{"id":25391,"date":"2026-06-23T17:03:04","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T15:03:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/anafric.es\/pacto-raizs-lamb-sandwich-wins-best-paquito-in-madrid-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-06-23T17:03:04","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T15:03:04","slug":"pacto-raizs-lamb-sandwich-wins-best-paquito-in-madrid-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anafric.es\/en\/pacto-raizs-lamb-sandwich-wins-best-paquito-in-madrid-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Pacto Ra\u00edz’s Lamb Sandwich Wins Best Paquito in Madrid 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

The El Gusto es Nuestro cooking school hosted the sixth edition of “The Best Paquito in Madrid,” a competition promoted by the Interprofessional Agri-food Organization for Sheep and Goats (INTEROVIC). Each year, this competition seeks to recognize excellence in the preparation of suckling lamb, kid, and lamb sandwiches among all the establishments that offer them in the capital. The Paquito from Pacto Ra\u00edz was awarded the title of best in Madrid. Their sandwich, made with suckling lamb, will represent the region in the national final to be held this fall.<\/p>\n

In this edition, it’s worth noting that the runner-up was a kid-based sandwich from Rafa Zafra’s Bikini Bar, and in third place was Roberto Mart\u00ednez’s Paquito from Tripea, featuring young lamb.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe celebration of the sixth edition of the Best Paquito in Madrid demonstrates that the lamb sandwich is now firmly established in Madrid. Consumers know it and seek it out, and as a result, we’ve seen the level of competition rise. The entries are increasingly surprising in both quality and creativity. Restaurateurs know this and spend all year thinking about their version of the Paquito,\u201d highlighted Tom\u00e1s Rodr\u00edguez, director of INTEROVIC. He also emphasized the versatility of the Paquito, \u201cwhich allows for sandwiches of different types: suckling lamb, kid goat, and lamb, as has been evident in the award winners.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Pacto<\/p>\n

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A highly competitive sixth edition<\/p>\n

In this sixth edition, 13 establishments presented their creations to the jury: Barbudo, Barra Alta Madrid, Bikini Bar, Candeli, D\u00f6ggo, La Mercantina, La Raspa, Pacto Ra\u00edz, Pai Pai, Pintxolari, Terrace de la Vega, Treze, and Krudo.<\/p>\n

The decision, far from easy, was made by a jury comprised of chef Iv\u00e1n Cerde\u00f1o of the two-Michelin-starred restaurant Iv\u00e1n Cerde\u00f1o at the Cigarral del \u00c1ngel in Toledo; journalists Paz \u00c1lvarez of El Pa\u00eds Gastro; Natalia Mart\u00ednez of the Cocinillas section of El Espa\u00f1ol; Tatiana Ferrandis of La Raz\u00f3n; Jos\u00e9 Manuel Rodr\u00edguez of Elle Gourmet; and Beatriz Casares, head of communications for INTEROVIC. In a blind tasting, they sampled the finalist Paquitos and evaluated their visual presentation, the doneness and texture of the meat, the bread, flavor, originality, balance, and their own subjective assessment of each dish.<\/p>\n

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\"Jurado<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jury (from left to right): Tatiana Ferrandis, Jos\u00e9 Manuel Rodr\u00edguez, Natalia Mart\u00ednez, Iv\u00e1n Cerde\u00f1o, Paz \u00c1lvarez y Beatriz Casares.<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

During the event, the jury members highlighted the high level of the participants and decided that Pacto Ra\u00edz’s entry was the winner of this sixth edition of the “Best Paquito in Madrid” competition. Chef Iv\u00e1n Cerde\u00f1o emphasized the high quality of all the Paquitos submitted, stating that “any one of them could have won,” and stressed that for him, “the important thing in a Paquito is that the lamb is the star: a meat with a lot of flavor, with a lot of personality. Of all the meats we chefs usually work with, it’s one of the most characterful, and the challenge lies in finding the balance between the lamb’s distinctive flavor, its fat, and the acidity of the sauces and pickles.” The jury especially valued originality, rewarding cuts that respect the product’s identity.<\/p>\n

