Mario Sandoval

As a renovator of the tradition of Madrid gastronomy, Sandoval does not give up working on innovation in haute cuisine, with pioneering research

Updated Madrid cuisine. These are the three words used by Mario Sandoval to describe his work at the Coque restaurant, located in Madrid center. Sandoval is one of the greatest chefs who has tried to bring culinary prestige to the Community of Madrid on the basis of local tradition. He is clear about what he wants to reflect in his creations - Madrid cuisine, taking its inspiration from traditional products but treated in a creative, avant-garde, artistic way. This is what Sandoval offers at Coque, named after his grandfather who set up, and received acclaim for, an eating house in Humanes. It was inherited by his daughter Teresa Sandoval, mother of Mario. She ran the establishment while bringing up her four children, all of whom are now involved in the business. Rafael  gave up his profession as a bullfighter when he married, and became the sommelier. Juan Diego serves as maître. The youngest, Mario, is the talented early learner who brought a culinary revolution to this delightful family.

After studying at Madrid Hospitality School, Mario worked at several restaurants while attending Cordon Bleu courses, with teachers including Salvador Gallego, Juan Mari Arzak Pedro Subijana and Ferran Adrià. He then took over the reins at Coque.Mario Sandoval's early vocation brought him his first Michelin star at the age of just 26, and one year later he won the Spanish Chefs Championship, qualifying him to represent Spain at the Bocuse d’Or. The menu he presented clearly took its inspiration from Dalí. His working philosophy can be summarized as follows: "I want to create dishes with identity, origin and balance, dishes that will be remembered." There is plenty of room in his creations for innovation, the result of his work at the R&D laboratory set up jointly with the Dream Food company and with the support of the Alimenta Madrid Technology Institute.

“We have a duty to save the countryside. At Coque we have been working for a long time on our Agrolab in Jaral de la Mira. In this activity, we pay a lot of attention to the times and needs of our fields.” - Mario Sandoval

After more than forty years in the Madrid town of Humanes, in an establishment founded by their grandparents in 1956, brothers Rafael, Diego and Mario Sandoval move their celebrated restaurant Coque to the Madrid city center in the 2017 Summer. Coque, which received its second Michelin star in 2015, is relocated to the Madrid neighborhood of Chamberí, where it takes up residence in a two-story space at number 11, Marqués de Riscal street.

Recently Mario Sandoval has also opened In Madrid Coquetto, a casual dining concept created by Mario Sandoval, located in Madrid, Spain. It offers a more relaxed and informal atmosphere compared to his flagship restaurant, Coque. “It is all about the food of my parents, Spanish staples that has been increasingly hard to find”, has said Sandoval, with dishes as migas with free range eggs or mussels in “escabeche”.

"I think the first thing that young people should do is to be interested in the culture of good nutrition. You have to start there. Then you become interested in restaurants with creative cuisine, haute cuisine, and everything else. The important thing is to nourish yourself well.” -  Mario Sandoval to Vanity Fair

A relevant part of Sandoval latest work is acting as a vocal advocate for promote the consumption of Toro de Lidia (fighting bull) meat as part of his commitment to preserving Spanish culinary heritage and supporting sustainable food practices. This can be found on Coque menu in the form of Bull steak tartar with tree leaf and old mustard. Mario Sandoval, a guardian of Spanish essences with an eye on tradition and the other on the upcoming future.