Javier Muñoz-Calero Calderón
Chef, owner, and "alma" of Ovillo in Madrid, a 1-Repsol-Sol restaurant of international classic cuisine housed in a converted leather factory.
- Repsol Soles
1- Restaurants
- 1
- Born
- 1978 · Madrid
Javier Muñoz-Calero Calderón is the chef and owner of Ovillo, a 1-Repsol-Sol restaurant in Madrid serving international classic cuisine in a converted leather-goods factory. Born in Madrid in 1978 with family roots in Águilas, Murcia, he trained at the César Ritz hospitality school in Switzerland and Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, and under chefs including Hilario Arbelaitz at Zuberoa and Carme Ruscalleda at Sant Pau, before opening Ovillo in the winter of 2019–20 after five years as gastronomic director of Azotea Grupo. The restaurant runs three tasting menus and partners with Fundación Raíces' Cocina Conciencia programme to employ vulnerable young people.
From @ovillomadrid on Instagram
La particular manera de hacer el bocata de calamares de @javiermunozcalero tiene dos casas en Madrid. El Espojonsito ya no solo se disfruta en @ovillomadrid , ahora también forma parte de nuestra barra. #elalfilerdelcallejon #tabernamadrileña #bocatadecalamares
Madrid se come así. Sin prisas y con mucho sabor. Los callos, una ensaladilla que siempre apetece y un bocata de calamares con sello propio. Tradición con la firma de @javiermunozcalero Feliz San Isidro ❤️
Bienvenidos al patio de Ovillo
Biography
Early years
Javier Muñoz-Calero Calderón was born in Madrid in 1978, with family roots in Águilas, Murcia, where he has childhood memories of eating red prawns. He trained at the César Ritz hospitality school in Switzerland and at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris before working in kitchens in Thailand, the United States, and Spain, including stints under Hilario Arbelaitz at Zuberoa and Carme Ruscalleda at Sant Pau.
Career
Before Ovillo, Muñoz-Calero built a run of Madrid restaurant projects including Tartan, Muñoca, Perrito Faldero, El Huerto de Lucas, La Bombilla, La Perrera, and Ganchito, as well as Casa Pablo in Warsaw. From around 2014 he was partner and gastronomic director at Azotea Grupo, overseeing Azotea del Círculo, Nubel, and Picalagartos, before leaving in early 2019. He opened Ovillo in the winter of 2019–20, his first solo venture without partners, in a converted leather-goods factory in Madrid's Chamartín district, on Calle de Pantoja.
Philosophy
Ovillo serves what the restaurant calls "cocina clásica internacional" across an à la carte menu and three tasting menus (Ovillo, Madeja, and Tirar del hilo), drawing on French, Swiss, Basque, Catalan, and Murcian influences. Muñoz-Calero describes his approach as classic and international, without fusion, while acknowledging that fusion itself is historical and inevitable. The kitchen practices low-waste cooking, using fish heads, secondary cuts, and vegetable trimmings, and the restaurant works with Fundación Raíces' "Cocina Conciencia" programme, employing vulnerable young people, including former unaccompanied minors, on about half its staff.
Restaurants
On Guidavera
1Javier Muñoz-Calero Calderón in our guides
Editorial guides featuring Javier Muñoz-Calero Calderón’s restaurants.
Accolades
- ·1 Repsol Sol, Ovillo (Guía Repsol)
- ·Spanish Hospitality Award, Company Committed to Social Responsibility
- ·World's Best Callos (tripe dish), 2022, Ovillo
- ·Listed in the Michelin Guide (Ovillo)
Frequently asked
Does Javier Muñoz-Calero have a Michelin star?
No. His restaurant Ovillo in Madrid carries 1 Repsol Sol and is listed in the Michelin Guide without a star.
Where can I eat Javier Muñoz-Calero's cuisine in Madrid?
At Ovillo, on Calle de Pantoja, a converted leather-goods factory serving international classic cuisine à la carte or across three tasting menus: Ovillo, Madeja, and Tirar del hilo.
What restaurants did Javier Muñoz-Calero run before Ovillo?
Earlier Madrid projects including Tartan, Muñoca, Perrito Faldero, El Huerto de Lucas, La Bombilla, La Perrera, and Ganchito, plus Casa Pablo in Warsaw. He was also partner and gastronomic director of Azotea Grupo (Azotea del Círculo, Nubel, and Picalagartos) before opening Ovillo at the end of 2019.
When did Javier Muñoz-Calero open Ovillo?
He opened Ovillo in the winter of 2019–20, in a converted leather-goods factory on Calle de Pantoja in Madrid, as his first solo restaurant.
Where did Javier Muñoz-Calero train?
He trained at the César Ritz hospitality school in Switzerland and at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, then worked in kitchens in Thailand, the United States, and Spain, including under Hilario Arbelaitz at Zuberoa and Carme Ruscalleda at Sant Pau.
What is Ovillo's social program?
Ovillo runs Alma Solidaria with Fundación Raíces' Cocina Conciencia programme, employing young people aged 16 to 25, including former unaccompanied minors, on about half its staff.
Where is Javier Muñoz-Calero from?
He was born in Madrid in 1978, though his family has roots in Águilas, in Murcia, a connection reflected in dishes like Ovillo's Águilas red prawn.