Juan Alcaide
Chef who co-founded Umiko, a Japanese-Spanish restaurant in Madrid, running its kitchen until it closed in December 2025.
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Juan Alcaide Gálvez co-founded Umiko, a Japanese-Spanish restaurant in Madrid's Cortes neighbourhood, with Pablo Álvaro in 2015. He trained at the Terraza del Casino de Madrid, moved to the three-Michelin-star DiverXO in 2007 as a jefe de partida, and spent six years at Kabuki before opening Umiko, which won two Repsol Soles for reinterpreting Japanese cooking through a Mediterranean sensibility. The restaurant closed unexpectedly in December 2025 amid a partnership dispute, and reopened in September 2026 under the management of Experience Group.
From @juanalcaidechef on Instagram
Hoy fue el último baile de Umiko. No porque queramos parar, sino porque así tocaba. Gracias a la familia, al equipo, a los proveedores y a todos los que apostasteis por nosotros y empujasteis para que Umiko ocupara su sitio. Pero que quede claro: esto no se acaba aquí. Volveremos donde sea, más fu
La gastronomía del Teatro Pereyra alcanza una nueva dimensión. Tenemos el honor de incorporar a nuestro equipo creativo al chef @juanalcaidechef , alma de Umiko (2 Soles Repsol). Con una trayectoria forjada en templos como DiverXO (★★★ Michelin) y Kabuki, Juan aterriza en Ibiza para elevar el Dinner
Biography
Early years
Juan Alcaide Gálvez trained at the Escuela de Hostelería de Colmenar Viejo.
Career
Alcaide started out at the Terraza del Casino de Madrid, then moved to DiverXO in 2007 as a jefe de partida, working in the three-Michelin-star kitchen for two years. He spent six years at Kabuki, reaching segundo de cocina and specialising in the sushi bar, where he met Pablo Álvaro. He also travelled to London, Dubai, China and Japan to research techniques and ingredients. In 2015 he and Pablo Álvaro founded Umiko together on Calle Madrazo in Madrid, later moving it to a larger space on the same street with murals and sculpture by artist Okuda. The restaurant went on to hold two Repsol Soles. It closed unexpectedly on December 6, 2025, during its tenth-anniversary year, over what the founders called "discrepancias en la sociedad," a partnership dispute, and the affiliated pastry shop Umikobake and hand-roll bar Umaki closed with it. In March 2026, Alcaide joined the creative team behind a dinner-show production at Ibiza's Teatro Pereyra. Umiko itself reopened on September 24, 2026 on Calle de los Madrazo under the management of Experience Group, which took over after the dispute.
Philosophy
At Umiko, Alcaide and Pablo Álvaro reinterpreted Japanese cooking through a Mediterranean sensibility, folding Spanish produce into a sushi-bar format: nigiri built on paella socarrat, a porra madrileña reworked with gallina en pepitoria, and ramen with carabinero, sourced from wild bluefin from the Strait, Galician day-boat fish and wagyu.
Restaurants
Juan Alcaide in our guides
Editorial guides featuring Juan Alcaide’s restaurants.
Accolades
- ·Two Repsol Soles, Umiko
Frequently asked
Who is Juan Alcaide?
Juan Alcaide Gálvez is the chef who co-founded Umiko, a Japanese-Spanish restaurant in Madrid, with Pablo Álvaro in 2015, running its kitchen until it closed in December 2025.
Where did Juan Alcaide train?
He trained at the Escuela de Hostelería de Colmenar Viejo and the Terraza del Casino de Madrid, then worked at the three-Michelin-star DiverXO from 2007 and spent six years at Kabuki.
Is Umiko still open?
Umiko closed unexpectedly in December 2025 amid a partnership dispute. It reopened on September 24, 2026 under the management of Experience Group, which took over after the dispute.
Did Umiko have a Repsol Sol rating?
Yes. It held two Repsol Soles under Juan Alcaide and Pablo Álvaro during its first decade.
Who founded Umiko?
Juan Alcaide Gálvez and Pablo Álvaro founded Umiko together in Madrid in 2015, after meeting while both worked at Kabuki.
What happened to Umiko?
It closed unexpectedly on December 6, 2025, during its tenth-anniversary year, citing a partnership dispute, and reopened in September 2026 under the management of Experience Group.