Woody Allen and Soon-Yi Previn have visited Asador Gonzaba in Madrid's Salamanca district. The Galician restaurant became their first reported food stop before Allen begins a six-week film shoot in the city.
Woody Allen's new Madrid shoot is scheduled to begin on 5 October 2026. The production should run for about six weeks. Before that work starts, the New York filmmaker visited Asador Gonzaba in the Salamanca district with his wife, Soon-Yi Previn.
The restaurant later shared a photograph of the director and called the visit an unexpected honour. Allen has already started looking around the city beyond the film set.
Woody Allen’s new Madrid shoot is scheduled to begin on 5 October 2026 and is expected to run for approximately six weeks.
At Gonzaba, the grill comes first. The restaurant's beef comes from the group's own livestock operation. Its menu also centers on fish and seafood from the Rías Baixas. Diners can watch the cooking from the dining room.
That is the point.
For Allen and Soon-Yi Previn, the meal offered a Galician introduction to Madrid. Allen is preparing his 51st film, a comedy built around romance, intrigue and infidelity. RTVE and Variety report that the production will use locations in Madrid and Aranjuez. Filming is 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, Iberian ham and sheep's cheese croquettes, plus artichokes cooked over charcoal. Desserts include filloas with pastry cream, orujo and dark chocolate mousse. The wine cellar holds more than 400 references. 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, but diners who do not want a meat-led meal still have plenty of choice.
The group began in Galicia. It still runs restaurants in A Coruña, Santiago de Compostela and 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, Miguel Torres, María José Suárez and José Ortega Cano have eaten there.
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, Rías Baixas seafood, open cooking and a large wine list. Allen's presence brings extra attention while he prepares to make Madrid the setting for his next film.
The announced cast includes Peter Vives, Jemima Kirke and Alexi Wasser. 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.
