Michelin Guide awards new stars to 31 Spanish restaurants

The prestigious organization held an in-person ceremony in Valencia, where it announced the newest accolades

In attendance at the Palau de las Artes opera house were key figures from Spain’s gastronomic scene, coordinated by leading chef Quique Dacosta, whose Michelin Star restaurant is to be found in Denia.

A total of 31 Spanish restaurants received new stars. For most, it was their first, but four of them have now become two-star establishments.

“We are very lucky and honoured to achieve this recognition in such difficult times as those we are all living through right now,” came the emotional words from Paulo Airaudo, chef at Amelia in San Sebastián, in the Basque Country. The restaurant was bumped up to two stars at Tuesday’s ceremony.

Three Star Restaurants

In the last edition of the guide, there were 11 three-star restaurants, and this situation remains unchanged for the 2022 edition.

They are the ‘Arzak’ which has held this honour for thirty yeras and counts on Elena Arzak at the helm. ‘Akelarre’ with chef Pedro Subijana, Martín Berasategui at ‘Martín Berasategui’, ‘Lasarte’ in Barcelona also run by Berasategui and with Paolo Casagrande. Also ‘Celler de Can Roca’, ‘Quique Dacosta’, ‘Azurmendi’ with chef Eneko Atxa, ‘Aponiente with Ángel León, ABaC with Jordi Cruz, DiverXo with Dabiz Muñoz and Cenador de Amós run by Jesús Sánchez.

These top-rated restaurants (the stars go to the establishment, not the chef) are the only ones on the peninsula. The last restaurant in Spain to be granted the top accolade was Cenador de Amós, in the 2020 guide.

Just four new Spanish restaurants will have two stars in 2022, and they are located in San Sebastián, the Balearic Island of Mallorca, Toledo and Madrid.

Amelia is the project from chef Paulo Airaudo in San Sebastián. It’s an intimate setting with a bar and three tables, and is located inside the Villa Favorita hotel, overlooking the bay of La Concha. It had already won a single star thanks to its skilful and delicate mix of Argentine, Italian and Japanese culinary influences. “We are very happy to have contributed to a city that is brimming with great chefs,” said Airaudo when he was given his new jacket.

Voro, in Mallorca, was another of the two-star winners. The dishes from Andalusian chef Álvaro Salazar are Mediterranean creations that are “free and unbound,” according to the guide, with a subtle matching of textures and undertones. The restaurant, which is located in the Park Hyatt Hotel in Canayamel, had already picked up one star in the 2020 edition.

The eponymous restaurant from Iván Cerdeño, located in Toledo and which enjoys beautiful views of the city, also improved its classification thanks to its “homage to the produce from La Mancha, with creative and innovative compositions,” according to Michelin. The cuisine is focused on the local surroundings, with a particular focus on game dishes.

Of particular note at this year’s awards was the direct granting of two stars to an establishment that opened in June of this year: Smoked Room, a restaurant with just a few tables that focuses on grilling and smoking its dishes. The Michelin judges were “enchanted by the preparations with their subtle touches of smoke.” The restaurant is located in the Castellana Hyatt Regency Hesperia hotel, which was previously home to the iconic Santceloni. Both Smoked Room and neighboring Leña belong to Grupo Dani García.

A total of 27 establishments all over Spain walked away from last night’s ceremony with one Michelin star. The Valencia region took six, with many female chefs among the winners.

Some of the winners have brought the shine of previous projects to their new establishments. This is the case of Ment, the restaurant that Oscar Calleja opened in Salamanca after closing his two-star Annua in San Vicente de la Barquera. El Serbal, meanwhile, which has been moved to El Sardinero beach in Santander.

“Despite being a complicated year for the gastronomy sector, the gourmets will be delighted to see that Spain and Portugal are seeing an impressive number of new restaurants with stars springing up throughout the territory,” said a source at Michelin, whose inspectors completed their reports in October.

Many thanks to El País