Carlos Griffo
Chef and co-founder of Quinqué, the Chamartín bistro whose ham croquettes were named the best in Spain at Madrid Fusión 2024, holding a Bib Gourmand.
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Carlos Griffo is a Madrid chef and co-founder of Quinqué, a Bib Gourmand restaurant in Madrid's Chamartín district that he opened in 2019 with co-chef Miguel Ángel García. He trained for four years under Nacho Manzano at Casa Marcial in Asturias and later worked under Dabiz Muñoz at StreetXO and Dani García at BiBo Madrid. Quinqué's ham croquettes were named the best in Spain at Madrid Fusión 2024, and its squab-and-mushroom rice won the 2023 "Arrocero del Futuro" competition in Valencia, the first time a Madrid-based chef won it. In 2022 Griffo also opened a second restaurant, Calisto, in Madrid's Chamberí district.
From @carlosgriffog on Instagram
Sardinas en escabeche. 🐟
Entre los 27 restaurantes que participan en la VI Ruta del Espárrago de Navarra y la Alcachofa de Tudela en Madrid, hoy os recomendamos Quinqué, famoso por ganar la Mejor croqueta de jamón 2024 en Madrid Fusión, y con unos deliciosos @esparragodenavarra. Toma nota de su plato: 🍽️ Espárragos blancos
Biography
Early years
Griffo is from Madrid. He began his career in London at Ibérica London before returning to Spain, where he trained for four years under chef Nacho Manzano at Casa Marcial in Arriondas, Asturias, an apprenticeship that shaped the northern Spanish influence in his cooking. He also worked under Dabiz Muñoz at StreetXO, with Quique Dacosta, and under Dani García at BiBo Madrid before striking out on his own.
Career
In 2019, Griffo opened Quinqué near Plaza de Castilla in Madrid with co-chef Miguel Ángel García, building a menu of traditional Spanish recipes prepared with market-driven technique. The restaurant earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand, and its ham croquettes were named the best in Spain at the Madrid Fusión 2024 congress. Its rice with squab and black trumpet mushrooms won the 2023 "Arrocero del Futuro" competition at Tastarròs in Valencia, making Griffo the first Madrid-based chef to win a competition previously limited to residents of the Valencian Community. Quinqué underwent a renovation completed by early 2025, reopening with an open kitchen and an 11-course tasting menu. In late 2022, three years after Quinqué opened, Griffo also opened a second restaurant, Calisto, a bourgeois-style restaurant seating about 100 on Calle Eduardo Dato in Madrid's Chamberí district.
Philosophy
Griffo describes his cooking as market-driven cuisine rooted in tradition ("cocina de producto y de mercado, arraigada a la tradición"), built around daily visits to Madrid's Vallehermoso market for game, preserves, and offal from named regular suppliers.
Restaurants
Elsewhere
1Carlos Griffo in our guides
Editorial guides featuring Carlos Griffo’s restaurants.
Accolades
- ·Michelin Bib Gourmand, Quinqué
- ·Best ham croquettes in Spain, Madrid Fusión 2024 (Quinqué)
- ·Winner, "Arrocero del Futuro" rice competition, Tastarròs 2023 (Quinqué, squab and black trumpet mushroom rice)
Frequently asked
Does Carlos Griffo have a Michelin star?
No. Quinqué, the Madrid restaurant Carlos Griffo co-founded in 2019, holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand rather than a star, and it is also recommended in the Guía Repsol.
Where does Carlos Griffo cook?
He is chef and co-founder of Quinqué in Madrid's Chamartín district, which he opened in 2019 with co-chef Miguel Ángel García, near Plaza de Castilla.
What is Carlos Griffo known for?
Quinqué's ham croquettes, proclaimed the best in Spain at Madrid Fusión 2024, and its escabeches and Asturian-influenced rice dishes, including a 2023 "Arrocero del Futuro" competition win.
Where did Carlos Griffo train?
He trained for four years under Nacho Manzano at Casa Marcial in Asturias, and also worked under Dabiz Muñoz at StreetXO, with Quique Dacosta, and under Dani García at BiBo Madrid.
Does Carlos Griffo run other restaurants?
Yes. He also opened Calisto, a bourgeois-style restaurant seating about 100 on Calle Eduardo Dato in Madrid's Chamberí district, in late 2022, three years after Quinqué.
What did Carlos Griffo win at Tastarròs?
His rice with squab and black trumpet mushrooms won the 2023 "Arrocero del Futuro" competition in Valencia, making him the first Madrid-based chef to take the prize, which had previously gone only to residents of the Valencian Community.