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A Winning Paquito<\/p>\n

Chefs Alex Marug\u00e1n, Roc\u00edo Mart\u00ednez, and Andr\u00e9 Chumbe of Pacto Ra\u00edz presented a suckling lamb sandwich using a John Torres French sauce. “We make a traditional chimichurri mayonnaise, add a cured sheep and goat cheese, a xnipec onion that we’ve been pickling and fermenting for a week, the leg of suckling lamb seared over high heat with a drop of soy sauce and honey and a drop of yondu, and that’s it,” explains Alex Marug\u00e1n, who was thrilled to achieve a perfect record of victories. Since winning the first edition of the Best Paquito in Madrid with his lamb sandwich from Tres por Cuatro, he hadn’t entered the competition again. “Winning the Paquito for the second time was, first of all, unexpected, because it’s already difficult to win it once, let alone win it twice out of the two times we’ve entered.” “And the truth is, it’s always a joy to win an award, because of the impact it has, because of the recognition. From now on, I’m going to call myself Alex Paquito,” he joked.<\/p>\n

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\"Alex<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alex Marug\u00e1n amd Roc\u00edo Mart\u00ednez preparing the Pacto Ra\u00edz Paquito during the Best Paquito in Madrid competition.<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

In addition, two finalists were also selected: the first, Bikini Bar, presented by chef Joaqu\u00edn Barbeito, was a kid goat Paquito cooked at a low temperature and served on a Folgueroles coca (a type of flatbread). “We steam the kid goat shoulder for ten hours at 85 degrees Celsius and then shred it. With the garlic from the cooking process and the juices from the shoulder, we make a lactonesa (a type of mayonnaise) that we spread on the bread.” “It’s served with a demi-glace we make with the jus from meat cooked for three days and an oyster sauce. It also includes romaine lettuce, spring onion, and chives,” he explains. He adds, “We use kid goat shoulder because it’s richer, shreds better, and is more flavorful.”<\/p>\n

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The second finalist was Roberto Mart\u00ednez of Tripea’s Paquito de cordero yearnal (young lamb sandwich). The chef opted to present a sandwich with Obrador M\u00e1ximo’s baked roll, a base of yellow chili aioli, and using lamb neck, “a cut we like for its juiciness and collagen, and ultimately, for how tender it is.” He explains, “We brine it for 12 hours and cook it sous vide in a spice-infused broth. Once deboned, it’s mixed with a sweet and sour tipacay sauce that includes many spices: cumin, star anise, cinnamon, and a touch of chili.” All of this is glazed along with the boneless lamb, and we finish it with a salad of onion, lime, and cilantro.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Paquito has won over more than 300 bars and restaurants in Spain.<\/p>\n

The competition to find the best Paquito in Madrid was held in 2026 following the Ruta del Paquito (Paquito Route), an initiative supported by INTEROVIC (Interprofessional Agri-food Association for Sheep and Goat Meat) that aims to highlight the virtues of Spanish lamb, especially among younger consumers, and showcase the versatility of this exceptionally tender and flavorful meat. In 2019, the Paquito arrived in 40 bars and restaurants in Madrid. This year’s edition has been its most ambitious to date: more than 300 bars and restaurants offered their original versions of the Paquito for a month in over 40 cities across 15 Spanish provinces, including Madrid, Barcelona, \u200b\u200bLleida, Valencia, Alicante, Badajoz, C\u00e1ceres, Toledo, Ciudad Real, Albacete, Cuenca, Teruel, Zaragoza, Huesca, and Pamplona.<\/p>\n

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Commitment to Sustainability<\/p>\n

In line with its European campaign “Celebrate the everyday with lamb,” INTEROVIC highlights the environmental benefits of consuming lamb and goat meat, two of the most sustainable meats within the European Union. Their production in Spain, carried out on more than 110,000 sheep farms and 75,000 goat farms in rural areas, contributes significantly to the preservation of natural landscapes, improves soil fertility, and supports biodiversity. Furthermore, these rural farms are essential for economic development in areas that otherwise could not be used for other agricultural purposes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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