Paella, pintxos, tapas – few countries can claim the caliber of culinary reputation quite like Spain. But it’s not just the dishes that shine; Spain itself is practically bursting with Michelin stars. And following a glamorous unveiling in Murcia this November, the 2025 Michelin Guide has added even more sparkle to Spain’s culinary crown.
With a staggering 291-starred restaurants, Spain ranks among the world’s top countries for the most Michelin-starred dining, effortlessly pushing the UK and US out of the top five. Of these, 16 restaurants in Spain have been awarded with the coveted three Michelin stars. We all know that gaining one star is a lifetime’s achievement in itself, but to impress inspectors enough to achieve the maximum rating, these restaurants must offer something truly exceptional.
Here, we take a look at all 16 of the restaurants in Spain with three Michelin stars – including the latest entry to this esteemed circle. From Barcelona to San Sebastian, many of these talented chefs are putting locally sourced, sustainable ingredients – and each promising a truly unforgettable experience for any foodies dreaming up a gastronomic Spanish journey.
[See also: The Chefs Fighting to Make Fine Dining Sustainable]
ABaC
A judge on Spain’s Masterchef television program, ABaC’s chef Jordi Cruz has been making waves in the gastronomic scene in Spain since the age of 24 when under his leadership, Barcelona restaurant Estany Clar was awarded a Michelin star – making him the youngest head chef in Spain’s culinary history to achieve such recognition. He has continued to impress at his own restaurant, ABaC, with the restaurant going on to earn three Michelin stars for its modern Catalan-inspired cuisine with a global edge.
The restaurant describes its €295 ($315) tasting menu as 50% traditional and 50% avant-garde and includes dishes such as black stew of grilled squid with black garlic, yuca, chipotle and citronella, as well as the eclectic bearnesa foam and chawanmushi crayfish with tarragon, which combines French and Japanese elements.
Related
Akelaŕe
Sweeping views of the Bay of Biscay greet diners as they arrive at the acclaimed Akelaŕe restaurant in Donostia-San Sebastián. Chef and owner Pedro Subijana is somewhat of a Spanish celebrity and has been at the heart of the restaurant for 45 years, even opening the boutique hotel Akelarre on-site in 2017.
It is among the exclusive restaurants in Spain with three Michelin stars, celebrated for its New Basque Cuisine, and its two tasting menus, priced at €350 ($370) each, are an exciting and creative affair that stays true to the region’s traditional roots. Highlights include hake in seaweed steam with plankton and oyster leaves, and Subijana’s take on Kokotxa (a local hake dish) accompanied by pumpkin seed emulsion and garlic bread.
Content from our partners
Aponiente
Some see chef Ángel León as a culinary visionary, and Aponient, one of the restaurants in Spain with three Michelin stars, is known for its dishes that celebrate the deep connection to the ocean – so much so that León invites his diners to dive into “cuisine of the unknown sea”. His official title at the restaurant is captain of the boat, and the chef’s love affair with the sea runs deep, so much so that his food isn’t just supportive of sustainable fishing practices, it is defined by it.
Leon creates exceptional cuisine, turning what some might consider sea waste into critically acclaimed dishes. Aponiente’s €310 ($325) tasting menu often exclusively incorporates sustainable ingredients from the sea, and the restaurant was awarded the Michelin Guide’s 2020 Sustainability Award.
Arzak
Arzak is run by renowned chef Juan Mari Arzak, one of the original pioneers of New Basque Cuisine, and his equally acclaimed daughter Elena, winner of Veuve Clicquot’s Best Female Chef in the World 2012. This celebrated Donostia-San Sebastián establishment earned a third Michelin star in 1989 and has held on to it since. Rooted in traditional Basque cooking with an avant-garde twist, Arzak fuses local produce such as scorpion fish and piparras (long green peppers synonymous with the region) with global flavors such as Japanese koji marinade. The tasting menu costs around $310 and is constantly evolving, with new dishes developed in the onsite taste lab. Only the freshest fare will do, and you will often find Elena at the local market selecting ingredients with meticulous detail.
