Roberto Ruiz
Mexican chef known for founding Punto MX, Europe's first Michelin-starred Mexican restaurant, and running Barracuda MX today.
- Repsol Soles
1- Restaurants
- 4
Roberto Ruiz is a Mexican chef, born in Mexico City, who moved to Madrid in 2005 and founded Punto MX in 2012, the first Mexican restaurant in Europe to earn a Michelin star. After Punto MX closed in 2020, he opened Barracuda MX near Retiro in February 2021, a Pacific-coast Mexican restaurant that's been selected in the Michelin Guide since 2022 and holds a Repsol Sol. He also runs Jaiba MX, inside Barcelona's NH Collection Constanza hotel.
From @robertoruizchef on Instagram
Comerse México y su historia. Así, sin más. Hay platos que no se comen, se sienten y se destilan en recuerdo. Y los chiles en nogada son la historia de un país servida en un plato. Verde como los campos de agave de Jalisco. Un verde profundo, vegetal, vivo. El del chile poblano que ha sido tatemad
Siete sugerencias. De la mano de dos chefs, entre México y el Mediterráneo. 🇲🇽 ODA A MÉXICO ya está disponible para acompañar tu menú de siempre en Nota Blu. Y hoy es el día. Ambos chefs estarán en sala para contarte, plato a plato, la historia detrás de cada elaboración.💙 📍 Claudio Coello, 10 ·
Dos chefs. Una cocina. Un mismo respeto por el producto y por México. 🇲🇽 ODA A MÉXICO - una carta efímera que nace del encuentro entre Fabián Cangas y Roberto Ruiz, disponible a partir del 16 de septiembre en Nota Blu New Brasserie Madrid. El 17 de septiembre, la experiencia será aún más especial
Biography
Early years
Roberto Ruiz was born in Mexico City, into what he's described as a food-loving family. He learned to cook by watching his mother, with his grandfather as an early influence. He studied tourism administration formally, but trained in the kitchen at Centro Culinario Ambrosía, where chef Ricardo Muñoz Zurita pushed him toward Mexican cuisine. He got his start washing dishes at an Angus steakhouse in Mexico City, moved up to substitute cook when regular kitchen staff didn't show, and was promoted to kitchen assistant within four months.
Career
Ruiz moved to Spain in 2005 to work for restaurateur Plácido Arango's group, interning at El Bodegón in Madrid, and later working in research and development for Grupo Sigla, the company behind VIPS, Ginos, and Starbucks in Spain. In May 2012 he founded Punto MX in Madrid, which became the first Mexican restaurant in Europe to earn a Michelin star. Punto MX closed permanently in 2020 after building works left part of its premises unusable; Ruiz kept cooking through a delivery service during the closure. In February 2021 he opened Barracuda MX near Retiro with partners including Álex Pérez Alburquerque, Pablo Artamendi, and María Fernández, moving from Punto MX's tasting-menu format to a more casual, à la carte Pacific-coast Mexican restaurant. Barracuda MX has been selected in the Michelin Guide since 2022 and holds a Repsol Sol. Ruiz also runs Jaiba MX inside the NH Collection Barcelona Constanza hotel in Les Corts, and his other ventures have included Salón Cascabel in Lisbon and Mantarraya MX in Marbella.
Philosophy
At Barracuda MX, Ruiz moved away from the tasting-menu format of Punto MX toward a more casual, à la carte restaurant centered on Pacific-coast Mexican cooking, fish, and seafood, with hand-made tortillas and a mezcal-driven cocktail programme carried over from his earlier project. The menu travels the nearly 8,000 kilometres of Mexico's Pacific coast, from Sonora and Sinaloa to Nayarit, Jalisco, and Baja California, a route shaped by exchange with Asia that produced techniques like fish zarandeado and a la talla.
Restaurants
Elsewhere
2Roberto Ruiz in our guides
Editorial guides featuring Roberto Ruiz’s restaurants.
Accolades
- ·Punto MX (2012–2020) was the first Mexican restaurant in Europe to be awarded a Michelin star
- ·Barracuda MX holds a Repsol Sol
Frequently asked
Does Roberto Ruiz have a Michelin star at Barracuda MX?
No. Barracuda MX holds a Repsol Sol and has been selected in the Michelin Guide since 2022, but it doesn't hold a star. Ruiz's earlier restaurant, Punto MX, was the first Mexican restaurant in Europe to hold a Michelin star, but it closed permanently in 2020.
What happened to Punto MX?
Punto MX, Roberto Ruiz's Michelin-starred restaurant, closed permanently in 2020 after prolonged building works left part of its premises unusable.
What kind of food does Roberto Ruiz cook at Barracuda MX?
Pacific-coast Mexican cuisine built around ceviches, aguachiles, and grilled or smoked fish and seafood, alongside hand-made tortillas and a mezcal-focused cocktail list.
Where is Roberto Ruiz from?
Roberto Ruiz was born in Mexico City. He moved to Spain in 2005 and has been based in Madrid since.
Where did Roberto Ruiz train as a chef?
He trained at Centro Culinario Ambrosía in Mexico, where chef Ricardo Muñoz Zurita influenced his focus on Mexican cuisine, then moved to Spain in 2005 to work for restaurateur Plácido Arango's group, starting at El Bodegón in Madrid.
Does Roberto Ruiz run restaurants outside Madrid?
Yes. He also runs Jaiba MX, a Pacific Mexican restaurant inside the NH Collection Barcelona Constanza hotel in the Les Corts neighbourhood.
Was Barracuda MX Roberto Ruiz's first restaurant?
No. His first Madrid restaurant was Punto MX, founded in 2012, which became the first Mexican restaurant in Europe to earn a Michelin star before closing permanently in 2020.