Manuel Berganza
Chef at Azotea del Círculo, home to Tartan Roof, after two Michelin-starred Madrid kitchens and his own Michelin-starred restaurant in New York.
- Restaurants
- 1
- Born
- 1985 · Gijon
Manuel Berganza, born in Gijón in 1985, trained at the hospitality school in Leioa and spent six years with chef Sergi Arola in Madrid, becoming head chef at Sergi Arola Gastro. He staged at Quique Dacosta's El Poblet and Grant Achatz's Alinea before opening Andanada 141 in New York in 2012, which won a Michelin star in 2014; he left in 2017 and the restaurant closed later that year. After founding the Tapas Club project in Singapore, he returned to Madrid in March 2019 as executive chef of Azotea Grupo, which runs Azotea del Círculo, home to Tartan Roof.
From @chefmanubt on Instagram
Biography
Early years
Berganza is from Gijón, Asturias, born in 1985. He trained at the hospitality school in Leioa, Bizkaia, from age 17, and traces his interest in cooking to time spent in his grandmother Lilia's kitchen.
Career
He started at the restaurant Ciudadela in Gijón before moving to Madrid to join Sergi Arola's team at La Broche, spending six years with Arola in total and becoming head chef at Sergi Arola Gastro, which earned two Michelin stars within its first year. He completed stages at Quique Dacosta's El Poblet in Denia and at Grant Achatz's Alinea in Chicago. In October 2012 he moved to New York and opened Andanada 141, a tapas restaurant on the Upper West Side that earned a Michelin star in 2014; he left the restaurant in February 2017, and it closed later that year. He then founded the Tapas Club project in Singapore, which expanded into Indonesia and Malaysia, before returning to Spain in March 2019 as executive chef of Azotea Grupo, succeeding chef Javier Muñoz-Calero Calderón, who left to open his own restaurant, Ovillo. Azotea Grupo runs Azotea del Circulo, home to Tartan Roof. He's also competed on Netflix's cooking competition The Final Table.
Philosophy
Berganza's cooking is based on clean flavours, favouring good produce and adapting traditional techniques; dishes carry a background note of smoke.
Restaurants
Manuel Berganza in the News
Azotea Grupo has named its two new restaurants at Palma's relaunched Club de Mar: Azotea Club de Mar, a Mediterranean restaurant led by chef Manuel Berganza, and Saltao, a Peruvian-Mediterranean restaurant from Víctor Gutiérrez and his daughter Paula Gutiérrez.
Madrid hospitality group Azotea Grupo opened two restaurants this July inside Palma's newly renovated Club de Mar marina: Azotea Club de Mar, a Mediterranean restaurant led by chef Manuel Berganza, and Saltao, a Peruvian-Mediterranean concept from chef Víctor Gutiérrez of Michelin-starred Tayta and his daughter, chef Paula Gutiérrez. Both sit inside the club's revamped dining complex, open to the public alongside members.
Manuel Berganza in our guides
Editorial guides featuring Manuel Berganza’s restaurants.
Accolades
- ·One Michelin star, Andanada 141, New York (2014-2017)
Frequently asked
Who is the chef at Tartan Roof (Círculo de Bellas Artes)?
Manuel Berganza is the executive chef at Azotea del Círculo, the rooftop gastro-cultural venue at Madrid's Círculo de Bellas Artes that includes Tartan Roof.
What is Manuel Berganza's background?
He's from Gijón, trained under Sergi Arola in Madrid, opened the Michelin-starred Andanada 141 in New York in 2012, and returned to Spain in 2019 to join Azotea Grupo.
Did Manuel Berganza have a Michelin star in New York?
Yes. His restaurant Andanada 141, on Manhattan's Upper West Side, earned a Michelin star in 2014. Berganza left in 2017 and the restaurant closed later that year.
What is Manuel Berganza's cooking style?
Clean flavours built on good produce and traditional technique, with a smoky undertone running through the menu, as served at Tartan Roof atop the Círculo de Bellas Artes.
Where is Tartan Roof located?
Tartan Roof sits atop the Círculo de Bellas Artes on Calle de Alcalá in central Madrid, part of the rooftop venue Azotea Grupo runs there as Azotea del Círculo.
Where did Manuel Berganza train before running his own kitchens?
He spent six years with chef Sergi Arola in Madrid, at La Broche and then as head chef of Sergi Arola Gastro, and staged at Quique Dacosta's El Poblet and Grant Achatz's Alinea in Chicago.