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TESTED RESTAURANTS
With the involvement of new generations
and a measured expansion to destinations
like Madrid, Mallorca, and the Costa Bra-
va, Tragaluz has evolved with the times
without losing its essence. Under Tomás
Tarruella’s leadership, the company has
embraced creative talent—architects, in-
terior designers, chefs, and musicians—to
reinforce its sensory-driven philosophy. To-
day, with more than a dozen restaurants,
Tragaluz represents a model of integrated,
cross-cutting, and emotional hospitality
that has deeply influenced the contempo-
rary Spanish dining scene and continues
to set the trend with every new opening.
Tragaluz
Madrid
TOMÁS TARRUELLA © Paula Ospina.
Detail of the restaurant dining room © Lekuonastudio
Grupo Tragaluz:
a vision that set the trend
Founded in Barcelona in 1987 by Rosa María Este-
va and her son Tomás Tarruella with the restaurant
Mordisco, Grupo Tragaluz was born with the inten-
tion of breaking the mould in the Spanish culinary
scene. From the outset, their concept stood out: a
space in Barcelona’s Eixample where eating well
was just as important as being part of a curated,
aesthetically pleasing, and stimulating environ-
ment. It was one of the first groups to understand
the restaurant as a holistic experience, in which de-
sign, lighting, atmosphere, music, architecture, and
cuisine formed an inseparable whole.
That approach—radically innovative in the 1980s—
made the group a pioneer of the “gastronomic lifes-
tyle” in Spain. With iconic establishments like Tra-
galuz, El Japonés, Cuines Santa Caterina, Bestial,
or Bar Lobo, they created recognisable, vibrant ve-
nues open to both locals and international visitors.
These spaces exuded a coherent identity: Medite-
rranean, modern, unpretentious, and with an ins-
tinctive sense of good taste.
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