The acclaimed Costa del Sol chef Dani García is the only Spanish chef to have been awarded the prestigious highest rating in Michelin’s 2019 Spain and Portugal guide.
Dani García’s Marbella restaurant took the top honour for “exceptional cuisine worth a special journey”.
Spain’s Michelin starred restaurants have been making global headlines for the last two decades, and the trend looks set to continue with the addition of twenty five newcomers to the legendary list in 2019. With the inclusion of García’s self titled restaurant in Marbella’s Puente Romano Hotel, there are now eleven Spanish restaurants that hold the maximum three star rating for “exceptional cuisine worth a special journey”.
Elevating Dani García’s restaurant from two to three stars the guides inspectors highlighted “his unique way of reformulating Andalusian cuisine in a contemporary way, ensuring that each development tells a different story based on products related to local traditions”.
After being awarded his coveted third star at a glittering award ceremony, the 42 year old chef said “I cried with joy with my mother, my daughters, my partner, my team… I am very happy. After 20 years of work, this is another step up. Now I will enjoy the moment and reflect”.
The Málaga born chef trained in the city’s “La Cónsula” catering school before starting his career under the wing of the Basque masterchef Martín Berasategui, who this year increased his collection of stars to ten. He was awarded his first Michelin star at only 25 years of age whilst at Tragabuches in Ronda, before moving on to Calima in Marbella where he became the first chef in Andalucía to win two stars.
García’s third star was the headline news at the gala event in Lisbon, but the south of Spain is well represented with a total of twenty two Michelin stars in Andalucía, ten of which being in the Málaga province thanks to the restaurants José Carlos García in Málaga city, El Lago, Messina and Skina in Marbella, Sollo in Fuengirola, Kabuki Raw in Casares and Bardal in Ronda, all of which retained their stars this year.