This restaurant in Zaragoza, which has been awarded a Repsol Sun and is recommended in the Michelin Guide, specialises in creative, elegant cuisine with a touch of irreverence. Technique, ingredients and concept come together to create a highly distinctive style, with dishes designed to surprise and allow guests to savour the authentic flavours.
Recognised as one of the fifteen best restaurants in Aragón—specifically ranked fourth—according to the Macarfi Guide, Gamberro bases its signature cuisine on three pillars—ingredients, technique and concept—which it combines with mastery and originality. He draws on these principles to harmonize modernity in his dishes without losing sight of the ingredients’ origins, breaking the rules to achieve flavor, attention to the smallest detail, and the essence of the dish.
So, to truly immerse yourself in the world of Gamberro, you need to go in with an open mind and be ready to enjoy the experience without prejudice, as its signature cuisine is the reason—not the excuse—to awaken all your senses.
‘I always say that the most important thing about a dish is that it tastes good. From there, we apply the techniques, the concept and everything else, but the first priority is that it tastes good,’ explains Franchesko, describing this as the starting point for achieving the level of excellence that has placed Gamberro among the fifteen best restaurants in Aragon.
The chef, together with Flor García—his partner both in life and in business—forms a perfectly synchronised team with a clear vision, capable of blending the rebellious spirit of its creators with a genuine touch of elegance that brims with creativity.
Drawing on a generous and high-quality larder supplied by a select group of local, national and international suppliers, and through hard work, dedication and a relentless pursuit of perfection, Franchesko and Flor have, in just a few years, elevated Gamberro to the pinnacle of Aragonese gastronomy. It has become a culinary benchmark, having already won several awards and earned the public’s unreserved acclaim.
A self-taught chef and a determined young woman
Franchesco Vera is one half of the restaurant’s creative team. Self-taught, he began working in the catering industry at the age of sixteen, which enabled him to buy all sorts of cookbooks to satisfy his thirst for knowledge. At the age of twenty, he decided to travel to Italy, where he realised he wanted to pursue a career in haute cuisine: that became his life’s goal. From there, he returned to the Aragonese capital with a wealth of experience and a nickname given to him by his teammates that would stay with him for the rest of his life: Franchesko. The following years were hectic: he immersed himself in Asian cuisine in Ibiza, lived in the Pyrenees and even did an internship with Martín Berasategui. In 2014, he returned to his hometown to organise the opening of a new venue. It was there that he met Flor, and everything changed.
Flor García has always had a strong connection with the restaurant industry and customer service. He started working at the age of sixteen in a shop in the city centre and in various bars. She trained as a nursery assistant whilst working in a traditional bakery. After two years running a bar in a small village, he returned to Zaragoza to work as a kitchen assistant in a restaurant. There she met Franchesko, and the two fell in love. It was she who persuaded him to embark, together, on a shared dream: to set up their own restaurant.
It was back in 2015 that Gamberro was founded in a small neighbourhood premises. In the kitchen, the couple. In the room, Patri, a mutual friend and colleague. They were so successful that, within a year, they moved to larger premises. It was a period of intense work, during which they began to refine and define the style of their cuisine, which was highly experimental and far more extreme in the early days, although it gradually developed its own distinct character. In 2017, Patri left the project and the duo decided that Flor would take over on stage.
As Franchesko himself explains, “It was the best decision we could have made. She has excellent people skills, and as she has been involved in the project since its inception, she is the ideal person to bring it to life. The kitchen is my natural habitat because I’m extremely shy. What’s more, Flor has fully immersed herself in the world of wine and has shown great talent when it comes to wines”. Flor is currently supported in the dining room by the invaluable assistance of Julio, another member of staff who is passionate about food through and through.
The restaurant has a character all of its own, which is very much in keeping with the couple who completely refurbished it. Gamberro occupies around 180 m² spread across two rooms. One of them can be used as a private room for up to twenty people, or ten guests if it is a private dinner. The décor, inspired by urban style, also bears the personal touch of Flor and Franchesko. As well as graffiti, skateboards and a curious cloud of LEDs that they made by hand, the highlights include a huge sign and an intriguing painting of Dalí eating pasta, specially framed for them. And everywhere you look, there are skulls and, above all, little ducks. All of them were gifts from friends and customers who have brought them back from all over the world. The most spectacular one—a huge 3D design—was created by the son of one of our regular customers. Today, they’re working with him to create their own personalised tableware.
A menu that beams at the world with an Aragonese twist
We blend local and international ingredients and aim to surprise our guests by alternating between delicate dishes and bold, robust ones. We want to take the flavours of Aragón on a journey around the world.
