The portfolio

Restaurants worth flying for

Independent kitchens, family-run tabernas, and the venues we have eaten at — on our own bill — and would tell a friend about.

Every restaurant we feature has been visited anonymously by our editorial team. We pay our own bill. We do not accept payment for coverage. The criteria is simple: independent ownership, a clear point of view, regional honesty, and food that makes the trip worth it.

Use the search to find a city, a chef, or a dish — or scroll through the most recent additions below.

Xemei

A pocket of Venice in Poble Sec — cicchetti, cuttlefish ink and natural wine from twin brothers who…
Koy Shunka

Barcelona’s reference Japanese kitchen — Hideki Matsuhisa’s nigiri counter where Mediterranean fish meets Tokyo-trained hands.
Kabuki Wellington

Ricardo Sanz’s Michelin-starred Hotel Wellington flagship — the restaurant that defined Madrid’s Spanish-Japanese fusion movement.
Kaleja

Málaga’s most personal Michelin star — Dani Carnero’s revival of the Andalusian wood-fire kitchen, in the city’s old…
Mesón Mariano

A Málaga institution since 1988 where artichokes, slow-cooked every which way, are the undisputed queens.
El Pimpi

Málaga’s most famous bodega — an 18th-century townhouse turned tavern under the Alcazaba, half tourist landmark, half local…
Mina

Álvaro Garrido’s intimate riverside Michelin-starred kitchen — modern Basque tasting menus across from Bilbao’s historic Ribera market.
Nerua

The restaurant inside the Guggenheim Museum — Josean Alija’s vegetable-led tasting menu, one of the most distinctive in…
El Globo

A converted old pharmacy in central Málaga pouring some of the city’s best vermut alongside Iberian charcuterie.
La Fábula

Granada’s quietly elegant Michelin star, set inside a 19th-century palace hotel just off Gran Vía.
Chikito

The restaurant on the spot where Lorca’s circle once gathered, still serving rabo de toro the old Granadino…
Bar Los Diamantes

Granada’s defining stand-up tapas bar since 1942 — fried fish, cold beer, elbows on the counter.
La Cuchara de San Telmo

The Old Town pintxo bar that changed the rules — every plate cooked to order, none of them…
Arzak

The cradle of New Basque Cuisine — Juan Mari and Elena Arzak’s three-Michelin-star family restaurant on the eastern…
Gandarias

A Parte Vieja institution on Calle 31 de Agosto, beloved for its solomillo pintxo and a counter that…
Canalla Bistro

Ricard Camarena’s casual Ruzafa bistro — global comfort food cooked with two-star precision and Repsol-Sol polish.
Ricard Camarena

Valencia’s defining fine-dining address — vegetable-first cuisine from a chef who treats L’Horta as his pantry.
Casa Carmela

Valencia’s most-watched paella address — orange-wood fires, four generations and a hundred years of socarrat.
Ovejas Negras

Editor’s note: this entry is being re-verified. We will republish a full feature once the kitchen and address…
Abantal

Sevilla’s veteran Michelin star, where Julio Fernández pushes Andalusian classics into a refined, modern register.
Eslava

The San Lorenzo tapas bar that turned a single egg over boletus sponge into Sevilla’s most copied dish.
Casa Dani

A market stall in Mercado de la Paz that won Spain’s national tortilla championship — Madrid’s most argued-over…
StreetXO

DiverXO chef David Muñoz’s anarchic Asian-Spanish street-food bar — three-star technique served loud, fast, and without ceremony.
Sobrino de Botín

Founded 1725 — the oldest restaurant in the world per Guinness, still roasting suckling pig in its original…
Can Pineda

A 120-year-old Catalan classic in working-class Sant Martí — cap i pota and charcoal-grilled meats, no concessions to…
Disfrutar

The avant-garde elBulli legacy made playful and edible — Spain’s most coveted three-star tasting experience.
El Xampanyet

Barcelona’s most famous old-school cava bar — anchovies, sparkling wine and a marble counter unchanged since 1929.

For restaurant owners

Want your place featured?

We are always looking for the next place worth writing about. Submissions are free. We never accept payment for editorial coverage.

How to get featured