Sustainability in the restaurant sector is here to stay. It is not a whim, a luxury, or a fad. It is a necessity.In Spain, there are more and more restaurants and accommodations committed to sustainability, and there is a wide range of places where you can enjoy a sustainable gastronomic offer. The popular saying “from farm to table” is at the core of this idea, using local, seasonal and organic products.
Michelin Green Star Restaurants in Spain
The Green Stars were included for the first time in the 2021 Spain & Portugal Guide. In the 2024 edition, up to 49 Spanish establishments have won this award that rewards the use of local zero-km-products, the use of energy-saving technologies and the reduction of waste. The newly added restaurants include:L'Algadir del Delta (Amposta), Casa Marcial (in Arriondas), Barro (Ávila), Emporium (Castelló d’Empúries), Ca Na Toneta (Caimari, Mallorca), Andreu Genestra (Llucmajor, Mallorca), Es Tragón (Sant Antoni de Portmany, Eivissa), Béns d’Avall (Sóller, Mallorca), Monte (in San Feliz), El Molino de Alcuneza (Sigüenza), El Molino de Urdániz (Urdaitz) and Black Stork Habitat (in Valverde del Fresno).
Among the restaurants that were awarded three Michelin Stars in 2024, one of them, Cocina Hermanos Torres (in Barcelona), has once again been given a Green Star. Its tasting menu is a taste-bud tickling journey through the best seasonal products, always celebrating their origins.Other establishments awarded three stars for their commitment to the environment Aponiente (El Puerto de Santa María), Cenador de Amós (Villaverde de Pontones), Azurmendi (Larrabetzu) and El Celler de Can Roca (Girona).
More sustainable gastronomy proposals in Spain
In addition to the Michelin Green Stars, numerous proposals in Spain take care of their products and processes with the aim of protecting our ecosystems.Monroyo is a small and beautiful town in the Matarraña region, in Teruel (Aragon). There, you find the head office of the Sustainable Restaurants Foundation, which was established in 2021 in La Torre del Marqués hotel. Its restaurant, La Atalaya de Tastavins, stands out for its sustainable philosophy, built on three axes: Planet, People and Product. Located in a paradise of ancestral crops of vineyards and olive trees, they will offer you their own organic wine and products from their orchard, which grow at the rhythm set by nature.The project QonAlma, closely linked to the lands of Castile-La Mancha, brings together companies from the sector committed to sustainable gastronomy and foodservice. For them, a sustainable restaurant performs its activity “to meet the needs of current generations of diners without compromising the needs of future diners”.
Linked to the QonAlma project, discover the restaurant in the heart of the La Mancha countryside Hospedería Santa Elena, located in a historic 17th century building in San Carlos del Valle (Ciudad Real), with fusion cuisine that uses natural, seasonal and local ingredients. And Molino de Alcuneza, in Sigüenza (Guadalajara), which offers traditional local cuisine and where you can taste up to seven types of home-made artisan bread.And another two proposals: the restaurants located in Talavera de la Reina (Toledo) Amaranto, based on respect for great ingredients, and Raíces, with chef Carlos Maldonado focused on personal challenges related to sustainability. They complement the gastronomic offer linked to QonAlma.
The Sustainable Suns of the Repsol Guide
The Repsol Guide has been awarding its Sustainable Suns for a few years now, in collaboration with the public initiative Alimentos de España. It recognises restaurants committed to sustainability and environmental care. The restaurants awarded with a 'Sustainable Sun' in the 2024 edition have been “Les Cols” (in Olot), “A Tafona” (in Santiago de Compostela), “Loreto” (in Jumilla) and “La Revelía” (in Amorebieta-Etxano).
The commitment of the Basque Culinary Centre and the “Nobel Gastronomy Prizes”
In Spain, other initiatives of great prestige recognise sustainable gastronomy. The Basque Culinary Center presents the annual and international Basque Culinary World Prizes (BCWP), to honour chefs with transformative initiatives. The prize is given to spheres such as the environment, health or social development.
The award was given to several Spanish chefs, such as Andrés Torres, for his work with the NGO Global Humanitaria, with a commitment to food safety in 10 countries, and the creation of Casa Nova, a restaurant with a focus on sustainable practices. Award recipients include Xanty Elías, which received an award in 2021 for its work in the area of Finca Alfoliz, and José Andrés in 2020, who is committed to numerous causes for sustainability. Another restaurant that has also received an award is the “Aponiente” Restaurant in El Puerto de Santamaría (Cádiz), by chef Ángel León; awarded as the most sustainable restaurant of the year in “The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2022”.
Centuries-old taverns, an example of tradition and respect for the product
Linked to the concept of sustainability is gastronomic tradition, with absolute respect for the product, methods and preparations.For tradition, discover the centuries-old restaurants and taverns in Madrid. These places store a wealth of culinary wisdom passed from generation to generation. You will access true culinary temples that maintain the flavour of yesteryear, and immerse yourself in an environment that will take you back to Madrid at the end of the 19th century.Sustainable foodservice is supported by family and traditional gastronomy, creating incomparable dishes.
