Manuel Muñoz was born in Seville, but he has lived in Lanzarote for more than half his life. He worked in hospitality, as a dishwasher first and then a waiter, until he decided to start his own business.In an interview with the radio program Más de Uno Gourmet on Radio Lanzarote-Onda Cero, he talks about his professional career and his business in Tías, the Mamud burger joint.
The name of the hamburger joint, Mamud, comes from his initials, Manuel Muñoz Delgado, although he admits he took advantage of the similarity with the word mammoth to make his logo a pachyderm.
When asked why a burger joint and not a more generic restaurant, Muñoz has no doubts: "What I really like are burgers, I'm crazy about them, and I thought about making them my way."
To stand out from the rest, Muñoz jokes that some burger joints even offer "burgers with cheesecakes inside." He acknowledges that Mamud also tries to do different things, like using "colored buns," but believes that "a good burger needs good bread, good meat, cheese, sauce, and then something extra like caramelized onions."
Muñoz explains that his menu includes “smash and medallion burgers, made with aged beef, cooked on a charcoal grill,” but also “Angus ribeye, sirloin, and T-bone steak.”
The restaurateur also shares that the meat in his burgers has no seasonings, "because we believe it has enough quality to speak for itself."
It also offers other dishes such as “nachos, potatoes with fried chicken or with parmesan cheese, macaroni and cheese, or chicken fingers”.
Regarding the **smashed style**, Muñoz explains that "it means to smash and there are several techniques. There's the Lazy Edge, which has a plump center and crispy edges, which is what we try to do. Another technique, for example, is the Ultra Smash, which is completely flattened."
Regarding the different types of burgers that can be found at Mamut, the entrepreneur explains: "I always try to make some that are a little sweet, others that are a little spicy, and others that are a little stronger in flavor, which I achieve, among other ingredients, thanks to 'caramelized onion, spicy sauce, or homemade pickled cucumbers so that in the end you have an explosion of flavor and umami'."
Regarding bread, “right now we use bread from Juanito Baker. We started with artisanal, handmade bread from Tenerife, but the logistics ultimately failed us and we had no other choice”.
Among Mamud's creations, the Lanzarote product shines, for example, "in the smoked hamburger, the best-seller, which includes **Montaña de Haría cheese**"
Mamud burger joint, which also offers vegan burgers and gluten-free bread, is located at 103 Avenida Central in Tías and is open from 1:00 PM to 3:30 PM and from 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM, except on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for staff rest.