Tonight, the MICHELIN Guide Spain 2024 selection was revealed with a total of 1266 restaurants, of which 271 have been awarded MICHELIN Stars, including two restaurants with Three MICHELIN Stars. A dazzling selection of new additions from Spain were presented alongside Portugal, which gains its own Guide for 2024 with a celebratory Gala in the Algarve on February 27, 2024.
The Spanish gastronomic scene continues to appear unstoppable, as we are seeing how young chefs, who are normally trained in establishments of great prestige, are embarking on the adventure of opening their own businesses both in big cities and small towns, and in many cases extolling their links with the region and promoting the local economy.
In turn, new centers of attraction are appearing for gourmets, who see how the offer is renewed, continues to grow, and takes on special importance within many hotels.
This sentiment is echoed by Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the MICHELIN Guide. "Year after year, Spain continues to impress our inspectors. Here, chefs and their teams are forging not only one of the most unique gastronomic scenes, but one that inspires the world. The level of creativity and personality displayed in often pioneering restaurants is matched only by the deepest respect for ancestral culinary traditions, proudly defended in territories that together constitute a veritable gastronomic mosaic. With no fewer than 34 establishments awarded one or more MICHELIN Stars—including Disfrutar and Noor Restaurants, which have climbed to the top of the world gastronomic ladder—and Casa Marcial restaurants newly earning the MICHELIN Green Star, our 2024 selection fully illustrates these underlying trends."
Two restaurants are awarded Third MICHELIN Star
With the two new additions to this category, the MICHELIN Guide reaches levels never seen before and offers up a total of 15 restaurants, true culinary temples, to the altar of gastronomy.
Disfrutar, Barcelona
The essence of Disfrutar, the restaurant run by chefs Mateu Casañas, Oriol Castro and Eduard Xatruch beside the Ninot Market in Barcelona, can of course be seen in each of its dishes, but what most stands out is all the creativity behind each one of these, hidden from the untrained eye. In this restaurant, they are at the cutting edge of cuisine when it comes to applying new techniques (solid butter bubbles, multiple molded spherical creations, flourless puff pastries, etc.) so that people can experience a moment of authentic delight based on character, personality and passion. They decode Mediterranean cuisine and its flavors from a constant evolution, with reference dishes (such as their multi-spherical pesto with eel and pistachio) that have become icons of the research applied to haute cuisine.Noor, Córdoba
Of course, we are looking at a magnificent restaurant, although we must all go beyond culinary terms to see this establishment as an authentic “cultural project”. The chef, Paco Morales, is a master craftsman of cuisine, but with the distinctive feature of enriching this with details typical of an archeologist who, expertly assisted by a multi-disciplinary team, seeks to recover the historical essence of what Andalusian cuisine used to be. Every year, just like someone seeking to investigate a real temporal layer, he focuses on a set historical period, which has led him to create specific menus that have told us of the reigns of the Taifas in the 10th century, the califate, the Almoravid dynasty of the 12th century, or the Golden Age in the 16th Century by experimenting with the culinary connections to the new world. As such, going to his restaurant means tasting history through unforgettable mouthfuls.Apart from these two new additions enriching the prestigious selection of Three-MICHELIN-Star restaurants offering unique cuisine that is “worth the journey” for itself, the establishments that have seen their work maintain them in the highest category are:
ABaC (Barcelona), Cocina Hermanos Torres (Barcelona) Lasarte (Barcelona), Atrio (Cáceres), Quique Dacosta (Dénia), Akelaŕe (Donostia/San Sebastian), Arzak (Donostia/San Sebastian), Aponiente (El Puerto de Santa María), El Celler de Can Roca (Girona), Azurmendi (Larrabetzu), Martín Berasategui (Lasarte-Oria), DiverXO (Madrid) and Cenador de Amós (Villaverde de Pontones).
A Riojan restaurant awarded Two MICHELIN Stars
The award presented to the Riojan restaurant Venta Moncalvillo, which moves up a grade in the MICHELIN Guide distinctions, definitively puts its small village (of only around 50 inhabitants) on the global gastronomic map. Rarely are the definitions of our awards so exemplary: Exceptional cuisine. Worth the detour!
With this addition to the 2024 selection, the Guide counts 32 restaurants with Two MICHELIN Stars.
Venta Moncalvillo, Daroca de Rioja
The brothers Ignacio and Carlos Echapresto, with the former in the kitchen and the latter in charge of both service in the dining room and the magnificent wine cellar, have continued to evolve and work around the kitchen garden, the epicenter of their culinary philosophy. Without deliberately complex creations, since they tend to combine only two or three elements, they seek the honesty and purity of each flavor, exalting transitoriness and making us participants in both the biodynamics of each crop and the personality of the surroundings, more visible from the dining room after the latest, successful reforms.
31 new restaurants are awarded One MICHELIN Star
The MICHELIN Guide Spain 2024 takes a leap forward in quality with the addition of 31 new restaurants that have been awarded their first MICHELIN Star. Among these new additions, we can highlight the amazing proliferation of haute cuisine restaurants in Madrid (CEBO, Desde 1911, El Club Allard, OSA, Santerra, and Toki) and the appearance of a new focal point of gastronomic interest in Jaén, as by adding to this select group establishments such as Malak and Radis, which are joining those already in the region (Vandelvira, in Baeza also stands out), this Andalusian province is positioning itself as a new center of gastronomy.
Moreover, besides the usual spread of new Stars across the peninsula, we are delighted to see how the Balearic Islands (Andreu Genestra, Omakase by Walt, Sa Clastra, and Unic) and Canary Islands (Bevir, Haydée, and Taste 1973) are continuing to show prominence and gain gastronomic significance, one of the best trump cards for its already full tourism offer.
