Tag Archive for: Michelin starred restaurants Spain

RESULTS ARE IN for the World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2016 FULL LIST 51-100!!!

At Number 55 for the World’s Best Restaurants List 2016 is:

NERUA, Bilbao  – a Michelin 1 star restaurant at the hands of Josean Alija!!!

Josean Alija

Nerua

Nerua dish

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants List 1-50  will be awarded at a grand ceremony in New York, on the 13th of June and we’ll keep you posted!

We have many fine dining opportunities for you all over Spain and / or Portugal.  Any of our sample private Gourmand Breaks Private Food, Wine and Cultural Tours gives you the chance of fine dining – contact us for your personalized quote!.

RESULTS ARE IN for the World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2016 FULL LIST 51-100!!!

At Number 59 for the World’s Best Restaurants List 2016 is:

MARTÍN BERASATEGUI, Lasarte-Oria (Basque Country) – a Michelin 3 star restaurant at the hands of Martín Berasategui!!!

Martín Berasategui

Martín Berasategui dish

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants List 1-50  will be awarded at a grand ceremony in New York, on the 13th of June and we’ll keep you posted!

We have many fine dining opportunities for you all over Spain and / or Portugal.  Any of our sample private Gourmand Breaks Private Food, Wine and Cultural Tours gives you the chance of fine dining – contact us for your personalized quote!.

RESULTS ARE IN for the World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2016 FULL LIST 51-100!!!

At Number 79 for the World’s Best Restaurants List 2016 is:

DIVERXO, Madrid – a Michelin 3 star restaurant at the hands of David Muñoz!!!

David Muñoz

DiverXO

DiverXo dish

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants List 1-50  will be awarded at a grand ceremony in New York, on the 13th of June and we’ll keep you posted!

We have many fine dining opportunities for you all over Spain and / or Portugal.  Any of our sample private Gourmand Breaks Private Food, Wine and Cultural Tours gives you the chance of fine dining – contact us for your personalized quote!.

RESULTS ARE IN for the The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2016 places 51-100!!!!!   and Nerua, in The Basque Country, Spain, is the current World’s Number 55 Restaurant!!

The NEW World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards 2016 List  1- 50 will be presented next week ….. we’ll let you know on the 13th of June!

In 2011, Nerua received its first star for the Michelin Guide 2012, then in 2015 was a NEW ENTRY in the prestigious World’s 50 Best Restaurants list for the first time at nº68! A great start for Nerua which is ideally located in the Guggenheim Museum of Bilbao.

Nerua has now climbed higher in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2016 List and is currently at Nº55!!! 

Nerua dish

 

There are literally thousands of restaurants all over the world – hundreds of thousands! – and acclaimed Restaurant Magazine narrows it down to organize, compile and present, year after year, The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards and List.

This prestigious list, coming up to its 14th year,  is an annual recollection of the opinions and experiences of over 900 international restaurant industry experts and the ceremony is attended by the world’s finest chefs, international media and the world’s most influential restaurateurs.

This year, 2016, sees the awards ceremony being presented from the United States of America, the first time the ceremony has moved from its beginnings in England, from London!

We’ll keep you updated on the results of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2016  (June 13th 2016 live from New York) but in the meantime we’ve been taking a look at the Spanish (and Portuguese) movers and shakers in our Gourmand Breaks series “A la Crème de la Crème”

We have many fine dining opportunities for you all over Spain and / or Portugal. Any of our sample private Gourmand Breaks Private Food, Wine and Cultural Tours gives you the chance of fine dining – contact us for your personalized quote!.

RESULTS ARE IN for the The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2016 places 51-100!!!!!   Martín Berasategui, in The Basque Country, Spain, is the current World’s Number 59 Restaurant!!

The NEW World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards 2016 will be presented next week but, in the meantime, we’ve been looking at how the current Spanish and Portuguese entries (from the 2015 list) have evolved  in the prestigious Restaurant Magazine’s list in our “A la Crème de la Crème” Gourmand Breaks Blog series.

