Lucas Bustos
Argentine chef from Mendoza behind Gurisa, a fire-focused restaurant on Madrid's Calle Zurbano, after the original Gurisa in Jose Ignacio, Uruguay.
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Lucas Bustos is the Argentine chef from Mendoza behind Gurisa, a fire-focused restaurant on Madrid's Calle Zurbano in the Almagro neighbourhood. He trained in Chile before running wine-paired kitchens at Mendoza wineries including Ruca Malen and Trapiche, then led Espacio Trapiche, recognised by the Michelin Guide in 2024. He opened the original Gurisa in Jose Ignacio, Uruguay, in 2023, and brought the concept to Madrid in 2025, working alongside Agustina Vela.
From @Lucas Bustos on Instagram
Cada producto pide una cosa distinta. A veces fuego, otras tiempo y muchas veces simplemente no hacerle demasiado. Saber escuchar eso también es parte de cocinar.
Cocinar con fuego tiene algo que me sigue enganchando después de tantos años. Nunca responde exactamente igual. Hay que mirarlo, entenderlo y adaptarse. Eso hace que cocinar siga siendo divertido.
Cocinar es solo una parte. Me gusta salir, mirar las mesas, hablar con la gente y entender cómo están viviendo lo que hacemos. Al final, todo empieza y termina ahí.
Biography
Early years
Bustos is from Mendoza, Argentina, and left the country shortly after finishing secondary school to study cooking, first in Chile and later in France and Spain.
Career
He trained at CIES-INACAP in Chile and did further professional development in the United States with HRC International and Starwood Hotels, later studying project administration and finance at ADEN Business School. Bustos built wine-pairing menus at Mendoza wineries including Ruca Malen, Trapiche, Lagarde and Nieto Senetiner; Ruca Malen's restaurant won Best Winery Restaurant in the World at the Global Best of Wine Tourism Awards in 2014. He went on to lead Espacio Trapiche, recognised by the Michelin Guide in 2024, and also ran the restaurants Ogrelo and Vertigo in Galicia. He opened the original Gurisa in Jose Ignacio, Uruguay, in 2023, built around fire, wine and local product, and brought the concept to Madrid in 2025, opening Gurisa on Calle Zurbano in the space that had housed Sergi Arola's two-Michelin-starred Arola Gastro. Agustina Vela heads the dining room at Gurisa Madrid.
Philosophy
Gurisa's cooking is built entirely around fire, with a menu that runs both a la carte and as a tasting menu, served across a two-floor space with an open kitchen. Bustos has described fire cooking as a way of connecting with cooking's origins, going back thousands of years.
Restaurants
Lucas Bustos in our guides
Editorial guides featuring Lucas Bustos’s restaurants.
Accolades
- ·Best Winery Restaurant in the World, Ruca Malen (2014)
- ·Michelin Guide recognition, Espacio Trapiche (2024)
Frequently asked
Who is the chef at Gurisa in Madrid?
Lucas Bustos, an Argentine chef from Mendoza, working alongside Agustina Vela, who heads the dining room and front-of-house operations at Gurisa Madrid.
Did Gurisa exist before Madrid?
Yes. Bustos opened the original Gurisa in Jose Ignacio, Uruguay, in 2023, built around fire, wine and local product, before bringing the concept to Madrid in 2025.
What cuisine does Gurisa serve?
Fire-based Argentine cooking on Madrid's Calle Zurbano, in the Almagro neighbourhood, in a space that previously housed Sergi Arola's two-Michelin-starred Arola Gastro.
Where did Lucas Bustos train before Gurisa?
He studied cooking in Chile at CIES-INACAP, then in France and Spain, and built wine-paired menus at Mendoza wineries including Ruca Malen and Trapiche before leading Espacio Trapiche.
Has Lucas Bustos won any awards?
Ruca Malen's restaurant, where he cooked, won Best Winery Restaurant in the World at the 2014 Global Best of Wine Tourism Awards, and Espacio Trapiche earned Michelin Guide recognition in 2024.
Who runs the dining room at Gurisa Madrid?
Agustina Vela heads the dining room and front-of-house operations at Gurisa Madrid, working alongside chef Bustos on the restaurant's day-to-day running.