Dani Garcia is the Spanish Andalusian chef and restaurateur widely recognised as one of the leading figures in modern Andalusian gastronomy and the most-internationally-expansive Spanish chef-restaurateur of the 2020s. Born 30 December 1975 in Marbella, Andalusia, Spain, Garcia trained at the La Consula hospitality school in Malaga and worked at multiple Spanish restaurants before opening Tragabuches in Ronda in 1998 at age 23, which earned him his first Michelin star. He took over as chef at Calima in Marbella in 2005, where he earned three Michelin stars in 2014, before closing the restaurant in 2019 to launch his expanding multi-restaurant Grupo Dani Garcia operation.
Garcia’s 2025-2026 work centres on the Grupo Dani Garcia international expansion. The 19 February 2026 Smoked Room Madrid event represents his current Madrid programming. The Dubai double opening of Firewood and Smoked Room represents his Middle East expansion. Smoked Room Madrid earned its second Michelin star in 2024, restoring Dani Garcia to the two-Michelin-star level since 2019. He continues to operate BiBo across multiple cities (Marbella, Madrid, Tarifa, Doha), Lobito de Mar (Marbella, Madrid, Doha), Tragabuches (London, Madrid), Smoked Room (Madrid, Dubai, Doha), and Firewood (Dubai), making the Grupo Dani Garcia one of the most-international Spanish chef-led operations of the era.
TL;DR
- Spanish Andalusian chef born 30 December 1975 in Marbella, Andalusia
- Trained at La Consula hospitality school Malaga
- Tragabuches Ronda first Michelin star at age 23 (1998)
- Calima Marbella three Michelin stars 2014; closed 2019
- Smoked Room Madrid two Michelin stars 2024
- 2025-2026: Dubai double opening Firewood and Smoked Room; Madrid Smoked Room event Feb 2026
Dani Garcia key facts
| Born | 30 December 1975, Marbella, Andalusia, Spain |
| Nationality | Spanish (Andalusian) |
| Training | La Consula hospitality school Malaga |
| Major past restaurant | Calima Marbella (three Michelin stars 2014; closed 2019) |
| Current flagship | Smoked Room Madrid (two Michelin stars 2024) |
| Group | Grupo Dani Garcia (BiBo, Lobito de Mar, Tragabuches, Smoked Room, Firewood) |
| 2025-2026 highlight | Dubai double opening Firewood and Smoked Room |
Early life and training of Dani Garcia
Garcia was born on 30 December 1975 in Marbella, on the Andalusian Costa del Sol of southern Spain. He grew up in Marbella and developed his culinary instincts through Andalusian family cookery before pursuing formal training. He attended the La Consula hospitality school in Malaga in the early 1990s, gaining classical Spanish hospitality and culinary technique alongside the strong Andalusian family-cookery foundation that has informed his subsequent career.
Through the mid-1990s Garcia worked at multiple Spanish restaurants and undertook stages at leading European restaurants, gaining classical French and continental European technique alongside the Andalusian foundation. The European training period prepared him for his first chef role at Tragabuches in Ronda, in inland Andalusia, which he opened in 1998 at age 23.
Tragabuches under Garcia earned its first Michelin star in 1998, making him at age 23 one of the youngest Spanish chefs to earn a Michelin star at the time. He continued at Tragabuches through 2004 before joining Calima at the Hotel Don Pepe in Marbella in 2005 as chef. Calima under Garcia earned its second Michelin star in 2009 and its third Michelin star in 2014, making him one of the leading Andalusian chefs of his generation.
Dani Garcia career timeline
- 30 December 1975: Born in Marbella, Andalusia, Spain
- Early 1990s: La Consula hospitality school Malaga
- Mid-1990s: Stages at multiple Spanish and European restaurants
- 1998: Opens Tragabuches in Ronda at age 23
- 1998: First Michelin star at Tragabuches at age 23
- 2005: Joins Calima at Hotel Don Pepe Marbella as chef
- 2009: Second Michelin star at Calima
- 2010: Opens BiBo in Marbella
- 2014: Third Michelin star at Calima
- 2017: Opens BiBo Madrid; Lobito de Mar Marbella
- 2019: Closes Calima at the height of three-star status
- 2019: Opens Lobito de Mar Madrid; restructures into Grupo Dani Garcia
- 2021: Opens Smoked Room in Madrid
- 2022: Smoked Room Madrid earns first Michelin star
- 2023: Opens BiBo Doha and Smoked Room Doha
- 2024: Smoked Room Madrid earns second Michelin star (returns Garcia to two-star level)
- 2024: Opens Tragabuches London
- 2025: Opens Lobito de Mar Doha; Tragabuches Madrid
- 2025-2026: Dubai double opening of Firewood and Smoked Room
- 19 February 2026: Smoked Room Madrid limited-capacity event with two complementary culinary universes
- 2026: Grupo Dani Garcia continues international expansion
Dani Garcia signature style: modern Andalusian cuisine and international expansion
Garcia’s central argument, developed across more than 25 years from 1998 onwards, is that modern Andalusian cuisine combined with multi-format restaurant operations and international expansion can anchor a sustained Spanish chef-restaurateur business. The Grupo Dani Garcia approach combines fine-dining (Smoked Room two Michelin stars), modern Spanish (BiBo across multiple cities), seafood-focused (Lobito de Mar), and barbecue/firewood (Firewood Dubai) formats in a single chef-restaurateur portfolio.
