Disfrutar retires, newcomers rise: Spain’s shifting position in World’s 50 Best restaurants 2025

Disfrutar retires, newcomers rise: Spain’s shifting place in World’s 50 Finest eating places 2025


THE altering of the guard in Spain’s culinary panorama could also be beginning, with a few of its culinary heavyweights slipping on the worldwide stage whereas others transfer up.

The primary massive title to vanish from the 2025 World’s 50 Finest Eating places record is 2024’s winner, Disfrutar, Barcelona’s experimental flavour palace.

It’s not named within the prolonged prime 100 record.

However don’t panic – the eatery hasn’t gone downhill. As a substitute, it’s been ran into the so-called ‘Better of the Finest’ Corridor of Fame – a retirement house for former prime canines.

The cooks from Disfrutar

It’s a rule that previous winners are excluded to provide everybody else an opportunity. Disfrutar continues to be packing out tables with its 30-course feasts and edible illusions as is fellow corridor of famer Celar de Can Roca.

However for others, the autumn was actual.

Quique Dacosta, ranked 14th final yr, has slipped out of the Finest 50, all the way down to quantity 65.

Nonetheless, some Spanish eating places are holding their floor. Asador Etxebarri within the Basque countryside clings onto its quantity two slot, nonetheless making smoke and fireplace look attractive.

Madrid’s flamboyant DiverXO stays at quantity 4, as chef Dabiz Muñoz continues to mix artwork, chaos and foie gras in equal measure.

In the meantime, Elkano climbed from 28 to 24 with its legendary grilled fish, and Enigma – below the management of Albert Adria (brother to legendary El Bulli chef Ferran) – cracked the highest 50 at quantity 34 for the primary time.

Additional down the ladder, within the High 100’s decrease half, it’s a narrative of recent blood and sluggish fades. Barcelona’s Cocina Hermanos Torres makes its debut at 78, and Txispa – a reputation to look at – entered at 85.

Hermanos Torres. Instagram

Longtime favourites Aponiente and Mugaritz are nonetheless hanging on at 84 and 87, although each have slid down the ranks.

However not everybody made it. Azurmendi, as soon as a darling of Basque advantageous eating, and Valencia’s Ricard Camarena have utterly disappeared from the record. A tricky blow for 2 eating places that simply final yr had been celebrated among the many world’s elite.

Fewer prime spots, sure – but additionally a brand new wave of expertise elbowing its strategy to the entrance. As Disfrutar takes its throne within the Corridor of Fame, the stress’s on for the subsequent era to maintain Spain within the world highlight. – and perhaps declare the primary place once more subsequent yr.

Listed here are the Spanish eating places on the record, which was topped by Maido from Lima in Peru…

Asador Etxebarri (Atxondo) – #2 in 2025
Set in a Basque farmhouse, Victor Arguinzoniz’s restaurant makes use of wood-fired grilling to raise easy substances into world-class dishes. Well-known for its grilled prawns, smoked butter, and reverence for fireplace and smoke.

DiverXO (Madrid) – #4 in 2025
Chef Dabiz Muñoz’s surrealist, boundary-pushing restaurant blends world influences with Spanish roots in a flamboyant, multi-sensory tasting menu. Dishes typically characteristic sculptural plating and wild contrasts of flavour and texture.

Elkano (Getaria) – #24 in 2025
A seafood temple within the Basque Nation famend for its mastery of complete fish grilled over charcoal. Household-run, it’s particularly well-known for turbot and showcases the purity of the native product.

Enigma (Barcelona) – #34 in 2025
Created by Albert Adria, Enigma returned to advantageous eating with a daring, theatrical expertise. Combines avant-garde method and immersive design, typically pushing the envelope of style, scent, and presentation.

Quique Dacosta (Denia) – # 65 in 2025
An opulent, creative tasting menu rooted in Mediterranean landscapes. Dacosta’s modernist cooking emphasises magnificence and creativity, with robust seasonal and native themes.

Cocina Hermanos Torres (Barcelona) – #78 in 2025
Run by twin brothers Javier and Sergio Torres, this revolutionary Michelin three-star restaurant merges excessive gastronomy with open-kitchen intimacy. Recognized for its seasonal, ingredient-driven menus and theatrical magnificence.

Aponiente (El Puerto de Santa María) – #84 in 2025
Chef Angel Leon’s visionary restaurant focuses on the ocean and sustainability. Generally known as ‘the chef of the ocean’, Leon makes use of obscure marine substances – from plankton to fish byproducts – in gorgeous, conceptual tasting menus.

Txispa (Axpe) – #85 in 2025
A brand new addition to the record, Txispa blends conventional Basque strategies with trendy creativity. Its wood-fired strategy nods to Etxebarri, however with a definite id and rising buzz within the culinary scene.

Mugaritz (Errenteria) – #87 in 2025
Andoni Luis Aduriz’s experimental establishment recognized for philosophical eating and boundary-breaking dishes. Typically challenges notions of texture and style. As soon as a top-10 fixture, it stays a thought chief in trendy delicacies.

And off the record…

Disfrutar (Barcelona) – Former #1, now in Better of the Finest Corridor of Fame
A wildly ingenious fine-dining expertise based by three el Bulli alumni. Recognized for frolicsome, high-tech tasting menus with 25–30 programs that includes molecular gastronomy, optical illusions, and theatrical displays. Gained World’s Finest Restaurant in 2024.

Azurmendi (Larrabetzu) – #81 in 2024, dropped off in 2025
Chef Eneko Atxa’s eco-conscious fine-dining idea focuses on sustainability and Basque custom. Visitors start in a greenhouse and transfer by way of a multi-sensory journey of land, tradition, and method.

Ricard Camarena (Valencia) – #96 in 2024, dropped off in 2025
Celebrated for its clear, seasonal Valencian delicacies with a vegetable-forward ethos. Recognized for delicate method, taste purity, and a serene eating area in a former manufacturing facility.

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About David Sackler

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David Sackler, a seasoned news editor with over 20 years of experience, currently based in Spain, is known for his editorial expertise, commitment to journalistic integrity, and advocating for press freedom.

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