NEWS ONE MICHELIN STAR 2024
Ávila – Barro
Axpe – Txispa
Baeza – Vandelvira
Barcelona – Suto
Barcelona – Quirat
Benissa – Casa Bernardi
Calp – Orobianco
Canfranc-Estación – Canfranc Express
El Puerto de Santa María – Tohqa
Fisterra – Terra
Gijón – Marcos
Gran Canaria / Las Palmas de Gran Canaria – Bevir
Ibiza / Eivissa – Omakase by Walt
Ibiza / Sant Josep de sa Talaia – Unic
Jaén – Radis
Jaén – Malak
Madrid – CEBO
Madrid – Santerra
Madrid – El Club Allard
Madrid – Desde 1911
Madrid – Toki
Madrid – OSA
Mallorca / Es Capdellà – Sa Clastra
Mallorca / Llucmajor – Andreu Genestra
Marbella – BACK
Miranda de Ebro – Erre de Roca
Oviedo – NM
Pamplona – Kabo
Tenerife / La Orotava – Haydée
Tenerife / Playa de las Américas – Taste 1973
València – Fraula
With the addition of these 31 new One-MICHELIN-Star establishments, coupled with those that have retained their award from last year, there are a total of 224 restaurants with One MICHELIN Star in Spain.
12 new MICHELIN Green Stars step into the spotlight
The MICHELIN Guide Spain 2024 selection is to be congratulated with the addition of 12 new Green Stars, an award recognizing the initiatives and special efforts made by these restaurants in terms of gastronomic sustainability. With these, the number of Green Stars in Spain reaches 49 establishments.
Amposta - L'Algadir del Delta
Arriondas - Casa Marcial
Ávila – Barro
Castelló d’Empúries – Emporium
Caimari (Mallorca) – Ca Na Toneta
Llucmajor (Mallorca) – Andreu Genestra
Sant Antoni de Portmany (Eivissa) – Es Tragón
Sóller (Mallorca) – Béns d’Avall
San Feliz – Monte
Sigüenza – El Molino de Alcuneza
Urdaitz – El Molino de Urdániz
Valverde del Fresno – Hábitat Cigüeña Negra
The purpose of the Green Star, which entered the MICHELIN Guide in 2020, is to reward or recognize the restaurants that are the most promising in terms of sustainability, as it sees these as the benchmarks for the sector when it comes to supporting gastronomy with an environmental approach.
23 new Bib Gourmand
Since their appearance in 1997, they have encouraged gourmets from across the world by reflecting more affordable options in quality cuisine.
The 2024 Bib Gourmand selection for Spain showcases a total of 229 restaurants, of which 23 are new. As a general rule, these establishments, which can offer all types of cuisine, stand out for their good quality/price ratio, offering a full menu - for lunch or dinner.
4 Special Awards in the MICHELIN Guide 2024 selection
• Young Chef Award 2024 – presented by MAKRO
Chef Martina Puigvert, who runs the kitchens at Les Cols (Two MICHELIN Stars, Olot) beside her mother Fina Puigdevall, exemplifies self-discipline and has earned this award for demonstrating, every day, that she has her own personality and a tremendously promising future.
• MICHELIN Service Award 2024 – presented by The Glenrothes
Joan Carles Ibáñez, at the front of house in the Lasarte restaurant (Three MICHELIN Stars, Barcelona), received this award in recognition of his work and dedication, demonstrating that he has a gift for knowing what every diner needs.
• MICHELIN Chef Mentor Award 2024 – presented by Blancpain
The Chef Mentor, one of the most acclaimed awards for the human importance it plays in recognizing a method of sensing and passing on gastronomy to new generations, has this year been awarded to the maestro Juan Mari Arzak, who still continues work as a cook beside his daughter, Elena, at the emblematic Arzak (Three MICHELIN Stars, Donostia/San Sebastian).
• MICHELIN Sommelier Award 2024 – presented by Vila Viniteca
Josep Roca i Fontané, the sommelier who takes care of the drinks at El Celler de Can Roca (Three MICHELIN Stars, Girona), received this award for his hard work at the front of house, elevating the experience even higher with his pairings and having us share his wide knowledge, which always extols the hidden human component behind every bottle.
The selection of hotels in the MICHELIN Guide Spain complements the restaurant selection and is available free of charge on the MICHELIN Guide website and app. The selection showcases unique and truly moving destinations both in Spain and throughout the world. Every hotel in the selection has been chosen by the MICHELIN Guide experts for its extraordinary style, service, and personality, and they can all be booked directly via the MICHELIN Guide website and app. Some of the most prominent hotels in this selection in Spain include intimate designer boutique hotels and unique establishments from our “Plus” collection. The MICHELIN Guide, which is a benchmark in the world of gastronomy, is now setting a new standard for hotels. Visit the MICHELIN Guide website or download the mobile app free of charge on your smartphone to discover all the MICHELIN Guide selections and book unforgettable hotels and restaurants.
The MICHELIN Guide Spain 2024 selection at a glance:
3 Stars: 15 restaurants (2 new)2 Stars: 32 restaurants (1 new)
1 Star: 224 restaurants (31 new)
Green Star: 49 restaurants (12 new)
Bib Gourmand: 229 restaurants (23 new)
Recommended: 766 restaurants (91 new)
Andorra, which is also included in this issue’s selection, has 5 recommended restaurants, one of which has been awarded One MICHELIN Star.
The MICHELIN Guide Spain selection is available free of charge on both the MICHELIN Guide website www.guide.michelin.com and app (available for iOS and Android). The print edition will also be available in bookstores as of January.
Hero image: Pear, passion fruit and lime © Mikel Ponce/Marcos
