DEESSA Two Michelin Stars Quique Dacosta has made his three-Michelin-star restaurant in Dénia a destination venue. He has now opened a restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental Ritz in Madrid so that guests can experience his talents in the Spanish capital. The restaurant is in the beautiful and opulent Alfonso XIII room, which overlooks the Ritz Garden. Diners are invited to taste one of two tasting menus designed by longtime Dacosta collaborator Chef Ricard Tobella. Clásicos de

RESTAURANTE SALTXIPI Chef Jon Ortega is at the stove grilling sensational-looking gambas, hake, monkfish, turbot and T-bone steaks. Famous for its spider crabs, which it keeps in the basement, this has become a place for trendy thirty-somethings. Look out for the Ibiza-style chill-out to be added soon. The food is traditional, so if you order turbot or red sea bream, you get that —no extras, expertly cooked. The menu is quite spider crab-based, so it should be with such a g

CERVECERIA CATALANA Michelin Plate IIO A return to this restaurant in April 2022 for a few tapas when Covid-19 restrictions were still in place. All tables were spaced out, and the bar area had plastic shields. A nchoas escalivar. V ieira y gambas . The restaurant was not as busy as on previous visits, which is understandable given the COVID-19 restrictions. A previous visit in more convivial times. This is an excellent spot for tapas at the bar or a full-blown meal in th

ROSARIO VARELA During our visit to Granada for the Premios Andalucía de Gastronomía 2022 (The Festival of Andalusian Gastronomy 2022), we had a couple of free nights and spent our second one here. Due to the still-in-play Covid-19 restrictions, there was no standing/eating at the bar, and everyone had to be seated. This is a little Local pearl in Granada. We went on a relatively quiet Sunday evening, when many other bars were closed, but still had to wait 10 minutes for a tab

RESTAURANTE ESCÁNEZ We returned to an old favourite, Restaurante Escánez. Located on the Almeria coast, in the municipality of Garrucha since 1982, it was remodelled in 2004. A few years earlier, we were invited to Almería 2019, a food celebration held after Almería was named Capital Española de la Gastronomía 2019. We toured the fish auction, then had a lavish feast at Castillo San Ramón/Las Escobetas on the outskirts of Garrucha. Local chefs, including Paco Escánez of Rest

We had been invited to attend “The Festival of Andalusian Gastronomy 2020”, which, unfortunately, was cancelled in March 2020 due to the start of the COVID-19 restrictions. We now fast-forward two years to March 2022. After meeting the group at the Hotel Abades Nevada Palace de Granada, we board the coach for our first visit to the Costa Tropical (where there are dozens of beaches and small coves with crystal-clear water and 320 days of sunshine per year). It has an average

CASA SEVILLA This restaurant is in the middle of Almería, heading toward the port area. It is set in an alleyway off the main street and was full of locals on the evening we attended, which is always a good sign. There are tables outside in the alleyway, a restaurant in a room at the back, and tall tables with stalls in the bar area. They serve a very varied menu, including Almería’s typical traditional dishes and specialities of the house. With every drink, in our case, a c

RESTAURANTE AMA LUR This famous restaurant has been an institution for over 35 years. Just before the COVID-19 disaster, the owners decided to close after all that time. In October 2021, new owners, whose story started in Formentera with a paradise called Can Carlos, reopened Ama Lur with the same ambitions but a new Italian style. The restaurant has had a makeover and is now in stunning blue to match the Ibicenco sky and sea. From its previous yellow. On a roundabout on the

UPDATED - APRIL 2025 - CLOSED In October 2021, we visited a Vilarnau cava-tasting evening with tapas at Ibérica Canary Wharf, London. A brief history of Vilarnau Cava. Members of the Spanish nobility, the Vilarnau family, settled in Penedés, Catalonia, in the 12th century. Vilarnau is a contraction of the Latin “Vila Arnau,” i.e., the Arnau family’s “country house” or “domus.” Formerly, it stood within the estate of the Castillo de Subirats, where vines had been grown since t

CHIRINGUITO UTOPIA Updated August 2023 Unfortunately, since our last visit, the San Juan city council has decided to declare the Beach where Chiringuito Utopia was a virgin Beach, so for the moment, it will not be able to return. It is still a great spot to swim and sunbathe, but there are no facilities now. The new pictures show the beach as it was in August 2023. The bay is still a good place to swim and snorkel. CHIRINGUITO UTOPIA (August 2019) To find Chiringuito Utopi