Before his new Madrid shoot begins on 5 October 2026, Woody Allen visited Asador Gonzaba in the Salamanca district with his wife, Soon-Yi Previn. The Galician restaurant was their first reported food stop in the city. The production is expected to run for about six weeks.
The restaurant later shared a photograph of the director and called the visit an unexpected honour. Allen has already started exploring the city beyond the film set.
At Gonzaba, the grill comes first. The restaurant's beef comes from the group's own livestock operation, while the menu also centers on fish and seafood from the Rías Baixas. Diners can watch the cooking from the dining room.
For Allen and Soon-Yi Previn, the meal offered a Galician introduction to Madrid. Allen is preparing his 51st film, a comedy about romance and intrigue, with infidelity also in the plot. RTVE and Variety report that the production will use locations in Madrid and Aranjuez, with filming planned across roughly 30 sites.
The menu reaches well beyond one cut of beef. Guests can order large portions and other cuts, as well as wild fish and seafood. Gonzaba also serves Betanzos-style potato omelette and Iberian ham. Sheep's cheese croquettes and artichokes cooked over charcoal are also on the menu. Desserts include filloas with pastry cream and orujo. Dark chocolate mousse is another option. The wine cellar holds more than 400 references, and Coravin allows the restaurant to serve many of them by the glass.
The film is reported to have a budget of about €12 million. Reports from Euronews and other outlets describe public support approaching €3 million, while separate reporting identifies a €1.5 million contribution from the Comunidad de Madrid.
Gonzaba's offer is easy to read: Galician produce goes on the grill, and diners who prefer not to have a meat-led meal still have plenty of choice.
The group began in Galicia. It still runs restaurants in A Coruña and Santiago de Compostela, with another in Carballo. Its Salamanca venue occupies a building from the early twentieth century. The Madrid site covers more than 700 square metres across two floors and has several private dining rooms.
Chef Luis Borda Heredia leads the kitchen. He puts the quality of the raw material and control of the grill at the center of the local offering.
Gonzaba has welcomed other well-known guests. The restaurant has said that Jesús Castro and Miguel Torres have eaten there. María José Suárez and José Ortega Cano have also visited.
After the meal, Allen and Soon-Yi Previn continued exploring Madrid. They later returned to the Mandarin Oriental Ritz Madrid, where they are staying. Spanish outlets, including elDebate, have quoted Allen calling Madrid an ideal city for his story. He has also said that he does not want to retire and still considers New York his home.
The visit says less about a celebrity sighting than about Gonzaba's place in the capital. The restaurant relies on traceable Galician beef and Rías Baixas seafood. Open cooking and a large wine list round out the offer. Allen's presence brings extra attention as he prepares to make Madrid the setting for his next film.
The announced cast includes Peter Vives and Jemima Kirke. Alexi Wasser is also among the cast. Local authorities have linked public support to showing Madrid on screen. For diners looking past the publicity, the restaurant's case is already on the menu and at the grill.
