Restaurant Quique Dacosta

Restaurant Quique Dacosta is the flagship of chef Quique Dacosta in Dénia, on the Mediterranean coast of Alicante. It holds three Michelin stars.

Dacosta started working in this kitchen as a teenager, when it was still called El Poblet, and in time it became his own restaurant and took his name. Michelin gave it a first star in 2003 and the third in 2012, and the Spanish guide has kept it at the top level ever since. At the gala of the latest guide, Dacosta also received the Mentor Chef Award, given for his view of cooking as an art. Head chef Carolina Alvarez and head of development Juanfra Valiente work closely with him on the menus.

The Octavo tasting menu is built on the Mediterranean, and the menu is rewritten almost completely each year. Rice is a constant: black rice with squid ink comes with fresh aioli, and peppers stuffed with rice bring the fields around Dénia to the table. Sea urchin has also had its place, and a dessert pairs chocolate with olive oil. Valiente created the music box dessert in honor of his own mother. Rewriting the menu each year means that even regulars meet new dishes, while rice, seafood and olive oil keep it tied to the coast.

The room seats only 22 guests, and its minimalist decor leaves the food at the center of the evening. The restaurant has also appeared on the World's 50 Best Restaurants list. Dacosta himself has been named Best Spanish Restaurateur by the Royal Academy of Gastronomy and has received the Gold Medal for Merit in the Fine Arts. The small room and the yearly change of menu suit each other: few tables, and a kitchen that treats every season as a new project.