Carlos del Portillo
Chef and owner of Bistronómika, the charcoal-grill seafood restaurant on Madrid's Calle Ibiza holding one Repsol Sol.
- Repsol Soles
1- Restaurants
- 1
Carlos del Portillo is the chef and owner of Bistronómika, a seafood and charcoal-grill restaurant on Calle Ibiza in Madrid, part of the Bulbiza project. A Madrid native who grew up diving and visiting fish markets, he trained at Madrid's Escuela de Hostelería de la Casa de Campo alongside Alberto Chicote and Paco Roncero, then worked through 1990s Madrid kitchens including the Hotel Ritz and the Casino de Madrid before opening Bistronómika in 2016. The restaurant runs on a market-led menu with no fixed card, built around grilled wild fish, and is listed in the Michelin Guide with one Sol in the Guía Repsol.
From @c7portillochef on Instagram
Marmitako de bonito. En plena temporada. 📍 Bistronómika Calle Ibiza, 44 📞 Reservas: +34 91 060 72 40 #bistronomika #somosbulbiza #parrillamadrid #restaurantesmadrid #experienciasgastronomicas
Siempre el mejor producto seleccionado de las mejores lonjas y mercados del país. Esta lubina de 7 kilos no es la que encuentras normalmente. Una maravilla de animal. 📍 Bistronómika Calle Ibiza, 44 📞 Reservas: +34 91 060 72 40 #bistronomika #somosbulbiza #parrillamadrid #restaurantesmadrid #expe
Pocha fresca de Coristanco, y codium de merluza de pincho. Guisos de septiembre, aún sin frío, pero con mucha cuchara en la casa de comidas del mar. 📍 Bistronómika Calle Ibiza, 44 📞 Reservas: +34 91 060 72 40 #bistronomika #somosbulbiza #parrillamadrid #restaurantesmadrid #experienciasgastronomi
Biography
Early years
Del Portillo is a Madrid native. He's said his love of the sea started young: he loved underwater fishing and diving, and as a child he enjoyed visiting the fish markets of Asturias and Galicia on family holidays. He trained at Madrid's Escuela de Hostelería de la Casa de Campo, in the same classrooms as Alberto Chicote and Paco Roncero.
Career
He worked through Madrid kitchens in the 1990s, including the Hotel Ritz, Príncipe y Serrano and the Casino de Madrid, before opening his own restaurant, Bistronómika, in 2016. Bistronómika began in Barrio de las Letras and moved to Calle Ibiza in the summer of 2019, where it is now part of Bulbiza, a stretch of the boulevard given over to serious Spanish cooking. In a 2026 interview, del Portillo discussed moving away from an entirely wild-caught approach toward more responsible fish sourcing. The restaurant is listed in the Michelin Guide and holds one Sol in the Guía Repsol.
Philosophy
Bistronómika runs without a fixed menu (the house calls it a No Carta), serving whatever wild fish and shellfish the market and season provide, cooked over charcoal. Del Portillo builds long-simmered stocks and matures larger fish for four to fifteen days before cooking, treating mastery of stock-making as what he calls the true foundation of Spanish cooking.
Restaurants
On Guidavera
1Accolades
- ·1 Sol, Guía Repsol (Bistronómika)
- ·Listed (Selected), Michelin Guide (Bistronómika)
Frequently asked
Does Carlos del Portillo have a Michelin star?
No. Bistronómika is listed in the Michelin Guide but has no star, and it holds one Sol in the Guía Repsol.
Where can I eat Carlos del Portillo's cooking?
Bistronómika, his own restaurant on Calle Ibiza in Madrid's Retiro district.
What is Carlos del Portillo known for?
Charcoal-grilled wild fish and shellfish, served on a market-led menu with no fixed card, which the restaurant calls a No Carta.
Where did Carlos del Portillo train?
At Madrid's Escuela de Hostelería de la Casa de Campo, alongside chefs Alberto Chicote and Paco Roncero, before working through Madrid kitchens including the Hotel Ritz, Príncipe y Serrano and the Casino de Madrid.
What got Carlos del Portillo into cooking seafood?
He grew up in Madrid with an early love of underwater fishing and diving, and remembers visiting the fish markets of Asturias and Galicia as a child on family holidays.
Has Bistronómika changed its approach to sourcing fish?
Del Portillo has said the restaurant is moving away from serving entirely wild-caught fish toward more responsible sourcing, as of a 2026 interview.