THE CHEF'S SPECIAL
OUR NEW GASTRONOMIC SURPRISE
Every month, a guest avant-garde chef visits Chichalovers to create an exclusive sandwich for our menu. This special creation will be available for a limited time (1 month), delighting your taste buds.
Each creation is unique, featuring the personal and creative touch of every chef.
The same as always, like never before: THE AUTHENTIC TASTE OF THE VILLAGE
Humbert and Tamara, the minds behind Nara Noodle Bar, are also the driving force behind one of the most vibrant projects in Santiago’s old town. In 2024, they opened this small noodle bar on Entrerrúas street with the idea of bringing Asian cuisine to the city through an open-minded and personal approach.
Their menu travels through culinary territories such as China, Thailand, and Japan, blending them naturally with local Galician ingredients in a dialogue between cultures and flavors. Many of their creations are handmade in their own kitchen: noodles, baos, and dumplings prepared fresh as part of a lively proposal full of flavor and nuance.
For their Chef’s Sandwich at Chichalovers, they bring that same philosophy into the Chicha format: pickled vegetables, bold Asian flavors, technique, and contrasting textures inside traditional Galician bread.
A Chicha that crosses continents in a single bite: Asia and Galicia meeting in the same loaf.
Alberto Lareo is a Galician chef with a strong culinary background and a distinctive vision, currently leading Maina. He trained alongside some of the great names in gastronomy, including Eneko Atxa, Jean‑François Piège, Jacques Maximin, Marcelo Tejedor, and Toñi Vicente. From the French school he learned technical precision; from Basque cuisine, respect for ingredients; and from Galicia, roots and memory. He was also the founder of Manso, a project that defined an era in Santiago’s gastronomic scene, and today, through Maina, he develops a more refined, essential, and mature culinary vision.
His cooking is built on balance and intention. He does not seek to impress — he seeks to move people. Precise minimalism, deep flavor, and an elegance born from attention to detail.
For Alberto, every dish is a carefully measured composition. Nothing is unnecessary. Everything has a purpose.
His sandwich for Chichalovers is a perfect reflection of his philosophy: Capelo pork cracklings; Amalia cheese; pak choi marinated in sherry vinegar and apple, with toasted almonds and sun-dried tomatoes; chorinís sausages, all served in traditional country bread.
A Chicha that tastes like Carnival and avant-garde cuisine at the same time. Galician roots reinterpreted through technique and contemporary sensitivity.
Martín Vázquez is the chef and untamed mind behind INDÓMITO, a restaurant recommended by the Michelin Guide and awarded a Repsol Sun.
His cuisine is an act of freedom: disruptive, intense, and deeply personal. Martín does not follow rules — he rewrites them.
He explores ingredients with irreverence, combines techniques with boldness, and creates dishes that feel more like statements of intent than recipes.
For him, gastronomy is a territory to conquer: fearless, limitless, and always guided by an elegance born from instinct.
His proposal is, like him, untamed: creative, daring, and full of character. His sandwich for Chichalovers could only be an explosion of flavor: pork crackling burger; crispy cracklings; award-winning Lara y Sara blue cheese; roasted red pepper special sauce; pickled cucumber; fresh mint; and brioche bread.
A sandwich that captures his way of cooking: intense, fearless, and impossible to tame.
Tomás Rubio is the chef and creative force behind A Viaxe (Santiago de Compostela). His cuisine is born from the fusion of continents and emotions: a Peruvian soul, a Galician heart, and flavors gathered from around the world.
For Tomás, every dish is a journey — a path that blends recipes, ingredients, and techniques with deep respect for tradition and curiosity for what lies beyond it. His cooking does not aim to replicate tradition, but to reinvent it with honesty and flavor.
Inspired by this philosophy of connecting cultures through food, Tomás created for the Chef’s Sandwich: round country bread; pork cracklings; salsa criolla; mashed and fried sweet potato; reduced and spicy sauces; and crispy cracklings.
A sandwich that becomes a round-trip journey between Galicia and Peru: fresh, bold, and full of soul.
Awards & Recognition
🍴 Repsol Guide Recommendation 2025
🌟 Bib Gourmand distinction from the Michelin Guide
Nacho Moreira is the chef and soul behind La Esquina de Valentina (A Coruña). He understands cooking as an act of freedom: eating with your hands, licking your fingers, and enjoying food without pretension.
His philosophy? Cooking the same way you talk with friends: honestly, without unnecessary decoration, and with absolute respect for the products of the land and sea of A Coruña. At his restaurant, tradition and modernity blend together naturally.
Inspired by this philosophy of finding joy in simplicity, Nacho created a unique proposal for the Chef’s Sandwich: brioche bread, pork cracklings, spicy chorizo brava sauce, fresh aromatic herbs, and Queixo do Cebreiro cheese.
A rebellious sandwich — fiery and fresh at the same time — just like his cuisine.
A reminder that the greatest pleasures do not need cutlery… only good hands and even better company.
Awards & Recognition
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Special Mention at Fórum Gastronómico da Coruña 2024
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Finalist at the Premios Picadillo 2023
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Repsol Guide Recommendation 2025
Iago Pazos is the creator, tavern keeper, and mind behind Abastos 2.0. He is deeply committed to local territory and nearby producers. His cuisine, which he defines as “K1L0M3TRAXE” (Mileage), celebrates the distance between where ingredients come from and where they are served. A devoted advocate of rural Galicia, he works directly with small local farmers and artisans.
