Nacho Ventosa and Sara Aznar wanted to have the best mixed sandwich in Madrid and got to work at Los 33. They opened in 2022, and shortly after, it was already mission impossible to get a table (not only because of the now legendary bikini sandwich, but also because of their menu and atmosphere). And four years later, they continue to be some of the most sought-after in the capital.
Read more Marc Orriols, Egyptologist: “Hollywood has done a lot of damage to our view of sex in Ancient Egypt”
Now they have set out to have the best taco and for that, what better than to partner with the Mexican La Once Mil, the only taqueria in the world with a Michelin star, and do it next to their successful venue, at 11 Plaza de las Salesas (Madrid).
The story begins in Mexico City. Nacho and Sara traveled in search of the best tacos and were recommended to go to La Once Mil: “At the second taco, I thought it was the best thing I had ever eaten,” Ventosa recalls. That visit ended up becoming the start of a professional relationship and, finally, the arrival of La Once Mil in Madrid, which is currently in its soft opening phase and will officially open its doors on the 22nd of this month.
It is located in the former Dávila bar, one of the last classic strongholds of the Justicia neighborhood. And the space, designed by the Los 33 team, retains bar elements: counters, high tables, and two areas where the venue is visible. At the back, an imposing iconic photograph by Graciela Iturbide presides over everything.
The origin of La Once Mil
Mexican César de la Parra had already been in the hospitality world for twenty years working for different groups when he wanted to create a taqueria for his wife, Jimena Gutiérrez, current partner and CEO of the company. “I used to say to her on a Thursday: ‘hey, let’s have some tacos,’ and she would say: ‘oh no, better sushi or pasta.’ And on our honeymoon, I promised her I would build the taqueria she wanted to go to.” That taqueria was La Once Mil, whose name comes from the neighborhood where they live in Mexico City.
Two years after opening, the brand arrives in Madrid with the same philosophy that has succeeded in its country: “Do few things and do them very well. We buy very good products, maximum quality, and we have very good people,” summarizes De la Parra.
A tortilla that starts in Mexico
One of the major efforts of the project has been to ensure that the tortilla in Madrid is as close as possible to the one served in Mexico and of a higher level than those found in Spain. The result is unbeatable and to achieve it, part of the equipment and staff with the necessary knowledge to make it have been brought over.
The tortilla is prepared in front of the customer “with Mexican nixtamalized and organic corn,” and cooked on a steel comal that has also traveled from Mexico. For De la Parra, that detail holds a sentimental memory: “My dad is an architect and I was always at the construction sites. There, the workers light a very hot fire with a very thin comal and the tortillas usually end up burnt.” He says that reproducing that childhood flavor was not possible without using that type of steel and that process. However, the rest of the ingredients find much of their reason for being in Spain. “Much of the raw material is better here than in Mexico and our sauces work especially well with Spanish products,” says De la Parra.
The arrival of La Once Mil comes at a time when the taco is experiencing growing sophistication in Madrid with venues that distance this food from its popular roots. De la Parra argues that quality and popular character do not have to be opposed. “I think everything is valid,” he says. “The Spanish omelette was also a very humble ingredient and now they sell it for 30 euros,” he adds. Their proposal stems precisely from that tension: using top-quality products and a well-cared-for space, but trying to maintain the informal experience of a taqueria.
One of the elements of the proposal is the trompo, the vertical structure on which the meat is placed like in kebabs, but which is used to make tacos al pastor in Mexico. It has traveled from there along with the professionals who know how to handle it. “Its technique has a history linked to Lebanese migration to Mexico and slicing it is an art. The slice is like a ham holder, only here it’s spitting fire in your face,” he says. “The traditional taco al pastor is made with pork, but we reinterpret it using picanha.”
Read more Why it is so difficult to make friends in adulthood: “You care much more about what others will say”
They have also brought their hospitality and assure that at La Once Mil in Madrid there will be a gesture inherited from their Mexican sister: upon sitting, the customer will receive a beer or, if they do not drink alcohol, a seasonal water, along with some chips. “It’s a very small gesture that makes a big impact on the person who receives it,” they say. To which Ventosa jokes: “As a Catalan, this decision was very hard for me.”
The commitment to quality products affects the price, but their intention is to maintain an accessible experience. De la Parra explains: “The goal is for the customer to be able to eat for less than 35 euros, in a luxury space and with luxury ingredients.” And they do not compare themselves with other taquerias: “The meat we use is from Discarlux, which is found in some of the best restaurants in Madrid.” It couldn’t be otherwise, having Los 33 as a partner.
A short menu designed to come back
The concise menu also responds to a clear strategy: “The idea is for people to come back to try everything.”
There are two crispy corn tostadas: one with red almadraba tuna with avocado and macha sauce aioli (11 euros) and another with avocado slices, triple cream cheese, and refried beans (7.50 euros). The most popular tacos are the Black Angus trompo (8.50 euros), Segovia suckling pig carnitas (8 euros), corvina in tempura, salad, and chili and chipotle aioli (8 euros), and the campechano of grilled picanha and txistorra with roasted onions and avocado (7.50 euros). And all can be topped with a cheese crust consisting of a wheat flour tortilla, beans, and Havarti and mozzarella cheese for 3 euros.
“The menu is like Mexico’s, only here we have a luxury taco such as the high loin of Rubia Gallega, from Discarlux with 100 days of aging (17 euros).” In this section, they also offer one with Japanese Wagyu A5 (19 euros) and a Black Angus Rib Eye (11.50 euros).
The sweet offering will follow the same collaboration logic. The team will include Myka, from Natalia Morales, a friend of De la Parra for 15 years, who will develop a specific ice cream flavor for La Once Mil. And they assure that the venue will have an ice cream machine to offer that own creation.
In the drinks section, flavored waters with watermelon and lime (6 euros), Mexican suero — lemonade with salt and sparkling water — (8 euros), and an interesting selection of wines (by the glass from 6 euros and bottles from 30 euros) including sparkling, white, red, and rosé wines stand out.
The expansion of La Once Mil
La Once Mil arrives in Madrid after rapid growth in Mexico. De la Parra opened the first venue two years ago, along with his wife and a small team. “We started with six and now we are 400. We serve 90,000 customers a month in our five venues (two La Once Mil taquerias, two La Bombi, and Mantequilla, their latest project). In the country where the taco was born, in the country whose origin is undoubtedly humble, there are too many people looking for better quality in everything,” he reflects. And to this, it must be added that three months ago, they were surprised to receive their first Michelin star. “It is the only one for a taqueria in the world. For now…,” he says. “We don’t have the tastiest tacos because on the street you can have incredible tacos, but ours are the highest quality.”
Read more From Dolly Parton’s wigs to the hair of MAGA women: the political meaning of hair