The Los Lirios Gastronomic Group takes a decisive step in its international expansion with its arrival in Spain through the opening of Austral, a new dining concept in Madrid that marks the return of chef Sergi Arola to the capital as culinary director.
This restaurant, located at number 61 Velázquez Street, in the heart of the Salamanca neighborhood, is born from the personal relationship between the Catalan cook and Chilean businessman José Luis Ansoleaga, the group’s founder, and from the intention to create a proposal different from those the chef had developed earlier in Madrid, as the company points out in a statement.
Arola, who achieved two Michelin stars at La Broche and at Sergi Arola Gastro and who currently retains one star in LAB, his space at Penha Longa Resort, one of Portugal’s most prestigious hotels and recognized with three Michelin Keys, takes the helm of the culinary direction of Austral. This project represents his return to Madrid after more than six years’ absence and after the closure of his restaurants in the city due to debts with the Tax Agency.
Austral’s offering is structured as a culinary experience based on the geographic and gastronomic richness of the Continental South Pacific, from Patagonia to the Andes, with a cookbook centered on the grill and the spoon and developed with current techniques.
The interior design of the premises, signed by the Hurlé & Martín studio, creates two distinct settings: a dining room with an open kitchen to the diner and a more laid-back “pisco bar,” where the signature patatas bravas by Sergi Arola are included on the menu.
The offer is completed with a wine cellar with references from Chile, Argentina, Spain and other European countries, organized by territories and soil types, such as volcanic or Andean wines, instead of following the classic scheme of designations of origin.
With this launch, Los Lirios and Arola aim to take advantage of the chef’s international track record, with a presence in more than eight countries and a close professional and media link with Chile in recent years, to consolidate a new high-end dining brand in the gastronomic hub of the Salamanca neighborhood.
The return of Sergi Arola to the capital
Arola trained alongside two key figures in contemporary cooking, Ferran Adrià and Pierre Gagnaire, participating prominently in the creative movement that revolutionized Spanish gastronomy starting in the 1990s.
His arrival in Madrid marked the beginning of a career closely linked to the city. At the helm of La Broche, in the Hotel Miguel Ángel, he achieved two Michelin stars and established himself as one of the top representatives of the new Spanish cuisine.
Later, with Sergi Arola Gastro, he again reached two stars from the “guía roja,” and developed a proposal valued for its creativity, technical rigor, and the review of traditional dishes, although debts to Hacienda forced him to close his establishments in Spain in 2013.
Throughout his career, he has led and taken part in gastronomic projects in numerous countries, including Spain, Portugal, France, Chile, Brazil, India, China, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.
With the opening of Austral, Grupo Gastronómico Los Lirios strengthens its roadmap outside Chile and reinforces its commitment to the Spanish market, after having developed since 2018 a solid portfolio of business in the field of restaurants.
The company, led by Ansoleaga, an agronomist engineer and oenologist by training, has built its growth on a dual model that combines the introduction and expansion in Chile of recognized international brands, such as the Argentine ones La Cabrera and Piegari Ristorante, as well as La Panera Rosa, La Hacienda de Machalí, or Jerónimo Cocina del Mundo, with the creation of its own concepts, among which stand out Marietta Heladería-Patisserie and Kat' Asian Tasty Caos.