The region of Andalusia adds two new Michelin-starred restaurants to the list, Cañabota in Seville and Nintai in Marbella. It also loses two shines, leaving the list complete at 18 restaurants.
Last December 14th of 2021, the gala presentation of the Michelin Guide Spain and Portugal 2022 took place in the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia. The latest edition celebrates the entry of two new businesses, the restaurants Cañabota in Seville and Nintai in Marbella.
Regrettably, Xanti Elías’ Acánthum restaurant lost its star due to closure and the Alejando restaurant in Roquetas de Mar due to a decision by the guide. Below is the complete list of award winners from the region.
Restaurantes de Andalucía con 3 estrellas Michelin
1. Aponiente – Cadiz
Located in an old tide mill from the 17th century, Aponiente is completely surrounded by the sea. The location is no coincidence, as chef Ángel León focuses his gastronomic proposal solely and exclusively on dishes whose main ingredients come from the marine environment.
The Cádiz-born chef carries out extensive research and dedication when it comes to the menu, thanks to which he has obtained such surprising results as liquid salt (which solidifies on contact with food, causing a chemical reaction that produces heat and with which it is cooked), sea ham, freeze-dried plankton, cheese and olives from the sea.
Another of the characteristics of Ángel León’s cuisine lies in the effort made by the chef, who is very conscious of sustainability, to use in his menus products and fish that until now were considered to be discarded and which the chef manages to turn into true protagonists.
Aponiente also boasts an astonishing wine cellar, headed by Juan Ruíz Henestrosa who, like Ángel León himself, has also been distinguished with the National Gastronomy Award, and whose shelves hold more than 1,600 references from all over the world, paying close attention to the white wines, finos and manzanillas of the area.
Restaurants in Andalusia with Two Michelin stars 2022
2. Ronda – Malaga
Benito Gómez, chef at the two-Michelin-starred Bardal restaurant in Ronda, trained at the Escuela de Hostelería de Sant Pol de Mar. He gained valuable experience working in the kitchens of Jean Luc Figueras, Las Rejas, La Alquería de Hacienda Benazuza and Tragabuches, giving all the credit to the fresh produce that comes from local producers or from the Rabadán estate where they have started an agro-ecological production project.
Bardal is located in the stunning city of Ronda, Chef Benito Gómez, Catalan by birth, Ronda by adoption, creates a daring, fun cuisine in which the flavours of the region are easily recognisable.
Bardal is an ode to the produce, to the work of the local producers and has its own pantry, which is stocked on the Rabadán estate. There are two menus, Bardal and Gran Bardal, the latter with three courses.
A reprisal of the typical Andalusian menu, the establishment has successfully maintained the two Michelin stars obtained in 2017 and 2019.
3. Noor – Cordoba
From the hand of chef Paco Morales comes Noor, standing out for originality and strikingly beautiful establishment. and except for the incredible documentation work carried out to recover the flavours of historic Al-Andalus.
The restaurant itself has become a gastronomic theme park in which, throughout its six years of existence, it’ll transport you back to the historical period of the region through aromas and flavours.
In 2016, the Cordovan chef Paco Morales illuminates Noor with a return to his native Cordoba, to his origins, to create a unique and personal proposal of contemporary Andalusian cuisine. The culinary legacy of Al-Andalus recovered in a contemporary key.
Chef Paco Morales focuses on the 15th-16th centuries and the repercussions that the appearance of new ingredients brought from the New Continent, had on cuisine.
4. Skina – Marbella
Marbella prides itself on having a two-star Michelin restaurant, in the form of Skina. In December 2004, hotel businessman Marcos Granda launched this project in a small space for just 10 diners, as it slowly but surely took off as an extremely successful venture.
At Skina you can enjoy the impeccable work of Mario Cachinero, one of the most promising chefs, as evidenced by the “Michelin for young chefs” award that brought him to the stage at the star award gala in Valencia.
The menu is based on traditional Andalusian recipes, earning the chef a second star at the end of 2019 and the 2020 edition.
