Hugo Muñoz
Chef-owner of Ugo Chan, the Michelin-starred Madrid restaurant that fuses Japanese technique with castizo tradition.
- Michelin stars
1- Repsol Soles
2- Restaurants
- 1
- Born
- 1982 · Madrid
Hugo Muñoz is the chef-owner of Ugo Chan, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Madrid's Chamartín district that fuses Japanese technique with castizo Madrid tradition. Born in Madrid in 1982, he trained under Abraham García at Viridiana and learned nigiri from Ricardo Sanz at Kabuki Wellington before running his own project, KaButoKaji, and designing concepts for the Carbón Negro and Larrumba groups. He opened Ugo Chan in November 2021; it won a Michelin star in 2023, has held it every year since, and carries a Sol Repsol.
From @ugo.chan on Instagram
No hay días infelices. Hay días sin Martini. Ya lo decía James Thurber: «Un Martini está bien, dos son demasiados y tres no son suficientes». Y quizá por eso nos gusta tanto el Martini. Porque hay casi tantos como días. El Dry, clásico y tremendamente seco. El Dirty, que en Ugo Chan hacemos con
La primera vez que fui a Lima, Gastón me hizo sentir como en casa. Y creo que esa es una de las cosas más bonitas de la gastronomía: viajas, cocinas, conoces gente y, de repente, tienes amigos al otro lado del mundo. Me acuerdo de una tarde en casa de Gastón. Habíamos hecho un asado, habían caído u
15 años bajo el mar. El otro día vivimos uno de esos momentos difíciles de repetir en la ría de Arousa. En una batea, donde cada temporada se llegan a sacar decenas de toneladas de mejillones. Un trabajo enorme detrás del que hay familias enteras que se dejan la piel haga sol, llueva o el mar se p
Biography
Early years
Muñoz was born in Madrid in 1982.
Career
He trained under Abraham García at Viridiana and learned nigiri technique from Ricardo Sanz at Kabuki Wellington. He also worked at Casa Nicolasa in San Sebastián and at Miramar with Paco Pérez, then at Umo and Zuma in London. He later ran his own project, KaButoKaji (KBK) in Aravaca, which won him the Revelation Chef prize at the Academia Madrileña de Gastronomía's first Madrid Gastronomy Awards in 2016, and spent several years designing concepts for the Carbón Negro and Larrumba restaurant groups before opening Ugo Chan in November 2021 at Calle Félix Boix 6, in Madrid's Chamartín district. Ugo Chan won a Michelin star at the November 2022 gala for the 2023 guide and has held it every year since, including the 2026 guide.
Philosophy
Muñoz describes his approach as bringing "lo castizo" (traditional Madrid cooking) into his own territory, researching old recipes to find their connections to Japanese technique. The restaurant's own materials cite Heraclitus ("nobody can bathe twice in the same river") to describe a seasonal, market-driven menu that keeps changing with what suppliers bring in.
Restaurants
On Guidavera
1Hugo Muñoz in our guides
Editorial guides featuring Hugo Muñoz’s restaurants.
Accolades
- ·Michelin star, Ugo Chan (awarded November 2022 for the 2023 guide, held every year since including 2026)
- ·Sol Repsol, Ugo Chan
- ·Revelation Chef, first Madrid Gastronomy Awards, Academia Madrileña de Gastronomía (2016, KaButoKaji)
Frequently asked
Does Hugo Muñoz have a Michelin star?
Yes. His restaurant Ugo Chan in Madrid won a Michelin star at the November 2022 gala for the 2023 guide and has held it every year since, including the 2026 guide.
What kind of cuisine does Hugo Muñoz cook?
Japanese cuisine fused with Madrid ('castizo') tradition, served largely as omakase-style tasting menus at Ugo Chan.
Where did Hugo Muñoz train before opening Ugo Chan?
He trained under Abraham García at Viridiana and learned nigiri technique from Ricardo Sanz at Kabuki Wellington, then worked at Umo and Zuma in London before running his own project, KaButoKaji, and designing concepts for the Carbón Negro and Larrumba restaurant groups.
Where is Ugo Chan located?
Calle Félix Boix, 6, in Madrid's Chamartín district.
Why is the restaurant called Ugo Chan?
The name comes from Muñoz's maternal grandfather Emilio, who had trading ties with Japan and called him 'Hugochan' as a boy, a nickname that stuck.