Gamberro currently offers, by reservation only, a single 17-course set menu, served as a fixed, blind tasting, taking into account guests’ food intolerances, allergies and dietary preferences, at a cost of eighty euros. You’ll be able to enjoy a dinner lasting almost three hours, with one of our distinctive features: service begins at the same time for all guests, so please do arrive on time.
Among the must-try dishes, which are always a hit with diners, are creations such as the ‘olive’ made from pickled mussels, an olive-shaped trompe l’œil served in the diner’s palm, the Thai-style prawn croquette, with coconut milk and a blue miso emulsion, or the ‘airpizza’, a nod to Italy in which a puffed panipuri evokes this iconic flatbread. Two must-try recipes with a distinct Aragonese flavour: one is the ‘Guardia Civil 2.0’, a highly personal take on the popular Aragonese sandwich, served with a jalapeño gazpacho. The other dish is tempura-fried brains, inspired by the battered brains so typical of the region, but made with nixtamalised corn and served with parsley aioli.
It is worth noting that Franchesko Vera is the face of the ‘Casquería’ (offal dishes) category of the Ternasco de Aragón PGI, even though Gamberro is not a restaurant specialising in offal; rather, it is the chef’s boundless creativity that has earned him this recognition. With this in mind, she has put together a cookbook designed especially for a young audience, featuring easy and tasty recipes that make use of different parts of the offal.
Braised pork cheeks with saffron, asadurilla-style beef tacos, tongue ragù or kidneys in old wine with green curry are just some of the tempting suggestions featured in the recipe book available at thirty-four specialist butchers in Aragón.
Seasonal highlights to showcase the producto
Among this season’s new dishes—though heavily influenced by seasonal availability—several stand out, such as hake matured in koji, served with an emulsion of its grilled protein, and its cheek in sake tempura with a plankton emulsion. The fish sashimi with green olive aguachile and black olive nitro, and the pâté non croûte made with Ternasco de Aragón lamb and pickled and fermented vegetables, deserve a special mention.
The dessert section – never overly sweet, as is the house speciality – features such intriguing offerings as ‘La Cabra’, a goat’s milk kefir curd presented in a highly original way. Equally tempting is the goat’s “dulce de leche” in its Occo pot and another petit four that is very popular with diners, their mini artisan chocolate bars in a variety of flavours, which they make themselves.
The raw material is of great importance. And that is also why its network of suppliers has been carefully cultivated and developed over the years to source exceptional produce. Among the best known are Cultivo Desterrado, Rafa Monge’s pioneering project in Sanlúcar de Barrameda (Cádiz), famous for its gourmet crops grown in brackish water, and the baby asparagus from Villena. And, of course, a premium local product from Zaragoza and Aragón: the century-old Belloc butcher’s, offering select cuts of meat and offal; La Huerta Clandestina, offering delicious fruit and a variety of cheeses and dairy products from the local area.
A diverse wine cellar in a very ‘DIY’ space
This desire to have a cosmopolitan pantry extends to the wine cellar as well. Julio Canales, the venue’s sommelier, who possesses incredible potential, is the driving force behind the wine cellar, which now boasts 220 different wines. One appealing option they have been offering for some time is a wine pairing (for a full table) selected by the sommelier to accompany the set menu, comprising eight glasses and priced at sixty euros.
A united team that works together to grow
Although they are modest by nature and still young, there is one thing Flor and Franchesko are proud of: the team is a real family, and that is achieved by looking after the staff. The COVID-19 restrictions turned out to be an opportunity, as they allowed them to have a schedule that was ideal for balancing work and family life. And to the couple, in particular, so they can enjoy their little boy. By starting the shift at the same time, the kitchen is perfectly in sync with the dining room, and staff can finish work around 5 pm. In the evening, dinner starts at 8.45 pm, so staff finish their shift at 11.30 pm. And it’s only open from Thursday to Sunday. ‘We realise that our format is rather unusual and may not be to everyone’s taste, but it is what enables us to achieve the best results in the kitchen and with our service, and to offer fixed, consistent opening hours. What started out as a major problem, right in the middle of the pandemic, has enabled us to become the great team we are today’.
Gamberro, with a track record spanning eleven years, continues to enjoy exceptional popularity among the city’s residents, and is attracting an ever-growing number of tourists—both domestic and international—who are drawn to its innovative tasting menu. ‘We are proud to contribute to tourism in Zaragoza and to put the new Aragonese cuisine on the gastronomic map. We will carry on in this vein, working very hard, to earn the support of our fellow Aragonese and of everyone who wants to discover this ‘elegant irreverence’ that is Gamberro’s cuisine.’
