Ikigai Velázquez

The story

Ikigai Velázquez Madrid – Japanese, French & Spanish Fusion by Chef Yong Wu Nagahira

At Ikigai Velázquez, the cooking is a conversation between three culinary traditions. Chef Yong Wu Nagahira brings a personal, unpretentious style to the kitchen, weaving Japanese technique with the soul of French and Spanish cuisine. This is a restaurant that earned a Michelin Recommended nod for 2026 — recognition that feels earned, not sought.

The menu reads like a creative diary. Starters such as the Korokke — a Japanese croquette filled with Robuchon-style potato purée and Wagyu cecina — set the tone. The Ikigai tasting menu, at €90 per person, moves through an oyster with ponzu, a gamba gyoza, and a procession of nigiris and gunkans that show real range: a gunkan of green tea, Japanese whisky, ikura and quail yolk sits alongside a flambéed salmon with mustard and ají amarillo. The meal closes with an almond sponge, yuzu cream, and a white chocolate and Sichuan pepper sauce.

The wine list holds over 175 references and 25 different sakes, a serious accompaniment to this Japanese, French and Spanish cooking.

The room itself is part of the experience. Designed by architect Noldi Sherck, the space evokes a 1980s New York apartment — curved walls, vaulted ceilings, lacquered black furniture and chrome details. A sushi bar lets you watch the chef at work, while a private room behind gold curtains seats eight for more intimate gatherings.

Ikigai Velázquez follows the philosophy of momijigari — the appreciation of fleeting beauty — and the seasonal dishes reflect that. This is a restaurant that knows what it is: a place where Japanese traditions meet European flavours in a room that feels like nowhere else in Madrid.