Meet Roberto Ortiz Blanco | Chef & Co-founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Roberto Ortiz Blanco and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Roberto, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
At ŌME, we believe hospitality can create meaningful human connection. Our social impact comes from building a space where culture, craftsmanship, and community come together around the table.

Through Roberto’s vision, ŌME explores Mexican cuisine through the philosophy of omakase — creating an experience based on trust, intention, seasonality, and attention to detail. The name ŌME itself represents duality, a concept that defines the restaurant in many ways: tradition and evolution, Mexico and Spain, memory and discovery. The restaurant lives in that dialogue, interpreting Mexican cuisine through local Spanish products, seasons, and context. That balance between origins and surroundings is at the heart of ŌME.

A big part of that purpose is our relationship with local producers and seasonal ingredients. While the flavors, memories, and techniques are deeply rooted in Mexico, we work closely with Spanish fishermen, farmers, artisans, and small suppliers. Rather than replicating Mexican cuisine exactly as it exists elsewhere, ŌME seeks to create a conversation between Mexican identity and the products, seasons, and culture of Spain.

We believe restaurants have the responsibility to support the ecosystems around them — not only creatively, but economically and sustainably as well. For us, using seasonal and local ingredients is not only about quality; it is also about respect for origin, reducing unnecessary impact, and creating a more conscious way of operating. We try to leave a thoughtful footprint by valuing craftsmanship, minimizing excess where possible, and building long-term relationships with people who care deeply about what they produce.

Inside the kitchen, we also aim to foster a culture based on respect, collaboration, and curiosity. Roberto leads with the belief that great restaurants should not only create memorable experiences for guests, but also healthy and inspiring environments for the teams behind them.

Ultimately, ŌME’s purpose is to create experiences that make people feel connected — to culture, to food, to the people behind each ingredient, and to one another.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Cooking, for me, has always been more than technique — it’s a way of telling stories, preserving memories, and creating connection through hospitality. Today, I’m the chef behind my own project- ŌME in Madrid, a restaurant where we explore Mexican cuisine through the philosophy of omakase: trust, intention, seasonality, and attention to detail.

What sets my work apart is probably the duality that defines both me and the restaurant. ŌME is deeply rooted in Mexican identity and flavors, but it lives within the context of Spain, working with local products, producers, and seasons. I’m interested in creating a dialogue between cultures rather than simply recreating something traditional exactly as it exists elsewhere. That tension between origin and evolution is what inspires me creatively.

Professionally, the journey has definitely not been easy. Kitchens teach you resilience very quickly. There are long hours, constant pressure, uncertainty, and many sacrifices behind opening and sustaining a restaurant. Moving countries, adapting to a new environment, and building a concept that feels personal while also connecting with people has been one of the biggest challenges of my career.

I think what helped me overcome those moments was staying connected to purpose. I never wanted to cook just to impress people — I wanted to create experiences that feel honest and emotionally memorable. Over time, I’ve learned that consistency matters more than perfection, and that building a strong team and culture is just as important as what ends up on the plate.

One of the lessons I value most is understanding that growth comes from remaining curious. Some of the most important moments in my career came from being willing to listen, learn, adapt, and evolve without losing my identity.

What I want people to understand about ŌME is that it’s not only about fine dining. It’s about creating connection: between Mexico and Spain, between guests and the kitchen, between tradition and new perspectives. At the end of the day, I hope people leave feeling that they experienced something personal, thoughtful, and deeply human.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If one of my best friends came to Madrid for a week, I’d probably try to show them the city through food, long conversations, and the rhythm of how people actually live here — not only the tourist side of Madrid.

I think the best way to experience the city is slowly. Madrid has this energy where you can spend an entire afternoon moving from a coffee, to a vermouth, to dinner, and suddenly it’s 2am without realizing it.

I’d start with neighborhoods before landmarks. We’d spend time walking through Chamberí, Salesas, La Latina, and Lavapiés — each one has a completely different personality. Madrid is a city you understand by wandering.

For food, I’d mix traditional places with more contemporary restaurants. One day could start with a simple tortilla and coffee somewhere classic, then maybe wine and conservas in the afternoon, and end at a long tasting menu dinner. Another day I’d take them somewhere more chaotic and local — standing at a bar, having a beer and small plates while the whole place is loud and alive.

I’d definitely show them the markets too, especially places where you can really feel the relationship between Spanish products and daily life. I love seeing how much respect exists here for ingredients, seasonality, seafood, olive oil, vegetables, and simple cooking done well.

Outside of restaurants, I think Madrid is really about atmosphere. Sitting in Retiro Park with coffee, going to small cocktail bars late at night, seeing exhibitions, or just spending hours talking on a terrace. Some of my favorite moments here are honestly the simplest ones.

If we had time, I’d also take them outside the city for a day or two — maybe somewhere smaller where they can experience a slower pace and understand another side of Spain beyond Madrid.

What excites me most about Madrid is that it balances tradition and evolution naturally. You can find places that have existed for decades next to incredibly creative new projects, and somehow it all coexists. That duality probably resonates with me because it’s also very connected to what we try to express at ŌME.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
To my family — my grandparents, my mother, my father, my brother, my sister-in-law, and my nephew — thank you for being the love, support, and foundation behind everything I do, and for always believing in me and helping me pursue my dreams.

Website: https://www.omerestaurante.com/

Instagram: OME: @omerestaurante ; Roberto: @robertoortizblanco

Linkedin: Roberto: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertoob ; OME: https://www.linkedin.com/company/omerestaurante/

Other: GOOGLE MAPS:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/BzWAxoz3TL87CAjK9?g_st=ic

Image Credits
Jorge Lopez