Martín Berasategui dish

Martín Berasategui Restaurant entered the World’s Best 50 restaurants prestigious list in 2006 in 37th place. Going up and down in the Top 50 restaurants list until 2011 included, Martín Berasategui restaurant reached it’s highest placing, 27th, in 2007.  In 2012, however, the restaurant left the Top 50 for nº67 and in 2013 only rose to nº64. In 2014 the restaurant re-entered the Top 50 at 35th place but fell in 2015 to nº61!!

Martín Berasategui

There are literally thousands of restaurants all over the world – hundreds of thousands! – and acclaimed Restaurant Magazine narrows it down to organize, compile and present, year after year, The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards and List.

This prestigious list, coming up to its 14th year,  is an annual recollection of the opinions and experiences of over 900 international restaurant industry experts and the ceremony is attended by the world’s finest chefs, international media and the world’s most influential restaurateurs.

This year, 2016, sees the awards ceremony being presented from the United States of America, the first time the ceremony has moved from its beginnings in England, from London!

We’ll keep you updated on the results of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2016  (June 13th 2016 live from New York) but in the meantime over the last few weeks we’ve been taking a look at the Spanish (and Portuguese) movers and shakers in our Gourmand Breaks series “A la Crème de la Crème”

We have many fine dining opportunities for you all over Spain and / or Portugal. Any of our sample private Gourmand Breaks Private Food, Wine and Cultural Tours gives you the chance of fine dining – contact us for your personalized quote!.

Tickets, in Barcelona, Spain, is the current World’s (Joint) Number 42 Restaurant!!

The NEW World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards 2016 will be presented in less than 2 weeks but, in the meantime, we’re looking at how the current Spanish and Portuguese entries (from the 2015 list) have evolved  in the prestigious Restaurant Magazine’s list in our “A la Crème de la Crème” Gourmand Breaks Blog series.

Tickets dish

In 2013 Tickets, by Ferran Adrià’s brother – Albert – was at 77th pace in Restaurant Magazine’s prestigious World’s Best Restaurants List. Tickets then climbed to nº 57 in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants List 2014 and rose again to its current joint Nº42 place (with Boragò, Santiago, Chile), for 2015.

Albert Adrià is also the The current World’s Best Pastry Chef which, sponsored by Cacao Barry, which was the title he was awarded at the World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards 2015.

Will the phenomenon, that is Albert Adrià, take Tickets even higher in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2016? We’ll let you know on the 13th of June …

There are literally thousands of restaurants all over the world – hundreds of thousands! – and acclaimed Restaurant Magazine narrows it down to organize, compile and present, year after year, The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards and List.

This prestigious list, coming up to its 14th year,  is an annual recollection of the opinions and experiences of over 900 international restaurant industry experts and the ceremony is attended by the world’s finest chefs, international media and the world’s most influential restaurateurs.

This year, 2016, sees the awards ceremony being presented from the United States of America, the first time the ceremony has moved from its beginnings in England, from London!

We’ll keep you updated on the results of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2016  (June 13th 2016 live from New York) but in the meantime over the next couple of weeks we’ll be taking a look at the Spanish (and Portuguese) movers and shakers in our Gourmand Breaks series “A la Crème de la Crème”

We have many fine dining opportunities for you all over Spain and / or Portugal. Any of our sample private Gourmand Breaks Private Food, Wine and Cultural Tours gives you the chance of fine dining – contact us for your personalized quote!.

Quique Dacosta, in Alicante, Spain, is the current World’s Number 39 Restaurant!!

The NEW World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards 2016 will be presented in less than 2 weeks but, in the meantime, we’ll be looking at how the current Spanish and Portuguese entries (from the 2015 list) have evolved  in the prestigious Restaurant Magazine’s list in our “A la Crème de la Crème” Gourmand Breaks Blog series.

Quique Dacosta dish

Quique Dacosta Restaurante in Denia, Alicante, entered the World’s 50 Best Restaurants List in 2012 in 40th position.  Quique Dacosta then rose to 26th place in 2013, fell in 2014 to 41st place and then rose again to its current position of 39th place for the World’s 50 Best Restaurants List 2015.

