PROFILE

Italo-Argentinian Mauro Colagreco is Chef Patron of restaurant Mirazur, located in Menton on the Cote D’Azur. His training began at the Gato Dumas hotel school in Buenos Aires, where he worked in some of the city’s most prestigious restaurants including Catalinas, Rey Castro, Mariani and Azul Profundo.
In 2001, as a newly qualified chef, Colagreco headed to France and took an internship with Bernard Loiseau, where he remained as demi-chef de partie until Loiseau’s death in 2003. He then worked in Paris and held the positions of sous-chef de cuisine to Alain Passard at l’Arpège, demi-chef de partie at Alain Ducasse at the Hotel Plaza Athénée, finally spending a year at Le Grand Véfour.
In 2006, Colagreco established Mirazur in Menton in an unusual 1950’s Modernist building, with sweeping views of the Mediterranean. Just six months after opening, Colagreco received the ‘Revelation of the Year’ award, a brand new category to recognise his merits from Gault Millau and in less than a year, his first Michelin star.
In 2009, Mirazur became officially one of the best restaurants in the world listed in The S.Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurant list. The list has become the most anticipated indicator of the best places to eat globally. In the same year, Colagreco was also awarded “Chef of the Year” by the prestigious Gault & Millau restaurant guide - the first non-French chef ever to have received this title.
In 2010, Mirazur gained 4 toques Gault&Millau Guide to France 2010, in February 2012 Mauro Colagreco was awarded his second Michelin star and a prestigious third star in February 2019.
Mirazur is officially one of the top 50 best restaurants in the world according to The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2017 list at number 3. If a chef is judged by the strength of his customer reviews, then Mauro Colagreco, Chef Patron at Mirazur in Menton on the Cote D’Azur, is one of the best in the world. Understandably so, as his particular guests are some of the greatest culinary critics, chefs and lovers of gastronomy who regularly travel to his sun drenched restaurant in a yearly pilgrimage.
In just a few years as a professional chef, Colagreco has already garnered a worldwide following for his simplistic yet creative approach to local, seasonal cuisine.
The world of gastronomy has also recognised his achievements. He received his first Michelin star in 2006 and was awarded “Chef of the Year” in 2009 by the prestigious Gault & Millau restaurant guide - the first non-French chef ever to have received this title. A second Michelin star followed in 2012, Mirazur reached no3 in The World’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards in 2018, and Mauro was awarded a third Michelin star in 2019.
Set in a landscape between the mountains and the sea, Mirazur is housed in an impressive, angular, 1950’s building and lies behind the old town of Menton, with views over the harbour of Garavan. Its south facing position provides the perfect environment for Colagreco to grow a vast vegetable garden, harvest his own avocados from a two hundred year old tree and pick the best and ripest fruit from the citrus orchard.
Perhaps Colagreco's most celebrated characteristic is his ability to seamlessly marry the land and sea. His menu draws comfortably from local seafood found in the Bay of Menton, delicacies from the region and produce from his own private gardens and orchards.
Mauro Colagreco’s cuisine defies categorisation. His dishes embrace the surroundings in a unique and all-encompassing way. Mauro’s skill lies in his sensitive balance of taste and flavour, allowing each magnificent ingredient its place. Indeed his attention to detail even considers the effects of the air in the restaurant. Guests of Mirazur dine al fresco in an open restaurant, surrounded by the gentle salt kissed breezes from the sea below and Mauro balances his flavours accordingly. Mauro Colagreco brings a living energy to the plate that just simply makes you feel better for having eaten his food.
The menu at Mirazur offers a selection of dishes that define the warmth, the aroma and the purity of the South of France. A champion of local, sustainable ingredients the menu communicates a strong sense of place. The extensive variety of seasonal vegetables from his garden is complimented by a repertoire of over 150 local herbs and flowers, which form the foundation of so many of his dishes. If one had to explain the colour green for the first time, it would be defined in the tastes and flavours of his cuisine.
With the Italian border just 30 metres from Mirazur’s front door, Colagreco has the pick of the markets on the Ligurian coast on the Italian side and those of the Côte d'Azur on the French side. His menu showcases the very best of both locales.
In a quest to encourage diners to taste the raw purity of his food, Mauro keeps things simple. Signature dishes include Langoustine in Dashi Broth and Gamberoni di San Remo - the large red/pink prawns Parisians crave, because they won’t last the journey to Paris!
Perfectly matched with an impressive wine list reflecting small boutique regional vineyards, which sit happily alongside a more traditional international selection. There is also of course, a soft bias toward his Argentinean roots. Every single stage of the dining experience at Mirazur has been creatively designed and carefully planned, to ensure that your experience is unforgettable, delicious and above all fun.
Set over three levels, the restaurant offers panoramic views of the harbour, the bay of Menton and the terraced orchards and gardens of Mirazur. The views, the aromatic perfume from the gardens and the subtle taste of salt in the sea breeze, bring a sensory enjoyment that can only be experienced at Mirazur. This breathtaking location provides an intimate romantic setting in which to enjoy Mauro Colagreco’s awarded cuisine and the dining experience offered by him is truly magical.

AWARDS
2019 World 50 Best Restaurants No.1
　　Michelin 3 star
2018 World 50 Best Restaurants No.3
2012 Michelin 2 star
2010 Gault&Millau 4 toques
2009 Gault&Millau Chef of the Year」

2007 Michelin 1 star 

2006 Gault&Millau「Revelation of the Year」