Aaron Quaife
British chef behind Bolboreta, an intimate Spanish-British bistro in Madrid's Lavapiés, run with Patricia Grandío since 2024.
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Aaron Quaife is a British chef who runs Bolboreta in Madrid's Lavapiés neighbourhood with Patricia Grandío, whom he met in 2013 while working at Odette's in London. The pair later worked together at Adelina Yard in Bristol and then in Madrid on Diego Guerrero's team at DSTAgE, where Quaife was sous chef, before Quaife also spent time at RavioXO. They opened Bolboreta in 2024, a seven-table restaurant they funded and decorated themselves, serving a seasonal Spanish-British menu.
Biography
Early years
Aaron Quaife is English. He met Patricia Grandío, his partner at Bolboreta, in 2013 while working at Odette's, Bryn Williams's restaurant in London's Primrose Hill; they later worked together at Adelina Yard in Bristol, where they learned what it takes to open a restaurant from scratch.
Career
The pair moved to Madrid, where Quaife joined Diego Guerrero's team at DSTAgE as sous chef while Grandío ran the dining room, both also working at DSTAgE's more casual sister concept; Quaife also spent time at RavioXO. In 2024 they opened Bolboreta in Lavapiés, funding it with personal savings and no outside investors, and decorating the seven-table space themselves. Bolboreta, meaning 'butterfly' in Galician, is named for both Grandío's Galician roots and his own grandmother's fondness for the insect. About a year after opening, it was named a finalist for Best Restaurant Openings of the Year in Spain at TheFork Awards.
Philosophy
Bolboreta runs a concise, seasonal à la carte menu that changes often, fusing Spanish and British influences in an intimate room seating around 15 guests, with touches like homemade pickles and reinterpreted British dishes. Grandío runs the front of house.
Aaron Quaife in our guides
Editorial guides featuring Aaron Quaife’s restaurants.
Accolades
- ·TheFork Awards finalist, Best Restaurant Openings in Spain, Bolboreta (2024)
Frequently asked
Who is the chef at Bolboreta in Madrid?
Aaron Quaife, a British chef who runs Bolboreta with Patricia Grandío, who leads the dining room.
What cuisine does Bolboreta serve?
Bolboreta serves a Spanish-British fusion menu that changes seasonally, in Madrid's Lavapiés neighbourhood.
Where did Aaron Quaife train?
He worked at Odette's in London under Bryn Williams, then Adelina Yard in Bristol, before joining Diego Guerrero's team at DSTAgE in Madrid as sous chef and later working at RavioXO.
When did Aaron Quaife open Bolboreta?
In 2024, together with Patricia Grandío, funding it themselves with no outside investors.
Why is the restaurant called Bolboreta?
Bolboreta means 'butterfly' in Galician. The name honors both Patricia Grandío's Galician roots and Aaron Quaife's grandmother, who was fond of the insect.
Has Bolboreta won any awards?
It was named a finalist for Best Restaurant Openings of the Year in Spain at TheFork Awards in 2024, about a year after it opened.