A curated selection of my fine dining experiences across Spain from Barcelona and Madrid to the Basque regions and Andalusia. These impressions explore Michelin and Repsol restaurants exceptional hospitality and the depth of regional cuisine shaped by coast land and tradition.
Spain
Smoked Room Madrid is Dani García’s fire-first omakase: smoke as structure, not show. Despite the name, it isn’t a Japanese restaurant but modern Spanish cooking with Andalusian heart and a few quiet Japanese touches.
Andalusia
In my view the best restaurant in Marbella, Skina pairs high ambition and high prices with polished two-star technique, yet still needs more creative identity before a third Michelin star becomes inevitable.
Recommended
A ranked guide to Barcelona’s 3-Michelin-star restaurants: Disfrutar, Hermanos Torres, Lasarte and ABaC. Based on multiple visits at each and 50 visits to different three-star restaurants worldwide, with highlights and booking tips for 2025.
Articles
Twice-dined at ABaC in 2025 confirms polished service but a tighter, safer menu. At 295 EUR, the tasting shows control yet less ambition than 2021. Good restaurant-with-rooms setup, but 30 minutes by taxi to the centre. Three stars now feel uncertain.
Articles
In El Puerto de Santa María, chef Ángel León has shaped Aponiente into one of the world’s most original restaurants—a place where the sea becomes philosophy. Across eighteen visits since 2014, I’ve seen it evolve from a harbour bistro into a Michelin three-star temple of marine cuisine.
Recommended
A curated list of Spain’s most exceptional fish restaurants — from Elkano in Getaria to Los Marinos José near Málaga.
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