Atrio
The 2023 Michelin Guide for Spain saw Atrio scoop the coveted award, securing its rank among the restaurants in Spain with three Michelin stars. Set within a boutique hotel in the historic town of Caceres, head chef Toño Pérez impressed inspectors with his elegant, creative dishes. The tasting menu is a wonderful celebration of the Iberian pig and the vibrant produce of Extremadura, starting from €255 ($269). There’s also an enormous wine cellar brimming with special vintages.
Azurmendi
Enveloped in the green surroundings of the Basque countryside sits Azurmendi, a previous winner of Elite Traveler‘s Top 100 Restaurants in the World. It is also a two-time winner of the World’s Most Sustainable Restaurant, awarded by World’s 50 Best Restaurants. Led by innovative young chef Eneko Atxa, Azurmendi is environmentally conscious to its core; from the rainwater reused in the onsite vegetable and spice garden to the building’s bioclimatic design. Dishes are precisely executed with personal touches and are unmistakably Basque. Atxa says: “In each bite, you have a piece of my land and my culture.” The €290 ($305) tasting menu is adorned with authentic ingredients, with dishes such as Iberian pork glazed Castañeta with creamy parsley and truffle.
Martin Berasategui
This restaurant is the namesake of a chef who has not one but two restaurants on our list – the other being Lasarte in Barcelona. His eponymous restaurant is located four miles south of San Sebastian in Lasarte-Oria. Dishes are created using local ingredients delicately executed with a touch of haute cuisine, influenced by his training under the creme de la creme of French chefs, including Alain Ducasse. The tasting menu costs €395 ($415) per person, and recent dishes include caramelized millefeuilles of smoked eel, foie gras, spring onion and green apple, and crunchy hazelnut toffee, frozen wasabi and “pacari” chocolate frost.
Casa Marcial
Nestled in the tranquil Asturias countryside, Casa Marcial has become the newest addition to the elite circle of three Michelin-starred restaurants in Spain, earning its place in the 2025 Michelin Guide for Spain. This is certainly a family-run affair: chef Nacho Manzano leads and is supported by his sister Esther, her son Jesús in the kitchen, and Sandra Manzano overseeing the front of house. The restaurant’s philosophy reflects a profound connection to the region, translating the rugged beauty of Asturias into dishes that exude creativity and an authentic sense of place. Casa Marcial’s promotion marks the first time an Asturian restaurant has received three stars, and guests can choose from three tasting menus, each named after iconic local landmarks, including “El Cachucho,” “El Fitu,” and “La Salgar”, which starts at €190 ($205).
Cenador de Amós
Housed within an 18th-century baroque mansion in the northern region of Calabria, Cenador de Amós was created by renowned chef Jesus Sanchez in 1993. Over the past 27 years, Sanchez, who remains at the helm, has racked up the accolades and established himself as a heavyweight of modern Spanish gastronomy. His artistic approach as well as his commitment to Calabrian flavors and local produce shine through in the two tasting menus on offer, priced at around $260. The Michelin Guide gave a special mention to the sourdough bread, describing it as “extraordinary.”
Cocina Hermanos Torres
Cocina Hermanos Torres not only managed to achieve the top award of three Michelin stars in the 2023 guide for Spain – but it was also given a Green Michelin Star in recognition of its commitment to sustainability. The eatery has a farm estate in Extremadura where it sources many of its ingredients and works tirelessly to support local producers. Twin brothers Sergio and Javier helm the kitchen, crafting an ever-changing tasting menu that is both playful and inventive – Michelin recognized the ‘spectacular’ standout dishes as the cured squid with poultry consommé and caviar.
Disfrutar
The Barcelona-based Disfrutar has not only impressed the almighty Michelin inspectors in 2024, maintaining its three star status, but it was also crowned World’s Best Restaurant this year, too. Founded by Oriol Castro, Eduard Xatruch, and Mateu Casañas, all former elBulli chefs, Disfrutar is renowned for its playful, sensory-rich experience. The restaurant’s tasting menu, which begins at €250 ($270) per person, is a thrilling, multi-course journey through imaginative dishes such as “The Garden,” a deconstructed vegetable dish presented as a miniature garden, and “Explosions,” a playful course of edible bubbles. The menu evolves constantly, driven by the chefs’ relentless pursuit of new techniques and flavors, making each visit a unique adventure.