Among his awards and recognitions are the XIX Premios de Gastronomía de Galicia 2013, the Innovation Award at Xantar 2012, a Michelin Guide recommendation, and a Repsol Sun.
These roots inspired the creation of his Chef’s Sandwich, an exclusive piece for Chichalovers: 103 Steps.
K1L0M3TR4X3 (from Chichalovers to Casa Ría)
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Pork cracklings → Chichalovers, 0 km, cooked à la minute with roasted onion broth
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Cherry tomatoes → CASA RÍA garden, 150 m
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Padrón peppers → CASA RÍA garden, 150 m (“some are spicy… and some are too”)
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Traditional country loaf → Porta do Camiño bakery, 160 m, served with butter
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Jam, chutney, and kimchi → a final contrast that completes the experience
The philosophy behind the Chef’s Sandwich is rooted in simple, honest cooking — focused on flavor, intensity, and the joy of eating: tasty, spicy, and deeply satisfying.
Simple pleasures: eating with your hands, licking your fingers, and enjoying every bite.
Located at the entrance to Santiago’s old town, ANACO is the personal project of chef Víctor Lobejón. A space where seasonal cuisine comes to life through simple, honest cooking, always guided by deep respect for the product.
Strongly committed to the local territory, ANACO works closely with a network of small producers and artisans who make possible a menu that honors the very best of Galicia’s pantry.
Recognized with a Bib Gourmand distinction from the Michelin Guide, this season they present a truly summery proposal: a sandwich where pork cracklings take center stage. They are accompanied by a roasted pepper and tomato sofrito, brava sauce, piparras peppers, Galmesán cheese, and Bonilla chips.
A true ode to Corralón de la Viña (Cádiz), full of summer flavor and a spirit of local connection.
A hands-on bite: bold, carefree, and full of rhythm.
Simpar is a gastronomic landmark recognized both within and beyond Galicia. With meticulous attention to detail and a strong commitment to high-quality local produce, the Simpar team — led by talented chefs Axel Smyth and Claudia Merchán — transforms every dish into a unique culinary experience.
Their trajectory is backed by numerous awards and distinctions, including:
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Michelin Star 2025
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Revelation Chef Award at Madrid Fusión 2025
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Repsol Sun 2024
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Golden “T de Oro” for the most important tapas restaurant in Galicia
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Best tripe dish in the world at San Sebastián Gastronomika
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Best croquette in Spain
Their proposal for “The Chef’s Sandwich” is an ode to Claudia’s Ecuadorian roots. It is a living memory of visiting the market with her grandfather in her hometown, searching for the finest ingredients, and walking through streets filled with aromas and flavors where roast pork sandwiches are part of Ecuador’s culinary identity.
This sandwich is a tribute to childhood, homeland, memory, and tradition brought into the avant-garde. A fusion of emotion, flavor, and origin that tells part of their story and what they wish to share.
Begoña Vázquez, the first woman to receive the Revelation Chef Award at Fórum Gastronómico da Coruña 2024, is a passionate defender of rural Galicia and locally sourced produce. From her restaurant in Verín, she creates an exquisite cuisine deeply rooted in tradition and marked by the unmistakable identity of her homeland.
Her proposal for Chichalovers is a faithful reflection of her culinary philosophy: traditional country bread, Capelo pork cracklings, DaJosefa cheese, Tres Fuciños Celtic pork belly, Naiciñas chestnut cream, San Simón da Costa béchamel, and pickled cucumber.
A sandwich that carries not only flavor, but also a message — defending the values and commitment that Begoña proudly stands for.
Iván Domínguez, chef of NaDo (A Coruña), is a strong advocate for local produce and culinary tradition. His cuisine blends Atlantic roots with innovation, creating an experience that evokes traditional flavors and a deep knowledge of the territory through the senses.
Awarded a Repsol Sun, recommended by the Michelin Guide, and recognized by the FEB (Federación de Empresarios de Barbanza) for the best professional culinary project, NaDo is a safe bet for anyone seeking an authentic and playful journey through the flavors of the Atlantic.
Brisa Medina and Carlos Insua, chefs of Benedita Elisa, are passionate defenders of local produce and culinary tradition. Their cooking style is a blend of their roots, traditions, and travels around the world.
Recommended by the Repsol Guide, they are a safe bet for anyone looking to embark on an exotic and playful journey through the senses. Their Chef’s Sandwich proposal is proof of exactly that.
Paula and Lolo are pure Rock ’n’ Roll: reinventing tradition through local, organic, seasonal produce sourced from the Mariñas Coruñesas and Terras do Mandeo Biosphere Reserve.
Awarded distinctions such as “Plato de Oro 2022”, “Toque Blanc 2022”, and “Recoñecementos Biosfera 2021”, among others, they offer a creative author-driven cuisine that respects tradition from their space in Betanzos.
Fernando Rodríguez and Eva Guzman are the soul behind O Secadeiro, a former grain drying house transformed into an author-driven gastronomic space. Located in Banzas (Outes) and supported by their own vegetable garden, they champion a cuisine deeply inspired by the surrounding landscape.
Recommended by the Michelin Guide and recently awarded a Michelin Green Star, their project reflects a strong commitment to sustainability, territory, and thoughtful cooking.
