Amar (Barcelona), best opening of 2022
At The Fork Restaurant Awards, chefs propose and diners decide. In this second edition, the winner was Amar restaurant (Barcelona), bearing the signature of Rafa Zafra and distinguished by its focus on exceptional seafood.
Fifty-two chefs selected their favorite new restaurant opening of 2022, narrowing the field to 39 restaurants, and The Fork users cast over 16,000 votes to determine their top ten. The top spot went to this Barcelona restaurant located in the Palace Barcelona, where Gonzalo Hernández is head chef and Víctor García is his sous-chef.
Caviar, oysters, salted fish, fried dishes, grilled specialties, and nods to the classics from the menu that showcased traditional Catalan cuisine at the former Ritz in Barcelona can all be found at this restaurant, whose wine list is curated by Quim Vila, owner of Vila Viniteca. The restaurant's godfather was Rafa de Bedoya (Aleia, Barcelona).
Nine other restaurants completed the list of those chosen as the best openings of 2022: Abiss (Calpe, Alicante), Flama (Valencia), Prodigi and Teatro Kitchen Bar in Barcelona and the Madrid restaurants La Llorería, La Morena, Los 33, Omeraki and Takumi.
These awards were revealed at a gala hosted by Jesús Vázquez at the Cibeles Palace in Madrid, where the menu was prepared by five female chefs: Begoña Rodrigo (La Salita), Susi Díaz (La Finca), María José Martínez (Lienzo), María Gómez (Magoga), and the Puigdevall y Puigvert family (Les Cols). The Fork thus paid tribute to the role of women in the Spanish and international culinary scene.
“With our awards we want to support all restaurants, and specifically those that have recently opened, which have to face numerous challenges and make a name for themselves in an extremely competitive market,” highlighted Sergio Sequeira, Country Manager of Iberia at TheFork.