Some think that in the Michelin Guide there is only room for restaurants of the highest cuisine, with prices that can rarely be assumed. And it is not like that. The red guide also has a category of cheaper establishments, the Bib Gourmand, where you can eat for 35 euros, although it depends on what you order and the house you are in.
This distinction, which is represented by the Bibendum (the Michelin doll) licking its lips and which is awarded to the restaurants with the best quality-price ratio in the country, is awarded each year along with the guide's classic stars. Yesterday night, at a gala held at the Auditori Fòrum of the Barcelona International Convention Center (CCIB) and where the third star was awarded to the Barcelonan Enjoy and the Córdoba Noor, the new Bib Gourmand were also unveiled.
Michelin gave this recognition to 23 establishments throughout the territory, so that there are now 229 restaurants that have received this distinction that the red guide has awarded since 1997. Andalusia was the autonomous community most awarded in this category, with seven new Bib Gourmand: Atxa (Tarifa), Berdó (Puerto de Santamaría), Blossom (Málaga), Casa Mané (Palmones), Kàran Bistró (Pozoblanco), La Taberna de Mike Palmer (Málaga) and Ochando (Los Rosales).
Valencia became another of the places that managed to collect more of these distinctions, with four recognized restaurants: Izakaya Tasca Japonesa, La Farola, La Posada de Águeda and Rubén Miralles. They are followed by Madrid, with three establishments (Eximio by Fernando Martín, Santé and Tres por Cuatro) and Catalunya, with two (Can Xapes and El Cigró d'Or).
With a simpler, more recognizable and easy-to-enjoy style of cuisine, any of these spaces "will leave you with a feeling of satisfaction for having eaten tremendously well, at a reasonable price," say Michelin, which also delivered last night its Green Stars, which reward houses committed to the environment.
The red guide goes on to explain that "there is no established formula for a Bib Gourmand restaurant", as they all have their own personality and can vary greatly from one another. Among the Spanish establishments that have received this distinction this year, it is possible to find Atxa (Tarifa), run by a couple of chefs who worked for Martin Berasategui and where they offer cuisine with grill nuances and creative touches; the Can Xapes restaurant-school (Cornellà del Terri), with classics from the Catalan recipe book and a social project behind it; or Santé (Leganés), where traditional market cuisine is prepared, with modern touches and nods to other cultures.
These restaurants, therefore, can be very different from each other, but in principle they should not force the diner to make a very significant financial effort. These are the new Bib Gourmand of the Michelin Guide Spain 2024:
