Kabuki Wellington

Spain’s most influential Japanese-Spanish kitchen, on the ground floor of Hotel Wellington. Twenty years of nigiri Madrid actually argues about.

The chef who built a fusion canon

Ricardo Sanz opened the original Kabuki in 2000 and Kabuki Wellington in 2007. The premise was unusual at the time: take Japanese technique — nigiri, sashimi, usuzukuri — and apply it to ingredients Spaniards actually eat. Bluefin tuna from Almadraba. Iberian pork. Truffles from Soria. Not a Japanese restaurant in Madrid; a Madrid restaurant that happened to use Japanese tools. The Michelin star arrived in 2009 and has stayed.

The room

Wellington’s ground floor — wood, white plaster, a long sushi counter, low light. The counter seats are the seats you want; the kitchen plates in front of you and the bartender pours wine to match the run of nigiri. The restaurant has the quiet, well-tailored confidence of the hotel it sits inside. Service is precise without being stiff.

What to order

The usuzukuri de pez mantequilla con trufa — thin-sliced butterfish with grated truffle and a soy reduction — is the dish that made Kabuki famous in Madrid. The huevo frito con trufa y soja, an egg yolk over potato with truffle and soy, is the second. From the nigiri menu, the wagyu beef nigiri (briefly torched, brushed with house sauce) is the one to order twice. Drink Albariño at lunch; at dinner the sake list is the right tool.

Honest verdict

Two decades in, Kabuki Wellington has competition in Madrid’s high-end Japanese category — but it is still the reference. The Madrid sushi audience is genuinely sophisticated, and a kitchen that has held this group’s loyalty for twenty years is doing something right. Counter, omakase-style, with sake.

Found a correction or an update?
Email us at hello@spainfoodguide.com — we keep our entries current.

Run a restaurant in Spain you think we should know?
Get featured →