TripAdvisor®, the travel website that helps you find the latest opinions and lowest prices, today announced the winners of its Travellers’ Choice Awards for the World’s Best Restaurants in the categories of Fine Dining and Casual Restaurants, a ranking that is making its debut in this edition. The prize winners have been determined using an algorithm that takes into account the number and quality of restaurant reviews from around the world over a 12-month period.
This year’s awards recognise more than 500 restaurants in total, with awards for the world’s top 25, as well as specific recognitions across continents and nations. Together with the United Kingdom, France and Italy, Spain has been one of the most successful countries in the world ranking, placing three restaurants among the very best: Martín Berasategui, in 2nd position; El Celler de Can Roca, in 3rd position; and Azurmendi, in 19th position.
In the European list, there are also awards to the Madrid restaurant DSTAgE, in 20th place, and the Catalan restaurant Disfrutar, in 21st place, once again positioning Spanish cuisine among the favourites of diners from around the world.
“Thousands of diners around the world trust TripAdvisor to discover their perfect culinary experience. The winners of the 2018 Travellers’ Choice Restaurants Awards were those that diners consider to be the best in their category, and we hope these opinions will inspire others to try something new,” says Blanca Zayas, TripAdvisor’s head of communications in Spain: “On many occasions, gastronomic experiences can be the highlight of a trip or getaway and, fortunately, users can draw on these lists to find the ideal restaurant for every occasion, from the most formal to the most casual, through the immense variety included in these two categories. We are fortunate in Spain to have so many restaurants recognised worldwide, yet another example that our cuisine is undoubtedly a very important drawcard for domestic and foreign diners alike.”
Fine dining and casual restaurants
One more year, the Travellers’ Choice Awards recognise the ten best projects dedicated to fine dining, which include the five restaurants that have entered the world list and the European list.
As for the new category of casual restaurants, these are perfect options to try at any time, on any day of the week. These are surefire gastronomic options with which to make an impression without breaking the bank.
Top 10 Spanish Fine Dining Restaurants
- Martin Berasategui – Lasarte: Its very name indicates that it is one of the big winners year after year in the Travellers’ Choice Awards, collects praise from users such as “Simply the best restaurant I’ve ever been to, impeccable in every respect”, “Unparalleled menu for food lovers”, and “exquisite attention and sublime food, a dream come true”.
- El Celler de Can Roca – Girona: The Roca brothers, Joan, Josep and Jordi, grew up in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the original Can Roca restaurant, which was run by their parents in Girona. Their passion for cooking is reflected in their creativity and perfectionism, two aspects that have led them to become one of the best-known restaurants in the world. Some users comment on TripAdvisor: “Wonderful experience that everyone should experience, because it is a pleasure for the senses”. “After a year of waiting it was really worth it. Incredible atmosphere, unbeatable treatment, outstanding food.“
- Azurmendi – Larrabetzu: Chef Eneko Atxa has managed to develop and deploy his formidable creative capacity in the Azurmendi gastronomic complex. Located on a hillside and surrounded by vineyards, it was conceived and built with sustainability as a priority. As the user, Bego A comments: “Going to Azurmendi is like going to a show. It starts from the moment you arrive, when you’re greeted with a surprise. They invite you to see the kitchen and the way they work. Eneko Atxa and his team deserve a 10.”
- Dstage – Madrid: Diego Guerrero leads this innovative project that has not stopped evolving and reaping success since it opened its doors in 2014. “A totally unusual restaurant”, “unforgettable gastronomic experience” or “simply unique” are some of the opinions offered by TripAdvisor users.
- Disfrutar – Barcelona: Nil, Antonio and Francesca in the kitchen, and Toni, Patricia, Rubén and Vicente in the dining room, opt for an ultra-modern style which is daring and highly personal, with clearly Mediterranean influences. A user defines it in TripAdvisor as “Le Cirque du Soleil of restaurants,“ and another describes it as “a spectacular journey of sensations and senses”.
- ReComiendo – Cordoba: Chef Periko Ortega firmly believes in the power of recommendation and cooks with the smile and enjoyment of diners in mind. This is reflected in the excellent opinions of TripAdvisor users, who describe it as “the perfect tasting menu,” “a top-level culinary experience,” or “awakens sensations and memories that go well beyond a mere good meal”.
- UMA – Barcelona: “Unusual experience due to the blending of flavours, the extensive use of different spices and the impeccable presentation, achieving great beauty, of most of the dishes”. Iker Erauzkin’s cuisine enhances the city’s gastronomic prestige with an imaginative and original commitment to the most cutting-edge techniques.
- Callizo – Aínsa: Acclaimed as the best restaurant in Aragon, it is located in a medieval setting in the historic centre of Aínsa. The establishment is led by Pilar and Eva Sierra and chefs Josetxo Souto and José Ramón Aso. A true luxury for the senses.
- La Salita – Valencia: Begoña Rodrigo defines La Salita’s cuisine with three words: reflexive, local and honest. Each dish is carefully thought-out and executed, they are always made with local products, and in them, the aim is to offer unique but unpretentious flavours that surprise diners and cause the most demanding palates to fall in love. Fine dining with Mediterranean roots in a space with pale woods and an intimate atmosphere.
- Con Gracia – Barcelona: The restaurant Con Gracia, where the product is the main protagonist, focuses on classic local cuisine, but with creative and international touches. They define themselves as follows: “We don’t just work; we have fun and take our daily lives as something more than just working in a restaurant: enjoying what we do to the point of turning it into passion”.
