crispy pig's ear and strawberry hoisin, and a fried wonton of Arbizu txistorra, eggs and potatoes (€18). Bigger plates include the carabinero Singapore Katong laksa (€30), the ramen XO in a 24-hour broth of acorn-fed ham and foie gras with lacquered chicken (€24), soft-shell chili crab (€25), an Aztec pork-cheek curry (€24.50), a Korean lasagna (€19.50) and the Black Angus so ssam of 48-hour short rib (€45).

AISH is StreetXO's cocktail bar, built on the same creative rules as the food, with every cocktail and mocktail designed as a full experience. It runs non-stop from 12:00 to midnight. On Fridays from 18:00 to 20:00 the Tardeo pairs AISH cocktails with snacks made only for the session, and on Saturdays from 21:00 to 00:30 AISH turns into a night club with a DJ.

The terrace brings StreetXO's food and cocktails outdoors above Calle de Serrano. A private room takes groups of up to 10 and is booked through the StreetXO site; larger groups should email info@streetxo.com.

StreetXO is on the fourth floor of El Corte Inglés at Calle de Serrano 47. The Food Bar serves every day from 13:00 to 15:30 and 20:00 to 23:00 and takes no reservations, so it works on a first-come, first-served queue. The terrace and private room are the only spaces you can book.