Restaurants in Andalusia with One Michelin Star 2022
5. Cañabota – Seville
We travel to the centre of Seville to share a real gem on our list. Cañabota opened in 2016, the restaurant is best defined as “sea and embers” its love for service, and the drive to provide its guests with something unique.
In October 2016, it opened its doors in the centre of Seville, a city with a solid and diverse gastronomic tradition. A luxury fishmongers shop, they define themselves as the halfway between a humble fish shop and an haute-cuisine restaurant.
The restaurant’s foundation is the inspiration of the sea, devised by Juanlu Fernández Gálvez and Eduardo Guardiola, and the Argentinian Marcos Nieto. Expect excellent produce from the coast of Cádiz cooked with the grace required for a Michelin star such as the one they will be wearing in 2022.
6. Nintai – Marbella
Only a few months old, Nintai has pulled off the extremely impressive feat of achieving a Michelin star in the form of Japanase haute-cuisine. Backed by Marcos Granda, the businessman mentioned from Skina, it appears that he has certainly cracked the code for a successful restaurant.
Including his two stars for Skina, he can also add this proposal of Japanese cuisine with only twelve exclusive seats distributed around a bar. Itamae Pablo Olivares takes centre stage, using premium seasonal products, original combinations and a sommelier’s work with sake, champagne and other drinks to match.
The establishment is limited to twelve exclusive seats around a wooden bar where the itamae subtly cuts the fish and prepares impeccable sushi.
7. El Lago – Marbella
Opened in 2000 by Paco García, El Lago is the reward for tenacity and effort. At the helm of his kitchen, the Malaga-born chef Fernando Villasclaras offers an honest, yet modern and surprising cuisine based on local and seasonal produce.
The restaurant, named after the artificial lake that surrounds it, is in an idyllic location where you can breathe the authentic Marbella way of life. The formal culinary proposal consists of a tasting menu with a choice of snacks and passes.
In addition, the restaurant offers a light and casual menu, including snacks, tapas and raciones in the morning, more in keeping with the laid-back terrace style eating on long summer days on the Costa del Sol.
8. Choco – Cordoba
Choco is a perfect fusion of traditional Andalusian recipes, modern culinary techniques, and the tremendous imagination of a generation of Andalusian chefs who are turning Andalusian cuisine around. But always looking for the product, flavours and aromas of the land. A visit to Choco becomes a real experience in which through the hall, the kitchen and, finally, the dining room we can enjoy the good work of the restaurant’s team.
Cordoban chef Kisko García leads the team at Choco, a restaurant that draws on the tradition of a thousand-year-old Andalusian recipe book and the old tavern that the chef’s own father opened in the neighbourhood many, many years ago and where Kisko grew up.
9. Alevante – Cadiz
Alevante, located in the Hotel Meliá Gran Lujo Sancti Petri, is the branch in Puerto de Santa María of the already legendary Aponiente by the Cádiz chef Ángel León. Its elegant and sober dining room is sparsely decorated, comprising original fish sculptures and the white of the furniture and tablecloths.
At Alevante, diners can enjoy many of Ángel León’s dishes and creations such as ham or sea cheese. The gastronomic offer is based on a menu that can be paired. In addition to a Michelin Star, Alevante has been awarded a Sol Repsol.
The sea is once again the menu’s main protagonist featuring creations that flow between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. The popular chef’s signature dishes are made with zero-kilometre ingredients and fresh fish from the fish market.
10. Dama Juana – Jaén
From Jaén, Chef Juan Aceituno pays tribute to his grandmother Juana, from whom he inherited his passion for cooking and who became his first mentor in the kitchen. Naming his restaurant after her, it has an elegant dining room where you can savour some of the most authentic recipes of traditional Andalusian cuisine, brought up to date.
Dama Juana offers three complete menus, Sierra Sur, Otiñar, and Umbría, through which the chef takes us on a tour of the local Parrilla farm, run by his father, from which many of the ingredients of his dishes are obtained.
