Matteo Cucina Italiana

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

The Soul Behind the Counter

At the heart of Matteo Cucina Italiana is its owner and head cook, Matteo de Filippo, alongside Chiara Guberti. Matteo trained at the ALMA culinary school in Parma — one of Italy's most respected institutions — and his path led him through the kitchens of maestros including Gualterio Marchesi. That formation shows in every dish that leaves the kitchen inside Madrid's Mercado de la Paz.

The project is built around a simple but demanding idea: artigianato e autenticità — craftsmanship and authenticity of Italian flavour. Around Matteo and Chiara, a team of passionate Italians works daily to make that idea real, sharing the aromas of their childhood and a commitment to quality that goes well beyond the ordinary.

A Market Stall That Doubles as a Kitchen

Matteo Cucina Italiana occupies a counter inside the Mercado de la Paz on Calle Ayala, combining a delicatessen with a working kitchen. The display changes daily: everything on offer has been prepared and cooked that same morning. Fresh pasta with your choice of filling, housemade sauces, lasagne, cannelloni, gnocchi, focaccia, vitello tonnato, polpettone napoletano, ossobuco, tiramisú, panna cotta, crostata — a full sweep of simple, traditional Italian recipes treated, as Matteo puts it, "with maximum dignity and respect."

Ingredients come mostly from the market itself, guaranteeing freshness and seasonality. Others travel from Italy directly: the mozzarella, for instance, flies in from Naples several times a week. The deli shelves carry DOP cheeses — Taleggio, Gorgonzola Cremiziola, Parmigiano Reggiano aged 24 months — alongside cured meats, dry pasta, sauces, and seasonal truffle sourced from the best Italian suppliers.

Recognition and Range

Gambero Rosso, the authoritative Italian food and wine guide, awarded Matteo Cucina Italiana 2 Forks — a mark of genuine quality that places this Madrid spot firmly on the map for lovers of serious Italian cooking. The recognition reflects not just the food served at the counter, but the rigour with which every product is selected and every preparation executed.

Beyond the daily offer, the kitchen takes orders for take-away and delivery, and caters for special occasions with an extended seasonal menu — from roast beef and alcachofas a la romana to zampone and cotechino for winter celebrations. It is Italian cuisine in the fullest sense: the restaurant table, the market stall, and the home kitchen all served from one place.