DiverXO
Madrid’s only three-Michelin-star restaurant is much more than somewhere to eat. The restaurant describes a visit here as “a journey through the hedonistic, greedy and creative world of Dabiz Muñoz.” Celebrity chef Munoz certainly has an original approach to cooking, and his €295 ($315) Flying Pigs menu has been created to surprise. It unites Iberian and global cuisine within highly unusual and artistically presented dishes including steamed foie ramen, coconut ganache with black garlic and blackcurrant bubblegum, and an Indian-inspired roasted caviar dish with vindaloo curry and Greek yogurt. The setting is equally outlandish, with swarms of ornamental butterflies and winged pigs embellishing the dining room.
El Celler de Can Roca
Voted the world’s best restaurant in 2013 and 2015, Girona’s El Celler de Can Roca is run by the three Roca brothers, each an expert in his craft. The eldest, Joan, is the restaurant’s chef; middle brother Josep is the sommelier; and the youngest, Jordi, oversees dessert as pastry chef.
Dining here is a theatrical experience from start to finish, with one tapas dish on the 18-course tasting menu arriving in a mini cardboard replica of the Roca’s parents’ beloved restaurant, housing a number of exquisitely designed nibbles such as pigeon parfait with orange and calamari alla Romagna. The gastronomic hotspot is committed to sustainable practices, with its own vegetable garden, and the team runs a number of initiatives, including a glass upcycling workshop. Reservations are hard to come by, and you can expect an 11-month wait for a table, with prices for a tasting menu starting around €139 ($145) per person.
Lasarte
Chef Martin Berasategui’s second restaurant on this list makes him the only chef in Spain with two restaurants that each holds three Michelin stars. His seven restaurants have an impressive 12 stars between them. Helmed by Paolo Casagrande, who was trained under Berasategui, Lasarte in Barcelona was awarded its third star in 2017 and is named after the chef’s hometown in the Basque country. Indeed, Basque and local Catalan influences come together seamlessly in the ever-changing menus.
Diners are spoiled for choice, as Lasarte has two tasting menus priced around €345 ($360) per person as well as an impressive a la carte menu. The cuisine is imaginative and beautifully presented. Recent dishes have included charcoal ox fillet, with artichokes with shallot and port wine sauce, and queen scallop with mushrooms, quail egg, cauliflower and truffle.
[See also: A Guide to All Three-Michelin-Star Restaurants in the USA]
Noor
Noor, the innovative restaurant in Córdoba led by chef Paco Morales, delves deeply into the Moorish culinary traditions of Al-Andalus, reimagining medieval Muslim Spain’s rich gastronomic heritage for a modern audience. Morales, who honed his craft at prestigious establishments like household names such as Mugaritz and El Bulli, returned to Córdoba to establish Noor in 2016.
The restaurant operates during distinct seasons, emphasizing its commitment to the cyclical rhythms of nature and history. There are three seasonal tasting menus available, starting from €110 ($120) and each is rooted in Andalusian and Moorish influences, meaning guests can sample dishes like oysters with kalamata juice, lamb gel, and spinach paired with goat’s cheese and asparagus.
Quique Dacosta
Around 60 miles south of Valencia, set within a Mediterranean villa, is the Quique Dacosta restaurant, named after its greatly admired and dedicated chef. The Michelin Guide describes eating here as “a unique gastronomic experience,” and Dacosta aims to deliver a treat for the senses.
The beautifully put-together €295 ($315) tasting menu named ‘For the Love of Art’ offers inventive cuisine influenced by the Valencia region, the Mediterranean and beyond. Dacosta prides himself in the use of local ingredients, and the restaurant is seasonal, usually opening between February and November.
[See also: Four Talented Young Chefs with Green Michelin Stars]
