Lorea Olávarri: when good cooking doesn't need context (or drama)

The luxury of simplicity

A potato bread like any other—albeit a well-executed one—with crème fraîche, caviar, hazelnut butter, and chives, was what launched his career as a chef. The difference? Flavors so distinct that they reveal dedication, time taken to taste, to find the best ingredients.

The magic happens not only in the bite, but in the ecosystem she built at Er Rre: a small and simple place at first glance but full of details that explain Lorea's creative mind without making us lose our footing: it's about making you feel comforted, like a guest in her home.

Lorea doesn't use spherification. Nor does she present dishes with smoke or sparklers. Her aim is to demonstrate that true luxury lies in what appears simple but is full of technique and attention to detail. She's self-taught, so her dishes reveal perseverance—the kind that tastes delicious and makes you want to order everything.

Er Rre, when it first opened, was a place where reservations had to be made weeks—and sometimes months—in advance. Then came the opportunity for a more ambitious project that would explore classic cuisine through Lorea's eyes, but now from a more mature perspective as a chef. And so Lorenzo was born, in the Condesa neighborhood of Mexico City.

Classic cuisine, modern vision

Here, the perfectly cooked duck shines, along with the potato breads with caviar and crème fraîche—now in a smaller version—and one of the few beef Wellingtons worth mentioning. Just like in their first restaurant, the design speaks for itself, and the concept is well thought out so that everything makes sense: the sip of wine, the impeccable service, the spotless tablecloths, the carefully prepared dishes.

Olávarri doesn't need to insist that the vegetables he uses were cultivated by the archangels themselves, nor that the eggs he buys were laid by a golden hen fed on the celestial pastures of Mount Olympus: he assumes that a word to the wise is sufficient. There's a story, of course, but he doesn't overuse it. He prefers to let each diner construct their own narrative.

Precious stones and shiny saucers

The Olávarri family's table was always nourished by travel, conversation, family, guests, and the common thread that connects it all: good food. Odette, one of the two daughters, discovered her vocation as a cook immediately and entered Le Cordon Bleu, later becoming a rising culinary star in Mexico City. In the case of her sister, Lorea, things were different: she was more drawn to aesthetics, art, and detail, but not the kind found on a plate.

“We used to cook at home, I loved it. And it’s those memories that connect with my restaurants: I like them to be full of friends, of family, that they feel cared for and at ease.”

After studying design, Lorea entered the professional world with a jewelry line that would pave the way for her culinary projects and share their essence: unique, understated pieces, oriented towards classic elegance, much like her current culinary offerings. However, it wasn't until the pandemic that her first opportunity related to cooking came her way. A small shop very close to Odette's newly opened bakery, where she would offer fresh pasta and takeout in one of Mexico City's most exclusive areas; thus, Nero was born.

The leap to a higher level came two years later, thanks to the vote of confidence from the person with whom she now partners in her other projects. “He was a restaurant manager and I was a designer who loved to cook. At first, we considered the project crazy; a mistake. That's where the name Er Rre comes from,” she recalls.

The intention was for the place to be as close as possible to how she remembered family meals and after-dinner conversations: intimate, relaxed, well-done without being pretentious. Meticulous in every detail, including, of course, the interior design and conceptual framework, the project began at the end of 2022. It didn't take long for its tables to fill up.

In December 2025, she expanded her horizons with Lorenzo, a more ambitious restaurant that speaks more to her inner world, to that voice that drives her to cook better and better and to dare to take risks. Here, the cuisine is more complex, without straying from classic French traditions.

In total, Lorea leads approximately 45 people. She makes sure everything makes sense. She provides direct customer service. She monitors, tests, adjusts, and improves. Across her three businesses. And she's 28 years old.

Challenge the system

Figures like Lorea raise a question that needs to be addressed (especially in the aftermath of the Noma scandal): Is a résumé necessary to validate culinary talent? What lies behind this success? Chance, privilege, talent, perseverance, or a bit of everything? Lorea Olávarri acknowledges that she used her privileges as a platform to build, alongside her partner Juan José, a project that has brought her unprecedented acclaim in an industry that is devastating for many and that was completely foreign to her just a few years ago. She owns one of the most acclaimed bistros in Mexico City and didn't have to submit to any Redzepi or endure the working conditions of many Mexican kitchens. Is her story commonplace? Of course not. But is it worth recognizing? Absolutely.