Alvaro Garrido

The Climb

Since 2006, the chef’s post at Mina Restaurant in Bilbao, Spain has been held by Alvaro Garrido, and the length of that tenure shows in the kitchen’s control. Over time, the cooking has settled into a language that is precise, instinctive, and responsive to place. The point is not spectacle or reset, but steady refinement, with each season allowed to redraw the menu within a consistent frame.

Today

At Mina, Garrido’s work still turns on the market and the shifting character of the ingredients it sends. The restaurant remains tied to that principle: freshness over ornament, and flavor brought into focus rather than dressed up. In practice, that means invention working through restraint, with product, season, and technique kept in active conversation. The result is immediate and grounded, a style that depends on attention in the kitchen and returns clarity to the diner.

Signature

Alvaro's signature dishes include The hare is already here, The cheese plate, and Langoustine. Each one points to a different register in the kitchen: the depth and nuance carried by The hare is already here, the elemental clarity of The cheese plate, and the tight focus of Langoustine. Together, they map the approach that has defined his work at Mina Restaurant—market-led, flavor-first, and comfortable letting simplicity do real work.

In Their Words “Our philosophy of market cuisine, seasonal product, and flavor could not have had a better location than in front of La Ribera market.” “One only starts from zero once. Seeking improvement requires constant change.”