Following this yo-yo pattern,  up – down – up,  does this year suggest a decline for Quique Dacosta in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards 2016 ? We’ll let you know on the 13th of June ……?

There are literally thousands of restaurants all over the world – hundreds of thousands! – and acclaimed Restaurant Magazine narrows it down to organize, compile and present, year after year, The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards and List.

This prestigious list, coming up to its 14th year,  is an annual recollection of the opinions and experiences of over 900 international restaurant industry experts and the ceremony is attended by the world’s finest chefs, international media and the world’s most influential restaurateurs.

This year, 2016, sees the awards ceremony being presented from the United States of America, the first time the ceremony has moved from its beginnings in England, from London!

We’ll keep you updated on the results of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2016  (June 13th 2016 live from New York) but in the meantime over the next couple of weeks we’ll be taking a look at the Spanish (and Portuguese) movers and shakers in our Gourmand Breaks series “A la Crème de la Crème”

 

We have many fine dining opportunities for you all over Spain and / or Portugal. Any of our sample private Gourmand Breaks Private Food, Wine and Cultural Tours gives you the chance of fine dining – contact us for your personalized quote!.

 

Arzak, in the Basque Country, Spain, is the current World’s Number 17 Restaurant!!

The NEW World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards 2016 will be presented next month but, in the meantime, we’ll be looking at how the current Spanish and Portuguese entries (from the 2015 list) have evolved  in the prestigious Restaurant Magazine’s list in our “A la Crème de la Crème” Gourmand Breaks Blog series.

ARZAK dish

Michelin 3 star restaurant Arzak has constantly featured in the acclaimed Restaurant Magazine World’s Best 50 restaurants list, but surprisingly for 2015, after being in the Top 10  since 2006, included, Arzak fell to it’s current position of No 17!

Here’s a recap of Arzak’s progress in the Top 50 over the years:

2014, 2013, 2012 +  2011- No 8

2010 – No 9

2009 + 2008 – No 8

2007 – No 10

2006 – No 9

2005 – No 21

2004 – No 22

2003 – No 40

Will Arzak regain a Top 10 place  in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2016? We’ll let you know on the 13th of June …

Arzak entrance

There are literally thousands of restaurants all over the world – hundreds of thousands! – and acclaimed Restaurant Magazine narrows it down to organize, compile and present, year after year, The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards and List.

This prestigious list, coming up to its 14th year,  is an annual recollection of the opinions and experiences of over 900 international restaurant industry experts and the ceremony is attended by the world’s finest chefs, international media and the world’s most influential restaurateurs.

This year, 2016, sees the awards ceremony being presented from the United States of America, the first time the ceremony has moved from its beginnings in England, from London!

We’ll keep you updated on the results of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2016  (June 13th 2016 live from New York) but in the meantime over the next couple of weeks we’ll be taking a look at the Spanish (and Portuguese) movers and shakers in our Gourmand Breaks series “A la Crème de la Crème”

We have many fine dining opportunities for you all over Spain and / or Portugal. Any of our sample private Gourmand Breaks Private Food, Wine and Cultural Tours gives you the chance of fine dining – contact us for your personalized quote!.

Wes Albinger and Charles Pierce joined us recently, from New York City, for a fantastic 22 day Customized Private Highlights of Spain Tour. We could tell you where they went, what they saw, where they ate etc but we’ll leave that to them.

Travel with Wes and Charles all over Spain as you read their FULL review in their own words, with no censorship from us  – Bon Voyage :-):

After a reflective week or so, we’d like to share a few thoughts about our Gourmand Breaks journey through Spain. Top line: We loved it!  It was a pleasure to meet you on that first day in Barcelona. The printed booklet you presented us with was helpful. We referred to it often and having the blank pages did, in fact, inspire us to keep a journal.