The second defining element is the international expansion across Spain, the Middle East and the United Kingdom. Marbella, Madrid, Tarifa, Ronda, London, Doha and Dubai together represent one of the more substantial Spanish chef-restaurateur international expansions of the 2020s, demonstrating the international portability of the modern Andalusian and Spanish cuisine approach.
The third pillar is the 2024 Smoked Room Madrid second Michelin star, which restored Garcia to the two-Michelin-star level after his 2019 closure of Calima at the height of three-star status. Within the global Spanish chef cohort Garcia sits alongside peers including Jordi Cruz, Martin Berasategui and Carme Ruscalleda as one of the most-internationally-expansive Spanish chef-restaurateurs of the 2020s.
Notable Dani Garcia work
Several Garcia projects have become reference points in modern Andalusian and Spanish gastronomy. Tragabuches in Ronda (1998-2004) was his early career-defining one-Michelin-star operation. Calima at Hotel Don Pepe Marbella (2005-2019) earned three Michelin stars in 2014 before closing at the height of three-star status. Smoked Room Madrid (opened 2021) is his current two-Michelin-star flagship. The Grupo Dani Garcia portfolio across BiBo, Lobito de Mar, Tragabuches, Smoked Room and Firewood spans Spain, Madrid, London, Doha and Dubai. The 19 February 2026 Smoked Room Madrid limited-capacity event represents his current Madrid programming.
Dani Garcia awards and recognition
- 1998: Opens Tragabuches Ronda at age 23; first Michelin star
- 2005: Joins Calima at Hotel Don Pepe Marbella
- 2009: Second Michelin star at Calima
- 2010: Opens BiBo Marbella
- 2014: Third Michelin star at Calima
- 2019: Closes Calima at height of three-star status
- 2021: Opens Smoked Room Madrid
- 2022: Smoked Room Madrid first Michelin star
- 2024: Smoked Room Madrid second Michelin star
- 2024: Opens Tragabuches London
- 2025: Lobito de Mar Doha; Tragabuches Madrid
- 2025-2026: Dubai double opening Firewood and Smoked Room
- 19 February 2026: Smoked Room Madrid limited-capacity event
- 2026: Grupo Dani Garcia continues international expansion
Dani Garcia impact on modern Andalusian and Spanish gastronomy
Garcia’s most concrete contribution is the 2014 third Michelin star at Calima at age 38, making him one of the leading Andalusian chefs of his generation. The 2019 decision to close Calima at the height of three-star status remains one of the most-discussed Spanish chef-restaurateur transitions of the period, and the subsequent restructuring into Grupo Dani Garcia opened the path for his international expansion.
The second contribution is the international Grupo Dani Garcia expansion across Spain, the Middle East and the United Kingdom. The portfolio represents one of the more substantial Spanish chef-restaurateur international expansions of the 2020s, and the 2024 Smoked Room Madrid second Michelin star restored Garcia to the two-Michelin-star level.
The third contribution is the multi-format restaurant approach combining fine-dining, modern Spanish, seafood and barbecue formats in a single portfolio. Within the Spanish chef cohort Garcia sits alongside peers including Jordi Cruz, Martin Berasategui and Carme Ruscalleda as one of the defining figures in modern Spanish gastronomy.
Dani Garcia FAQ
Why did Garcia close Calima?
Garcia closed Calima in 2019 at the height of three-Michelin-star status to restructure his operation into the multi-format Grupo Dani Garcia, which subsequently expanded internationally to Madrid, London, Doha and Dubai. The decision remains one of the most-discussed Spanish chef-restaurateur transitions of the period.
Does Garcia still have Michelin stars?
Yes. Smoked Room Madrid earned two Michelin stars in 2024, restoring Garcia to the two-Michelin-star level after the 2019 closure of three-star Calima. Smoked Room Madrid retains its two Michelin stars in the 2025 and 2026 editions of the Spain Michelin Guide.
What is Grupo Dani Garcia?
Grupo Dani Garcia is the multi-restaurant Spanish chef-restaurateur group that Garcia operates across Spain, the United Kingdom and the Middle East. The group includes BiBo (Marbella, Madrid, Tarifa, Doha), Lobito de Mar (Marbella, Madrid, Doha), Tragabuches (London, Madrid), Smoked Room (Madrid, Dubai, Doha), and Firewood (Dubai), one of the most-international Spanish chef-led operations of the era.
What is the Dubai double opening?
The Dubai double opening is the simultaneous opening of Firewood and Smoked Room in Dubai under the Grupo Dani Garcia umbrella. Firewood is the barbecue and live-fire format, and Smoked Room extends the Madrid two-Michelin-star concept to Dubai. The Dubai expansion is one of Garcia’s defining 2025-2026 international milestones.
How young was Garcia at his first Michelin star?
Twenty-three. Garcia earned his first Michelin star at Tragabuches in Ronda in 1998 at age 23, one of the youngest Spanish chefs to earn a Michelin star at the time. The early-career Michelin star established him at the front rank of modern Andalusian gastronomy and prepared him for his subsequent Calima three-star achievement.
What is next for Dani Garcia
Grupo Dani Garcia continues international expansion through 2026 across Spain, the United Kingdom, Doha and Dubai. Smoked Room Madrid retains two Michelin stars. The 19 February 2026 Madrid limited-capacity event continues. His public Instagram (@danigarciach) is the best source for current updates.
