Miguel Ángel Román
Chef-proprietor of La Montería, the Madrid game-cooking institution his parents opened in 1963, which he has led since 1987 and which holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand.
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Miguel Ángel Román is the self-taught, second-generation chef-proprietor of La Montería, the game-cooking restaurant his parents Juan José and Mercedes Román opened near Madrid's Retiro on May 31, 1963. He started working in the family restaurant at 13 and took over the kitchen in 1987, continuing his father's Andalusian cooking, itself shaped by travels across Catalonia, the Basque Country, Navarre and Galicia. La Montería now holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand distinction and a Repsol Guide listing rather than a Michelin star or Repsol Sol.
Biography
Early years
Miguel Ángel Román comes from three generations of cooks: his grandfather worked as a cook in the Republican army during the Spanish Civil War, and his father, Juan José Román, from Cazorla in Jaén, traveled around Spain, from Cazorla to the Pyrenees, picking up regional and mountain-to-sea cooking techniques before opening La Montería with his wife Mercedes on May 31, 1963: he ran the bar, she ran the kitchen. Miguel Ángel began helping out at the family restaurant at 13, working weekends and mornings around his studies. He started a sociology degree but left it, just eight subjects short, to go into hospitality full-time at 22 or 23, training himself in the kitchen rather than through culinary school, and has credited Auguste Escoffier's Ma Cuisine as foundational to how he learned technique and timing.
Career
He took over leadership of La Montería in 1987 and has led it ever since, continuing his parents' Andalusian cooking, itself shaped by his father's travels through Catalonia, the Basque Country, Navarre and Galicia. La Montería holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand distinction and is listed in the Repsol Guide. In 2018, a third generation of the family, Adrián Román, opened a related restaurant, La Monte, a few metres away, with a more dynamic concept built on the same principles.
Philosophy
Román's cooking is built around ingredient quality: choosing the best product, treating it simply, and getting it to the plate without complication. He's said he deliberately avoided avant-garde technique, prioritizing honest pricing and premium ingredients instead; the restaurant marks up wine by no more than 8 to 10 euros a bottle. A game dish is always on the menu, alongside slow-cooked stews, wild fish and red tuna, with daily specials that follow the season; the kitchen goes through roughly 40 to 45 kilos of red tuna and 60 kilos of oxtail a week.
Restaurants
Miguel Ángel Román in our guides
Editorial guides featuring Miguel Ángel Román’s restaurants.
Accolades
- ·Michelin Bib Gourmand, La Montería
- ·Listed in the Repsol Guide, La Montería
Frequently asked
Does Miguel Ángel Román have a Michelin star?
No. La Montería holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand distinction, not a star, and is also listed in the Repsol Guide.
Who is the chef at La Montería in Madrid?
Miguel Ángel Román, son of founders Juan José and Mercedes Román, who has led the restaurant since 1987; his parents opened it in 1963.
What is La Montería known for?
Game (caza) dishes, slow-cooked stews, wild fish and red tuna, plus its signature Monterías: breaded mussels in béchamel.
Where is La Montería located?
Calle de Lope de Rueda, 35, in Madrid's Retiro neighbourhood.
Where did Miguel Ángel Román train as a chef?
He didn't attend culinary school. He started working in his family's restaurant at 13, took over the kitchen at 22 or 23, and trained himself, citing Auguste Escoffier's Ma Cuisine as a key influence.
Is La Montería related to La Monte?
Yes. La Monte, opened nearby in 2018 by Adrián Román, the family's third generation, is a more dynamic sister restaurant built on the same cooking principles as La Montería.
When was La Montería founded?
On May 31, 1963, by Miguel Ángel Román's parents, Juan José and Mercedes Román, near Madrid's Retiro park.