Sagrada familia interior

Sagrada Familia, Barcelona

Barcelona was a great place to begin. Our guide gave us a real understanding of Catalonia as well as a wonderful tour of the Sagrada Famillia — the first of many marvels we saw on our trip. It was astounding, enhanced by our guide’s intimate knowledge. Thanks for recommending Ten’s, as it was outstanding. Lasarte was an elegant, comfortable restaurant but frankly, we enjoyed Ten’s more! (A waiter knocked a full glass of wine and a full glass of water over Wes during our meal at Lasarte …it was unfortunate and this may have colored our overall impression of the place. They upgraded our wine after the incident, but otherwise charged us the full amount, which was surprising). As you know, on the last day in Barcelona we suffered food poisoning. Luckily, the malaise didn’t last long. When we got to Grenada, we found a place that served chicken soup and it was curative!

Alhambra inside

The Alhambra, Granada

Grenada was delightful. Our expert guide maneuvered us gracefully through the crowds and took us on a memorable and knowledgeable tour of the Alhambra — the second marvel of our trip. Your suggested stop in Ronda was the perfect way to break up the drive. We loved the hotel in Seville. Our room was huge and the hotel manager was very attentive, welcoming us with a bottle of bubbly. Our guide, Paloma, was terrific. Her tour of the cathedral was excellent and we had such a good time with her afterwards. We loved the flamenco show and the manager made us feel welcome when he sought us out at the end of the performance to thank us for coming. And, of course, the scent of orange blossoms lingers in our memory. We tried a restaurant suggested in your booklet, Az-Zait, and it turned out to be a good choice. (The Iberian pork dish was delicious!).

Elena, our guide in Cordoba, was very good and clearly at home. Strolling through the old town with her made us feel like locals, as she knew many folks along the way. Her knowledge of the Mezquita was extraordinary and her commentary greatly enhanced our visit to this magnificent sight — the third marvel of our trip. When we told her afterwards that we’d prefer to have a proper lunch rather hopping around for tapas, she picked just the right place. She worked with the waiters to plan us a delectable meal and we were the only tourists in the place. It was great watching local families enjoying a long, leisurely Saturday lunch.

El Retiro Park, Madrid

And then came Madrid. The many neighborhoods, museums, the vitality, Retiro Park and the oh-so-friendly people won us over. The hotel had a few issues…and perhaps not quite as special as the other hotels you chose for our journey but the location was great and the room was generous, quiet and comfortable. The staff was very helpful. Our guide, Olga, used a map to help us understand Madrid and it’s charms before taking us on an informative and comprehensive tour of the city. The Prado art collection was yet another marvel and Olga’s insight was impressive. We loved tapas-hopping with her afterwards and were particularly pleased with the places she picked. She left us feeling very satisfied at the Mercado de San Miguel. We visited the Royal Palace, saw a few other sights and, as Olga had suggested, had something eat in the food courts at El Cortes Inglés for dinner.

The Museo Thysson-Bornemisza museum was yet another marvel. It’s a beautifully curated art collection where we spent hours and loved every minute of it. It was like taking an art history class!

Our two-star dinner at El Club Allard started out with a bang. The first five courses were good but the service was rushed and the final courses lacked finesse. Just the same, it’s a beautiful place and they made us feel quite comfortable.

Toledo

Toledo

We loved our guide in Toledo. His English was excellent and he knew the city so well. (He even spotted, and helped coordinate, the arrest of two pickpockets by sending their photos instantly to the local police!). After our tour, he took us to a small but terrific local restaurant where we had a lunch menu for twelve euros, including a glass of wine!

Segovia was a great side trip, too. We arrived early enough to have a quick visit of the cathedral and to marvel at the Roman aqueduct. After that, we stopped to sample the ponche Segoviano, loving the sponge cake and marzipan confection. We wandered through the old town, visited the Alcázar and even went through a local history museum. But the highlight was lunch at José Maria where we had the famous “cochinillo.” What a treat! The poor piglet couldn’t have been more than six weeks old, just large enough to fit in a roasting pan, and it was fun to watch the waiters use ordinary serving plates to cut the pig into equal portions for serving. We loved it.

