About Us
Gastrobotánica: The House Story of Rodrigo de la Calle
Rodrigo de la Calle coined the word gastrobotánica and is the author of everything served here, across two menu lines: one vegetable, one omnivorous.
One Star for the Cooking, One Green Star for How It Is Done
The word gastrobotánica belongs to this house. Rodrigo de la Calle coined it to name a way of cooking in which the vegetable stops being a garnish and becomes the subject of the plate, studied variety by variety. He is the chef owner and the author of everything served here, which is why the discipline cannot simply be borrowed by another kitchen: it is a body of work, not a trend to adopt.
The two menu lines come from that same idea and they are deliberately different. Vegetalia is vegetable cooking, and it is served 100% vegan or vegetarian when that is requested at the moment of booking. Gastrobotánica, the line that carries the name of the discipline, is an omnivorous menu with meat, fish and shellfish, and it is not adapted under any circumstance. We keep both under one roof because vegetables need no dietary label to hold the centre of a menu.
Visitors from outside Spain often assume the MICHELIN Green Star is a second red star, or a level above it. It is neither. The MICHELIN Star recognises what happens on the plate; the Green Star is a separate distinction that looks at the sustainability of the work behind it. We hold both, and in a kitchen built on plants the two are hard to separate: the choice of species and varieties, the way each one is used, and the decision that a vegetable can carry a fine dining menu on its own are all part of the same practice rather than a policy added afterwards.
The visual identity of the house follows the same logic. We call it the herbario de vidrio, a glass herbarium: paper, ink, deep green and the lighter green we call savia (sap), straight corners and hairline rules of one pixel. Everything printed and everything on screen is meant to read like a botanical file, precise and unadorned, because that is how the cooking itself is put together.
Our English and Spanish sites are twin editions of the same house, and each page here links to its equivalent in Spanish. Most of the people who sit at our tables travel to Madrid from abroad, which is why the English edition is the one we look after first.
One MICHELIN Star since 2011, fifteen years with it in 2026. the MICHELIN Green Star for sustainability. 2 Repsol Suns from the Guía Repsol. World's Best Vegetable Restaurant since 2024. The awards arrived in that order, over a career spent on the same subject.
What the guides say
Fifteen years of recognition
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2011
1 Estrella MICHELIN MICHELIN Guide -
2016
2 Soles Repsol Guide -
2020
Estrella Verde Sustainable cooking · MICHELIN Guide -
2024
Mejor restaurante de vegetales Nº 1 del mundo · We're Smart World
Three independent guides, the same verdict
«What Rodrigo does with vegetables is magic. Wonderful service. The pacing of the courses, a ten. The price more than reasonable for the experience.»
«We loved the gastronomic experience, very different from anything we had eaten before. The presentation of the dishes and the service were excellent.»
La cocina, plato a plato
Keep scrolling: the collection moves across the screen. Tap a plate to see it in full.
Reserve your table through CoverManager, or write to reservas@elinvernaderorestaurante.com. Telephone +34 628 93 93 67.