How Disfrutar Climbed The Ranks To Be Named World's 3rd Best Restaurant
If you're reading this right now, there's a good chance you appreciate a good meal. But, the same old after work stir-fry or pizza can start to get a little boring. If you seek adventurous eating experiences, maybe you've made your way around a few Michelin-starred restaurants. Perhaps you've walked on the wild side at the experimental Ultraviolet in Shanghai with its top-secret location, or tried out the more luxurious side of fine dining at Masa — the most expensive sushi restaurant in the U.S. Now, we have a world-renowned spot specifically praised for its creativity to add to your list. In fact, you might want to bump this one all the way to the top of that list.
Welcome to Disfrutar in Barcelona, Spain. The World's 50 Best list lauds Disfrutar as "one of the most delicious, surprising and boundary-pushing gastronomic experiences in the world." The restaurant first made the list in 2018, coming in at 18 out of 50, even receiving the Highest New Entry Award. It also received the World's 50 Best Restaurant's "Miele One to Watch" award in 2017 one year before officially earning a spot on the list, per Fine Dining Lovers. Since then, Disfrutar has climbed to the third spot. So, what's the secret to Disfrutar's success?
The chefs make the meals — and make the restaurant what it is
The restaurant has its staff to thank. Disfrutar (which translates to "enjoy") was opened in December 2014 by Mateu Casañas, Oriol Castro, and Eduard Xatruch, who all previously worked together with Ferran Adrià at the award-winning Spanish restaurant El Bulli (via Proud Mag). At El Bulli, Adrià invented revolutionary gastronomic innovations including foams, spherification, and even the liquid olive, according to The World's 50 Best. When El Bulli shuttered its doors in 2011, Casañas, Castro, and Xatruch opened their own restaurant, Compartir, then moved on to open Disfrutar.
The restaurant now has two Michelin stars, and is praised by Michelin itself as featuring "creativity, high technical skill, fantasy, and good taste" as hallmarks of the Disfrutar experience — and for good reason. The interior of the restaurant itself is inspired by Spanish art and culture. A bright, open dining room opens onto a terrace lined with colorful Mediterranean ceramics, says Food and Wine Gazette.
The avant garde menu, it says, features dishes like truffle foam macaroni shaped from gelatin and a whiskey tart that guests wash their hands in aromatic whiskey before eating. The restaurant is still keeping guests on their toes with new innovations. According to The World's 50 Best, in 2021, Disfrutar unveiled a dining table packed with secret drawers and compartments full of surprise delicacies. So, if you're in the mood for a one-of-a-kind meal and an experience to match, consider adding this Barcelona marvel as a top contender.