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Cookaluzka
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Cookaluzka

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#271 in MadridRanked #271 of all Madrid restaurants on Guidavera. Click to see the full ranked list./Worth VisitingGuidavera tier, our editorial classification combining ratings, accolades, and source consensus across the Madrid dining scene./VeganVegan cuisine: the kitchen's primary culinary tradition and style./€€€€/Retiro/

Cookaluzka is an entirely plant-based restaurant on Calle Lira, in the Estrella area of Retiro near Conde de Casal, with a Solete in the Guía Repsol. It was founded by chef Carmelina 'Mela' Spatafora, her brother Ángelo and their mother Ana María, who came to Madrid from Venezuela with no hospitality background. The carta runs from reina pepiada arepas and patacones to mole sopes, a Lebanese-style kibbeh nayyeh and polpette della nonna, with a weekday menú del día and homemade cakes.

Social

From cookaluzka on Instagram

Background

About Cookaluzka

The Story

Cookaluzka began with two siblings talking late one night about a vegan restaurant where they could put their creativity to work. Carmelina Spatafora, her brother Ángelo and their mother Ana María had left Venezuela years earlier and had no hospitality experience, but they trusted Carmelina's knack for meat-free cooking, which had long won over friends and family. The name splits into 'cook', 'a', 'luz' (light) and 'ka' for casa, home. Within about a year of opening it had earned a Solete in the Guía Repsol.

The Cuisine

100% plant-based cooking that crosses continents: Venezuelan arepas and pabellón, Mexican sopes, Middle Eastern dips, Asian bowls and Italian family recipes. Mela, co-creator and chef, changes the menú del día every week, from a chickpea pad thai one week to moros con cristianos or a nonna-style puttanesca the next, and co-chef Angi created the maikki, the house take on the arepa.

The Carta

Starters include a hummus with sumac and cinnamon, a smoky baba ganoush with tahini and raspberry, the Waka-Mix salad with avocado and pico de gallo, dill-sauced sweet-potato sticks and Angelo's nachos with lentil picadillo and almond cheese. The Venezuelan side brings maikki, corn, cheese and plantain balls in passion-fruit sauce, a reina pepiada arepa with avocado and grilled Heura, and patacones topped with Heura, pico de gallo and avocado. Among the more elaborate plates are a Japanese-Caribbean timbal with 'no-salmon' and 'no-tuna' tartare on crisp rice, Tudela artichokes alla Mela on walnut cream with black-garlic caviar, mole sopes with nopales, gluten-free polpette della nonna in Neapolitan sauce, a raw kibbeh nayyeh with arrabbiata and lemon pesto, and a whole stuffed pineapple with quinoa, Thai-spiced Heura and wok vegetables for two (€39.99). Burgers include one served between slices of fried ripe plantain instead of a bun.

Menú del Día and Drinks

Tuesday to Thursday there's a menú del día built around bowls and burgers: recent options include a Venezuelan pabellón criollo bowl with red beans and brown rice, a Tokyo-style bowl with vegetable gyozas and a lentil-and-bean burger with garam masala (each €14.20), with gluten-free sweet-potato bread for €2 more. To drink there's papelón con limón, the Venezuelan panela lemonade, kombucha, craft and gluten-free beers, a Galician pear-and-pineapple cider, a short wine list, and cocktails such as a Venezuela Libre made with the house papelón. Desserts are homemade, and whole cakes can be ordered a couple of days ahead.

The Chef

Carmelina Spatafora

Highlights

What Diners Say

CozyWarm ServiceComfort FoodIngredient-LedHard to Book

Consensus

Cookaluzka Ratings & Reviews

Diner Ratings

TripAdvisor

4.4

GastroRanking

4.28

Google

4.7

1726

#271 in MadridWorth Visiting

Cookaluzka ranks #271 of 1001 rated restaurants in Madrid. Professional recognition includes Repsol Solete. Diners rate it 4.4/5 on TripAdvisor and 4.28/5 on GastroRanking.

Reservations

How to Book Cookaluzka

Booking

Book online via the restaurant's website.

Experience

Cookaluzka Dining Experience

Small, warm and family-run, and it calls itself 'The Vegan Home'. The team describes the place as a house open to everyone, vegan or not, and plenty of the regulars aren't. Dogs are welcome, and there's a cocktail list if you want to stay into the evening.

Navigate

Cookaluzka Location & Neighbourhood

Address

C. Lira, 8, 28007 Madrid, Spain

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Getting There

Calle Lira 8, 28007 Madrid, in the Estrella area of the Retiro district, near Conde de Casal metro and a little over ten minutes' walk from El Retiro park.

Nearby

Estrella is a barrio in the Retiro district where the streets carry the names of stars and constellations, just east of Parque del Retiro. It is quietly residential, with a handful of neighbourhood kitchens and bars serving a settled, largely local crowd.

Where to stay nearby

Hotels we rank within walking distance of Cookaluzka.

Details

Cookaluzka Reservations, Hours & Contact

Opening Hours

DayHours
MondayClosed
Tuesday10:00–17:00, 20:00–23:00
Wednesday10:00–17:00, 20:00–23:00
Thursday10:00–17:00, 20:00–23:00
Friday10:00–17:00, 20:00–23:00
Saturday12:30–17:00, 20:00–23:00
Sunday12:30–17:00

Cookaluzka hours verified 2026-09-18. Contact the restaurant to confirm.

Contact

Phone+34 910 422 709
Instagramcookaluzka

Good to Know

Holds a Solete in the Guía Repsol
100% vegan: Venezuelan, Italian, Asian and Mexican ideas on one carta
Closed Mondays; open from 10:00 Tuesday to Friday, dinner Tuesday to Saturday, Sunday lunch only
Menú del día Tuesday to Thursday; homemade cakes to order
Family-run by chef Carmelina 'Mela' Spatafora, her brother and their mother

Questions

Cookaluzka FAQ

Is Cookaluzka vegetarian and vegan?

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It's fully vegan. Everything on the carta is plant-based, from the arepas and burgers to the almond-based cheese, and there are gluten-free options such as sweet-potato bread.

When is Cookaluzka open?

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Closed Monday. Tuesday to Friday it opens 10:00 to 17:00 and 20:00 to 23:00, Saturday 12:30 to 17:00 and 20:00 to 23:00, and Sunday is lunch only, 12:30 to 17:00.

Does it hold a Michelin star or a Repsol Sol?

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No. It holds a Guía Repsol Solete, the guide's entry-level distinction, not a Sol, and it isn't in the Michelin Guide.

Where is Cookaluzka?

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On Calle Lira 8, in the Estrella neighbourhood of Madrid's Retiro district, near the Conde de Casal metro.

Can you book, and can you order a custom cake?

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Yes to both: reservations online through the restaurant's own website, and custom cakes to order with a couple of days' notice.

Who runs Cookaluzka?

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Chef and co-founder Carmelina 'Mela' Spatafora with her brother Ángelo and their mother Ana María, a Venezuelan family with Italian roots who opened it without any previous hospitality experience.

What should I order at Cookaluzka?

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The reina pepiada arepa and the maikki corn balls for a taste of Venezuela, the artichokes alla Mela, the polpette della nonna and the Japanese-Caribbean timbal; on weekdays, the menú del día bowls.