Amaya García Madrid

Madrid

Updated Friday, February 9, 2024-00:46

There are texts that are more difficult to write than expected and this is, without a doubt, one of them. A few days ago we visited the first

Parking Pizza

location in Madrid, right on Paseo de la Castellana. There we were welcomed by

Marcos Armenteras

(60) and

Berta Bernat

(50), the personal and professional tandem behind this project that has turned the Italian classic into a temptation in Barcelona; Now they wanted to conquer Madrid with their exquisite pizzas. Unfortunately, at the beginning of the week Marcos died from a massive heart attack. Despite everything, the team wanted us to tell it in these lines to also reflect the excitement that Marcos himself conveyed when he talked about the beautiful stage he was experiencing.

The couple met in the Tragaluz group

, a benchmark in the world of hospitality. He worked there 17 years; she, 12. Like everything in life, there came a time when they considered flying alone. They took a sabbatical year, traveled, analyzed trends in the sector and looked for their space. "We realized that in Barcelona the pizzas were horrible," commented Berta. From the beginning they planned to set up something modest, a space in which to eat delicious food and feel at home. «We found a small place on 98 London Street and we launched. We installed an oven, we put up some long tables, a menu with eight or ten pizzas and beer,” Marcos recalled. The focus was on the quality of both the dough and the ingredients. At first they called it Garage Pizza, but they soon got tired of it and changed it to Parking Pizza.

SERGIO G. VALERO

Two weeks after opening, the success caught them by surprise. Berta worked in the kitchen and Marcos in the living room. "We hired a master pizza maker to train us and help us with the dough issue," which is where a good part of the success of their pizzas lies. The long fermentation and a careful selection of ingredients, essentially Mediterranean, resulted in

a crispy pizza with a powerful combination of flavors

.

In 2015 they opened the first location and in 2017 the second. "At Idealista we were looking for spaces that were in garages," he said. The second one they opened was at Passeig de Sant Joan, 56, in an old 500 square meter parking lot, super spacious and with lots of natural light; It was located in the inner courtyard of a block. «

No two Parking Pizzas are the same, although they maintain an essence, with a modern-industrial air

», explained Berta. At this point the name of Parking Pizza was shining in the city. Even Ferran Adrià himself told them when they met: "You are the ones who made the first quality pizzas in Barcelona." Marcos was a little embarrassed to share the anecdote in public. Today they have four stores in the Catalan capital.

They work mainly with a wood oven and in view of the diners. "The important thing is to achieve regularity in what you offer," insisted Marcos, who summed up the success of the brand in one phrase: "Do simple things, but do them very well."

On the menu they offer just over ten pizzas

, with the margherita and the black truffle pizza - with fontina cheese, egg and parmesan - as hits. The salads are prepared with the same care - blue cheese, Greek and Caesar - and over the years they have incorporated some pasta dishes, such as futicini putanesca. As far as desserts are concerned, it is fair to mention them all because they are brutal: there is tiramisu, fine chocolate and cookie cake, artisanal ice cream and affogato, coffee with vanilla ice cream.

SERGIO G. VALERO

The staff is a team of 125 people

. Many were selected by Marcos himself, although as the group has grown they delegated certain functions for organizational reasons. "Many times I have been guided more by the attitude and impression that someone has made on me when having a conversation than by the training they had on their resume," he said, sitting at one of the tables in the new space in Madrid (260 square meters between terrace and interior) without losing detail of what was happening around them.

The Castellana location has only been open for a few weeks. "In Barcelona we go to our restaurants a lot to see how they work, where we can improve, to see the atmosphere," Berta explained. "You always find some little mistake."

She is more into the detail and quality of customer service

; Marcos focused on numbers and the global business. "In March we plan to open the second location in Madrid, on Monte Esquinza Street, and in Barcelona we will open the fifth in a couple of months," he said excitedly. The expansion plan had been well thought out by the couple. "We don't want to lose our personality and that can be achieved if you are attentive to your business," commented Berta, who wanted to pay tribute to Marcos in these lines.

In Paseo de la Castellana, 89. Tel: 913229603. Average price, 20 euros