50 of the world’s best restaurants all under one roof? Welcome to Spain

Basque-style tapas, or pintxos, offer affordable, delicious choice wherever you go in Bilbao.

OK, as misleading headlines go, that one above could be filed under ‘Slightly Fake News’, but there is a, erm, nugget of truth within…

Later this year, The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards, which is the most prestigious gastronomy event in the calendar, will be held in the northern Spanish city of Bilbao, where the leading 50 restaurants in the world will send their best and brightest chefs to battle it out for a prestigious title.

The event, now in its 16^th year, is recognised globally as the most sought-after accolade in the culinary world, and sees leading restaurant critics, gourmands and fellow restaurateurs rate and rank the dishes put forth by the leading 50 restaurants worldwide.

Bilbao’s Palacio Euskalduna will host this five-day event, which is returning to Europe this year following a stop off Down Under in Melbourne in 2017. The award show begins on June 16 and will see the main event take place on June 19 where some of the biggest names in haute cuisine stroll down the red carpet before tucking into meals prepared by the finalists.

Bilbao was chosen as a location for the awards due to its exceptionally strong culinary heritage, which combines elements of traditional Spanish, Basque and global food styles to deliver a city-wide dining experience that is unmatched anywhere else on the planet.

Indeed, after Kyoto in Japan no other city has a higher concentration of Michelin Star restaurants in the world than Bilbao’s Pais Vasco region.

The show first launched in 2002 and has seen Spanish restaurants win the top gong SEVEN times – five of those victories went to the famous – but now sadly closed – elBulli restaurant, with El Cellar de Can Roca picking up the gong on two occasions.

“We are sure that all visitors will feel at home, we are a small territory in which gastronomy is not only a pleasure but also a culture. Basque cuisine reflects our values as a country: it is a mixture of tradition, respect and culture,” said local regional councillor Unai Rementeria.