Then came San Sebastián. Wow! The train trip was a bit uncomfortable as we noted but San Sebastián was a perfect ending. We loved the hotel and the view from our room was mesmerizing. Once again, our guide was delightful, helping us appreciate the city’s history and taking us to just the right places—a landmark pastry shop, a “grocery store” with the most amazing produce, the Hotel Maria Cristina and all along the waterfront. Then we had a spectacular “pinchos”- hopping jaunt with her that was a lot of fun.

San Sebastian promenade

San Sebastian

Bilbao was another memorable day trip. A great driver in his very comfortable car took us to the market downtown and drove us around a bit before dropping us off at the museum. The building is fantastic — another marvel! And thanks again for our lunch at Nerua … one of the best meals we had on the trip. The chef greeted us and gave us a few amuse-gueules while he talked about the kitchen. Then we sat down and ate and drank our way though an excellent 9-course menu. It was delicious! The wine pairing was definitely the right thing to do as the sommelier picked some very interesting wines that perfectly matched the food. (We can’t say enough good things about this place. It was better than both the two-star restaurants in Barcelona and Madrid!). The driver took us back to San Sebastián via the coast, stopping for a few minutes to let us have a look at the port in Getaria. It was a beautiful drive.

We had such a good time with our friends Stephanie and Paul, especially sharing two three-star restaurant meals back-to-back! Our dinner at Akelarre was disappointing. The location can’t be beat (lovely sunset!) and while some of the dishes were playful, innovative and very tasty, there were some clunkers along the way. All in all, it didn’t seem to be a three-star experience. We all came away thinking that it wasn’t worth the exorbitant price.

ARZAK dish

Arzak, Michelin 3*, San Sebastian

On the other hand, lunch at Arzak was one of the best culinary experiences we can remember. From start to finish, it was three-star perfection. Juan Marie Arzak couldn’t have been more charming and the entire staff was super-welcoming. (Thanks to our waiter’s guidance, we were able to order multiple half-portions à la carte, creating our own ten course menu). It was superb and, interestingly, the bill was half as much as our bill at Akelarre!

We have to thank you. From beginning to end, our journey was very well-paced, encompassing and exciting on so many levels. In general, we loved traveling by fast train—and getting a feel for the topography of Spain along the way. The car and driver parts of our journey were top-notch and so comfortable. The guides were spot-on. Thank you for all your efforts on our behalf.

Un abrazo!

Wes and Charles

Thank you Wes and Charles for such a comprehensive insight into your experience with Gourmand Breaks. On behalf of us all at Gourmand Breaks – It was our pleasure to welcome you to Spain!

 

If you enjoyed your journey with Wes and Charles and would like to experience some great Food, Wine ad Cultural experiences in Spain, and/or Portugal, we’d be delighted to customize your perfect private itinerary. You’ll find many sample itineraries to give you some ideas on our Gourmand Breaks website .

Repsol recently announced their New Guide for Spain and Portugal Restaurants 2016! But! – I hear you say – “Didn’t we just have the New Michelin Guide for Spain and Portugal 2016 announced?”

The answer is YES! The New Michelin Guide for Spain and Portugal 2016 was presented in November and offers us 174 Michelin Starred Restaurants in Spain and 14 Michelin Starred Restaurants in Portugal for 2016.

Mugaritz Dish

So – you ask – “What is the Repsol Guide? and what do they award?”

Well, for over 35 years Repsol has been highlighting the best restaurants in Spain and Portugal, and similar to Michelin, every year, awards the best restaurants and publishes the New Guide.  While Michelin awards Stars, Repsol awards Suns.

The Repsol Suns, as the Michelin Stars, are prestigious distinctions, a symbol of culinary excellence awarded to the best restaurants and chefs in Spanish and Portuguese gastronomy. It is no surprise, therefore, to find lots of Michelin stars shining in the Repsol Guide. The highest accolade is 3 suns, then 2, then 1 – Just like Michelin.

