Chirón

Chirón is a family restaurant with a Michelin star on Calle Alarcón in Valdemoro, a town in the Madrid region. It is run by the brothers Iván and Raúl Muñoz, the fourth generation of their family to keep it.

Both brothers trained at the catering schools of Aranjuez and Toledo. Iván runs the kitchen, where he has spent most of his working life, and Raúl is the sommelier and looks after the dining room, with a cellar of some 500 wines. The restaurant has held its star since 2013 and also has Repsol Suns, and it is often named among the most affordable starred restaurants in Spain. Valdemoro lies less than half an hour from Madrid, close enough for an outing from the capital.

Iván's cooking stays close to traditional food and treats good produce with respect. The tasting menu revisits the cooking of Madrid with touches from La Mancha, in a modern and elegant style, and the menus change several times a year with the seasons, often bringing game and foraged ingredients. Diners choose between a classic tasting menu, a longer and more creative one, and the à la carte. Cocido, the slow stew of Madrid, is a dish that many regulars come back for.

Families fill many of the tables in a simple, comfortable room. A business handed down through generations gives the kitchen a memory of dishes that newer restaurants lack, and the brothers use it as a base for lighter, more precise versions. The pairing of a cook and a sommelier from one family also keeps the food and the cellar in close conversation. For a starred meal, Chirón keeps the feel of a neighbourhood house in a commuter town rather than a destination built for visitors.