Why Paco Roncero Restaurante matters.
Paco Roncero Restaurante is a two-MICHELIN-starred Spanish fine-dining restaurant where Sol's historic commercial grandeur meets Paco Roncero's pioneering contemporary cuisine, the gastronomic traditions of Madrid and an internationally recognized approach to culinary experimentation.
Positioned on the upper floor of the Casino de Madrid at Calle de Alcalá 15, the restaurant occupies a distinguished setting between Puerta del Sol, the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando and the cultural institutions extending toward Gran Vía. Its entrance leads through the ceremonial interiors of the historic private club before reaching a contemporary dining room designed by Jaime Hayon. Sculptural furnishings, carefully coordinated colors and expansive windows establish a striking contrast with the building's ornate early twentieth-century architecture. The adjoining terrace, designed by Julio Guixeres, introduces an outdoor dining environment overlooking the rooftops and historic streets of Central Madrid. A dedicated culinary workshop provides a separate setting for intimate dining events and experimental presentations. The result is a sophisticated restaurant whose contemporary interiors and elevated urban setting connect Madrid's longstanding traditions of private-club hospitality with its international fine-dining culture.
What defines Paco Roncero Restaurante.
Paco Roncero Restaurante is best known for the transformation of La Terraza del Casino into one of Spain's most influential institutions of contemporary gastronomy. The restaurant's development is closely connected with the Casino de Madrid, a private cultural and social association founded in 1836 that became an important gathering place for the capital's professional and political establishment. Its present headquarters, inaugurated in 1910, emerged from an ambitious architectural project associated with José López Sallaberry and several prominent Spanish architects. La Terraza del Casino began operating in 1990, establishing a dedicated gastronomic destination within the institution's historic premises. Paco Roncero joined the Casino de Madrid's culinary team in 1991, beginning a professional association that would define his subsequent career. Born in Madrid in 1969, Roncero studied at the city's Escuela Superior de Hostelería y Turismo and developed his early professional experience in established kitchens, including Zalacaín and the Hotel Ritz. His training introduced him to classical restaurant techniques before his involvement with Ferran Adrià encouraged a deeper exploration of contemporary culinary experimentation. In 2000, Roncero assumed gastronomic direction of the Casino's restaurant operations, initiating a comprehensive transformation of the kitchen. His approach combined technical experimentation with a growing interest in the ingredients and preparations of Spanish regional cooking. The restaurant received its first MICHELIN star in 2002, establishing Roncero among the leading figures of Spain's emerging generation of contemporary chefs. His achievements subsequently earned him the National Gastronomy Award for Best Chef in 2006, recognizing his contribution to the country's culinary development. A second MICHELIN star followed in 2010, consolidating La Terraza del Casino's international reputation. Roncero also developed a substantial professional interest in extra-virgin olive oil, exploring its technical properties through innovative preparations and collaborations with agricultural producers. His broader culinary work extended into publishing, television and international restaurant development, introducing his approach to audiences beyond Madrid. In 2014, he launched Sublimotion in Ibiza, an experimental dining project integrating gastronomy with advanced audiovisual technology and theatrical presentation. The restaurant's subsequent development reflected a growing emphasis on the relationship between contemporary cooking, spatial design and carefully coordinated hospitality. In 2019, La Terraza del Casino adopted the name Paco Roncero Restaurante, recognizing the chef's longstanding leadership and his partnership with Minor Hotels Europe & Americas. The establishment retained its two MICHELIN stars and three Repsol suns, preserving its standing among Spain's distinguished fine-dining restaurants. Its inclusion in the 50 Best Discovery collection further extended its international recognition. Roncero also received three knives from The Best Chef Awards, reflecting his influence within contemporary international gastronomy. The restaurant's continued development has increasingly concentrated on the culinary culture of Madrid, bringing the capital's traditional preparations into a sophisticated tasting-menu format. Its significance rests on this sustained evolution from a private-club restaurant into an internationally recognized culinary institution, connecting Roncero's professional development with the transformation of Spanish fine dining.
