Barcelona restaurant Disfrutar caps stellar year with third Michelin star

The Michelin Guide 2024 selection for Spain was revealed at a gala event in Barcelona's Auditorium CCIB Forum on Tuesday evening, and it was a good night for the city's fine dining scene. 

Disfrutar capped a stellar year by joining the guide's crème de la crème as it gained its third Michelin star. 

Led by three chefs who previously worked at the world famous El Bulli – Oriol Castro, Mateu Castañas and Eduard Xatruch – Disfrutar's latest award comes less than six months after it was named the second-best restaurant in the world by the British magazine 'Restaurant' it its 'The World's 50 Best Restaurants' ranking. 

Disfrutar becomes the fifth Catalan restaurant to currently hold three stars, joining Lasarte, Cocina Hermanos Torres, and ABaC, all in Barcelona, plus Girona's El Celler de Can Roca. 

Two restaurants in Catalonia were award a Michelin star for the first time, both in Barcelona: Quirat, based at Hotel InterContinental at the foot of Montjuïc, and Suto, an intimate Japanese restaurant in the Sants neighborhood. 

Individual awards 

Three Catalans were honored with individual awards at the gala. Josep 'Pitu' Roca from El Celler de Can Roca was named best sommelier, Joan Carles Ibáñez from Lasarte was named best head chef, and Martina Puigvert from Les Cols in Olot won best young chef. 

Map of Catalonia's Michelin-starred restaurants

While Catalonia's new additions for the 2024 guide are all Barcelona based, there are Michelin-starred restaurants to be found in all corners of Catalonia. Check out the interactive map below where you can find restaurants according to how many stars they have, and information including the type of cuisine and typical price. 

In the 2024 Michelin Guide Spain – the first year without a joint guide with neighboring Portugal – Catalonia is represented with a total of 70 stars, one more than the previous year.

While Disfrutar, Suto and Quirat gained stars, two Catalan restaurants lost stars – Angle at Hotel Cram, run by celebrity chef Jordi Cruz, dropped from two stars to one, while La Cuina de San Simón lost its sole star. 

Green stars

Two Catalan restaurants gained a Michelin Green Star for sustainability for the first time - Emporium in Castelló d’Empúries on the Costa Brava, and Algadir del Delta in Amposta, southern Catalonia.  

The gala was presented by Andreu Buenafuente and attended by Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni. It was marked by a tribute to Daniel Redondo, head chef of Celler de Can Roca who died earlier this week in a road traffic accident.