The Best Restaurants in Spain
Rejoice, a restaurant with a wholly fitting name: Noor, meaning “light” in Arabic, takes a deep dive into the historic food culture of <i>Al-Andalus</i>, Moorish medieval Spain. Noor illuminates with a contemporary culinary and visual lens how it still permeates Andalusian cuisine. Noor’s chef-patron Paco Morales credits his time with Ferran Adrià’s El Bulli as giving him the confidence to be adventurously creative. A further five years as head chef of San Sebastian’s avant-garde Mugaritz further informs his trailblazing approach. It is a restaurant like no other in Andalusia and is now putting Cordoba on the contemporary world culinary map. Entering Noor, a new building in the modest Canero district of Cordoba where Morales grew up and his family run a chicken takeaway shop, feels like being cosseted in a sanctuary to gourmet exploration. Guests are transported “outside in” to a serene <i>riad</i> style patio with modernist <i>zellij</i> inspired floor tiles and Mudejar motifs picked up on the walls, the open kitchen, even the tableware and cutlery rests. Many of the motifs repeated in the presentation of the food are also inspired by Medina Azahara, the ruins of an Arab Muslim medieval palace on the outskirts of the city. By way of greeting, diners are offered a ritual hand wash with water poured from a copper vessel in a stone basin. It sets the tone for a menu of thoughtful beauty. Noor’s tasting menus over its first three years – when Morales gained 2 Michelin stars with startling alacrity – focused on exploring Moorish influences on Spanish cooking. The latest menu introduces ingredients brought from the New World by the <i>conquistadores</i>: from tomatoes and avocado to myriad chilies, corn and cacao. It is a total visual feast: like eating time and history served with almost balletic, choreographed precision. To detail every dish would spoil the sense of wonderment. Among appetisers, Peruvian layered potato with Iberian pork and shrimp stands out for its delicacy and playful mixing of culinary cultures. A series of small plates mix ingredients in exquisite dishes that play on texture as much as flavour and visual cues. There is a superlative, thrillingly different take on beef tartare served on fried corn polenta with pine nuts and saffron flowers; white prawns are marinated in carob and Cascabel chilli for a delicate sour-sweet-fruity flavour bomb. Roasted squab is presented dramatically with a 70% cacao ingot, its theatre enhanced by the punch of black Recado chili, the exoticism of persimmon fruit, the fresh lactic tang of <i>labneh</i> and, because it is a luxury restaurant after all, a scattering of caviar. Desserts are a little less captivating, though Ceuta lemon with mint sponge cake, coriander snow and black pepper had a striking purity and beautifully refreshed the palate after the richness of the squab. Served with a local Montilla-Moriles Moscatel, it was elevated it to something special. Throughout, the drink pairings are very special, even provocative, with much emphasis on Cordoban fortified wines, top Alsace, Austrian, Spanish and Lebanese producers. Is Paco Morales’ cooking magical realism on a plate? It is certainly exceptional gastronomic escapism. Paco Morales also opened El Bar two years ago for a more informal introduction to his innovative cooking. There he features dishes including <i>nigiri Andalusi</i> made with couscous rather than Japanese rice, combined with impeccable iterations of Andalusian classic tapas. Reviewed by Sudi Pigott
In the tiny village of Axpe in northern Spain, against the stunning backdrop of the Basque mountains, an hour’s drive from San Sebastián, Etxebarri has slowly cemented its reputation as one of the best restaurants in the world. Self-taught chef-owner Victor Arguinzoniz cooks everything over la brasa, a huge grill with a system of winches and pulleys to lower and raise ingredients towards the heat – he even makes his own charcoal in a kiln, using different wood to suit specific ingredients. His and his team’s attention to detail is mesmerising. They smoke their home-made butter, salt their own anchovies, and keep live Palamós prawns in sea water to ensure that when kissing the grill, they are as fresh as they can possibly be. Simply grilled and served, they are a star dish with incredible depth of flavour. Grilled baby squid is delivered with equal precision, showing no char from the grill, having been gently smoked – the manipulation of smoke is a key part of many of the nuances in each dish. Oysters are grilled in their shells, as are fat, smoky mussels, and rarer items like sea cucumber. Txuleton steaks from Rubia Gallega Galician cows are cooked over grape vines, the ultimate expression for this prized meat. Even desserts carry the influence of the grill, even an apple tart is served with smoked milk ice cream. Open for just six lunches a week, serving in a simple, unpretentious stone-adorned dining room, Etxebarri continues to be a site of pilgrimage for food lovers – it is worth the trek.