Paco Roncero's contemporary cooking develops through the relationship between Madrid's traditional gastronomy, technically accomplished preparations and the international influences that have shaped the capital's culinary culture. His current menus reinterpret familiar dishes through concentrated flavors, carefully controlled textures and unexpected combinations of ingredients. The restaurant organizes its culinary program around Gran Madrid, Madrid, Madrid, Madrid and Esencia, establishing three principal approaches to the chef's repertoire. Gran Madrid presents the most extensive progression, incorporating twenty-five preparations that explore the historical and contemporary character of the city's cooking. Madrid, Madrid, Madrid develops a closely related sequence through twenty-three preparations, concentrating on the relationship between recognizable regional flavors and contemporary technique. Esencia introduces a shorter fifteen-course progression, preserving the kitchen's principal culinary themes within a more concentrated format. Roncero's Filipino de foie gras with white chocolate provides one of his most recognizable creations, combining the richness of foie gras with a delicate sweet coating inspired by a familiar Spanish confection. The preparation demonstrates his ability to reinterpret an established popular food through unexpected ingredients and precise technical execution. His contemporary version of the bocadillo de calamares develops another connection to Madrid's culinary traditions, transforming the familiar fried-squid sandwich into an elaborate fine-dining preparation. The dish preserves the recognizable combination of seafood and bread through carefully developed textures and concentrated flavors. Black-truffle air cake introduces a contrasting expression of the kitchen's technical repertoire, combining the aromatic intensity of truffle with an exceptionally light preparation. Cod brandade with lemon draws upon established Iberian seafood traditions, introducing acidity and contemporary presentation to a familiar combination. Oxtail Wellington provides a more substantial preparation, connecting slow-cooked meat with the technical demands of classical pastry and carefully balanced vegetable accompaniments. The dessert progression includes chocolates dedicated to different Madrid neighborhoods, extending the menu's exploration of the capital's culinary culture through individual sweet preparations. Sommelier María José Huertas directs the wine program, developing pairings that incorporate Spanish producers alongside selected wines from established international regions. Three pairing options allow the kitchen's contrasting preparations to be accompanied by national wines, Old and New World selections or exceptional bottles chosen for their individual character. Paco Roncero Restaurante's culinary distinction emerges from this integration of Madrid's traditional foods, technically ambitious contemporary cooking and an extensive wine program, establishing a refined interpretation of the Spanish capital's gastronomic heritage.
How Paco Roncero Restaurante fits.
Paco Roncero Restaurante works as the dining culmination of an exploration connecting Madrid's Enlightenment-era cultural institutions, the development of its nineteenth-century commercial architecture and the artistic ambitions of the early twentieth century, placing the restaurant within the historical landscape surrounding Calle de Alcalá.
Begin at Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, the distinguished cultural institution established by royal decree under Ferdinand VI in 1752. Its development reflected the growing influence of European academies during the Enlightenment, when artistic education became closely connected with royal patronage and the professional organization of painting, sculpture and architecture. The academy established its permanent headquarters in the Palacio de Goyeneche in 1773, occupying a building originally designed by José de Churriguera and subsequently adapted by Diego de Villanueva. Its collections preserve important works by Francisco Goya, Zurbarán, Murillo and other significant figures in Spanish and European art. The institution continues to support artistic scholarship, exhibitions and the preservation of cultural heritage through its museum and academic programs. Continue to Círculo de Bellas Artes, the influential cultural association founded in 1880 by a group of artists seeking to establish an independent center for artistic development. Its early history included associations with prominent literary and artistic figures, among them Ramón María del Valle-Inclán, Jacinto Benavente and Pablo Picasso. The institution commissioned a permanent headquarters through an architectural competition won by Antonio Palacios in 1920. Constructed between 1921 and 1926, the expansive building introduced an ambitious architectural composition combining classical references with modern structural techniques. Its inauguration by Alfonso XIII on November 8, 1926, established a significant new setting for exhibitions, performances and intellectual gatherings within the capital. Conclude at Instituto Cervantes, the international institution devoted to the promotion of Spanish language and culture, headquartered in the former Banco Español del Río de la Plata building on Calle de Alcalá. The expansive structure was designed by architects Antonio Palacios and Joaquín Otamendi and completed in 1918, introducing a distinguished example of early twentieth-century commercial architecture. Its exterior combines expansive stonework with elaborate sculptural ornamentation, reflecting the architectural ambitions of Madrid's expanding financial institutions. The building subsequently became associated with the Instituto Cervantes, established in 1991 to support the teaching of Spanish and the international dissemination of Hispanic cultures. Its headquarters connects the architectural history of Madrid's banking district with the contemporary international significance of the Spanish language. The progression connects the Enlightenment foundations of Spanish artistic education with the development of modern cultural institutions and concludes at a distinguished monument of commercial architecture, establishing the broader historical setting surrounding Paco Roncero Restaurante.
Where your story begins.
Foresyte Travel reveals places that feel extraordinary long before you arrive.
Enjoy editorial crafted for luxury travelers.
Foresyte may earn a commission when you book.
