Carlos Torres
Chef and co-owner of La Buena Vida, a seasonal market-cuisine restaurant in Madrid's Chueca district holding one Repsol Sol.
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Carlos Torres is the chef and co-owner of La Buena Vida, a small seasonal-cuisine restaurant in Madrid's Chueca district that he opened in March 2001 and still runs with his wife, Elisa Rodríguez; the couple both left careers in finance to open it. The restaurant holds one Repsol Sol and was named the city's best market-cuisine restaurant by the Academia Madrileña de Gastronomía in 2024. The kitchen is built around strictly seasonal product, prepared in-house from bread to coffee.
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Biography
Career
Carlos Torres opened La Buena Vida in March 2001 on Calle Conde de Xiquena, in the Las Salesas area of Chueca, with his wife, Elisa Rodríguez, who runs the dining room; both had left careers in finance beforehand. The menu changes with the seasons: game birds and wild mushrooms in autumn, black truffle and sea urchin in winter, peas and artichokes in spring, gazpacho and calamari in summer. In 2024 the Academia Madrileña de Gastronomía named it the city's best market-cuisine restaurant.
Philosophy
Torres works with top-quality seasonal product served plainly and with a personal touch, preparing everything in-house, from bread to coffee, rather than buying in components.
Restaurants
On Guidavera
1Carlos Torres in our guides
Editorial guides featuring Carlos Torres’s restaurants.
Accolades
- ·Best Market Cuisine Restaurant, Academia Madrileña de Gastronomía (2024)
- ·1 Sol, Guía Repsol
- ·5-star review, Time Out Madrid (2018)
Frequently asked
Does Carlos Torres have a Michelin star?
No. La Buena Vida, the Madrid restaurant Carlos Torres runs, holds 1 Repsol Sol and was named best market-cuisine restaurant by the Academia Madrileña de Gastronomía in 2024.
Who runs La Buena Vida in Madrid?
Chef Carlos Torres runs the kitchen; his wife, Elisa Rodríguez, runs the dining room and wine list. The couple opened the restaurant together in March 2001.
What kind of food does La Buena Vida serve?
Seasonal Spanish market cuisine that changes through the year: autumn game and wild mushrooms, winter truffle and sea urchin, spring peas and artichokes, summer gazpacho and calamari.
When did Carlos Torres open La Buena Vida?
He opened it with his wife, Elisa Rodríguez, in March 2001, on Calle Conde de Xiquena in Madrid's Chueca district; both had left careers in finance beforehand.
What award did La Buena Vida win in 2024?
The Academia Madrileña de Gastronomía named it the best market-cuisine restaurant of the year, on top of the one Sol it already holds in the Guía Repsol.