At the gourmet restaurant La Gaia in the Ibiza Gran Hotel, guests can expect an exclusive journey of discovery through Mediterranean cuisine with a creative approach and fusion notes. Chef Óscar Molina presents dishes full of contrasts and environmental awareness that incorporate seasonal Ibizan ingredients. Two tasting menus are offered. All-day cooking events with internationally renowned chefs take place in summer.
This surprising restaurant, which looks unspectacular from the outside, turns out to be a classy, tiny, discreetly lit Japanese-style restaurant. The sushi bar and the chef are the stars of the show. Walter Sidoravicius, with Venezuelan, Lithuanian and German roots, offers an omakase menu where guests leave all the decisions to the chef. The dishes respect Japanese tradition and are prepared in front of the guests.
The Unic at Hotel Migjorn Ibiza near Playa d'en Bossa combines local produce and Ibizan tradition. French chef David Grussaute offers two tasting menus that reflect the gastronomic essence of the island and the Mediterranean. The dishes are characterised by intense flavours and delicate sauces, and the desserts are particularly unique.
This Michelin-starred restaurant is dedicated to fine cuisine with influences from street food. Chef Alvaro Clavijo is a creative force with respect for the raw materials. The ambience of the restaurant is pleasant, if not particularly impressive. Various tasting menus are on offer.
Under the direction of Dutch chef Edwin Winke, guests can look forward to a tasting menu. The gastronomic journey begins in the Es Pratet parking lot, where vehicles are waiting to take guests to the closed-off upper part of the Dalt Vila. A butler accompanies guests on a tour of the estate before they meet the chef.
Romantic ambience meets Mediterranean and Asian cuisine. The wine list is international and chef Wolfgang Lettner is happy to recommend special wines, including the wine made especially for Casa Colonial.
Located in a quiet side street in Ibiza Town, Gastrobar Reart serves traditional and modern tapas. Head chef David Reartes uses fresh ingredients from the restaurant's own vegetable garden. The 3-course menu at lunchtime is highly recommended.
Here, cooking becomes art in a family atmosphere. The tasting menu combines local organic produce with premium products from all over the world. There is also an à la carte menu that uses the same produce as the tasting menu.
Guests can enjoy Mediterranean dishes prepared with ingredients from the hotel's own vegetable garden or in the rustic restaurant. There is a choice of fresh pasta dishes, meat and fish dishes, including Wagyu beef and sustainably caught fish.
The restaurant boasts elegant furnishings, eye-catching artwork on the walls and a creative, contemporary menu. Using only local produce, the gourmet restaurant creates upscale cuisine with creative, modern and colourful dishes.
Just 150 metres from the famous "Pacha" nightclub, guests can expect not only excellent Italian cuisine, but also a selection of first-class wines in an elegant ambience of polished walnut wood, marble and fine teak.
A charming restaurant off the beaten track, set amidst cultivated land near the village of Santa Gertrudis. The menu offers modern interpretations of Ibizan cuisine with rice dishes, fresh fish and high-quality meat from the island.
In idyllic, rural Santa Gertrudis, the restaurant invites you to relax in the tasteful courtyard. The menu of hearty and Mediterranean dishes is served on rustic wooden plates and seasonal specialities are prepared in the charcoal oven.
Casual fine dining restaurant with Greek influence, modern design and romantic flair. Chef Cristos creates specialities from the charcoal grill as well as typical dishes such as JUL's lobster risotto with pumpkin and truffles.