However, Repsol is a little more generous than Michelin and offers a total of 476 restaurants in Spain (36 with Three Suns, 147 with Two Suns and 293 with One Sun) and 88 restaurants in Portugal (7 with Three Suns, 21 with Two Suns and 60 with One Sun)

As you can imagine, with 564 Repsol Sun Restaurants between Spain and Portugal 2016, that’s a looooooooog list. So here are the  REPSOL 3 SUN RESTAURANTS FOR SPAIN AND PORTUGAL 2016 (36 in Spain and 7 in Portugal compared with 8 Michelin Three Star restaurants in Spain 2016 and 0 Michelin Three Star Restaurants in Portugal 2016 ):

 

SPAIN 2016 – Three Soles “3 Suns” Restaurants

ABaC – Michelin 2* – Barcelona

Akelarre  – Michelin 3*- Donostia/San Sebastián, Gipuzkoa

Aponiente – Michelin 2* – El Puerto de Santa María, Cádiz

Arzak  – Michelin 3* – Donostia/San Sebastián, Gipuzkoa

Atrio – Michelin 2* – Cáceres

Azurmendi  – Michelin 3* – Larrabetzu, Bizkaia

Cabaña Buenavista [NEW] –  Michelin 1* – El Palmar, Murcia

Can Jubany  – Michelin 1* – Calldetenes, Barcelona

Sant Pau – Michelin 3* – Sant Pol de Mar, Barcelona

Casa Gerardo  – Michelin 1* – Prendes, Asturias

Cenador de Amós  – Michelin 1* – Villaverde de Pontones, Cantabria

Coque  – Michelin 2* – Humanes de Madrid, Madrid

Dani García – Michelin 2* – Marbella, Málaga

DiverXo – Michelin 3* – Madrid

Dos Cielos  – Michelin 1* – Barcelona

El Celler de Can Roca  –  Michelin 3* – Girona

El Portal – Michelin 2* – Ezcaray, La Rioja

Etxebarri (Asador) – Michelin 1* – Atxondo, Bizkaia

Hispània  – Arenys de Mar, Barcelona

Kabuki Wellington – Michelin 1* – Madrid

L’Escaleta – Michelin 1* – Cocentaina, Alicante

La Terraza del Casino – Michelin 2* – Madrid

Martín Berasategui – Michelin 3* – Lasarte-Oria, Gipuzkoa

Mugaritz – Michelin 2* – Errentería, Gipuzkoa

Nerua  – Michelin 1* – Bilbao, Bizkaia

O’Pazo – Madrid

Quique Dacosta Restaurante –  Michelin 3* – Dénia, Alicante

Ramón Freixa – Michelin 2* – Madrid,

Ricard Camarena – Michelin 1*- Valencia

Rodero – Michelin 1* – Pamplona, Navarra

Santceloni – Michelin 2* – Madrid

Sergi Arola – UPDATE: CLOSED in September 2016 – Sot (part of his restaurant which is Michelin 2*) – Madrid

Solla – Michelin 1* – San Salvador de Poio, Pontevedra

Vía Veneto – Michelin 1* – Barcelona

Zalacaín – Madrid

Zuberoa –  Michelin 1* – Oiartzun, Gipuzkoa

 

PORTUGAL – Three Soles “3 Suns” Restaurants

Belcanto – Michelin 2* – Lisbon

Feitoria – Michelin 1* – Lisbon

Fortaleza do Guincho – Michelin 1* – Cascais, Lisbon

Il Gallo D’Oro – Michelin 1* – Funchal, Madeira

Ocean – Michelin 2* – Armação de Pêra, Algarve

Sâo Gabriel – Michelin 1* – Almancil,  Algarve

Vila Joya – Michelin 2* – Albufeira, Algarve

 

Eurocore HiScan PM3

 

Experience Michelin Starred and Repsol Sunned Restaurant dining opportunities on one of our Private Food, Wine and Cultural Tours .   You will have the chance to indulge in the best restaurants in Spain and Portugal!  Contact us for your personalized quote.