Valencia Will Host the World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards

VALÈNCIA, Spain (March X, 2023) – The city of València once again becomes a benchmark for haute cuisine at an international level. It has now been announced that the awards for The World’s 50 Best Restaurants will be held in València on 20^th June 2023. Les Arts, the opera and cultural centre and part of the modernist City of Arts and Sciences, has been chosen as the dedicated celebration space.

“Les Arts has been chosen as the venue for the celebration of the 50 Best Restaurants Gala, which will take place on June 20^th. Once again, this iconic building will host an event of international relevance and will allow us to project the best image of our city,” said Emiliano Garcia, Councilor for Tourism, and Internationalization of the City Council. “As was the case with the 36^th Goya Awards Gala and the Spain & Portugal Michelin Gala, València is going to throw itself into celebrating this event, bringing together the most prestigious chefs from around the world bringing all eyes within the gastronomy sector into València,” added Garcia.

Throughout June, València will host chefs showcasing their culinary skills and talking about haute cuisine. The event will include a series of key talks, such as a #50BestTalks thought leadership forum; 50 Best Signature Sessions, gastronomic meetings between international chefs and Valèncian chefs and, of course, the awards ceremony. The 100 best chefs in the world join in València to also share their knowledge with local hospitality students through an educational event. Over the next few months, the final program, which marks this significant international culinary event, will be revealed.

The great milestones that have elevated Valèncian gastronomy

In recent years, València has curated multiple events celebrating Valèncian gastronomy and the city’s sustainable projects. The 2022 Michelin Spain & Portugal Guide gala saw València receive three new stars, meaning the city currently holds a total of nine stars. Like the decorations València has received as the European Capital of Smart Tourism 2022, and the most recent European Green Capital 2024, these important titles have put València on the map as a smart, sustainable and cutting-edge city.

València, a model of culinary sustainability

Few cities have the privilege of having large farms and storage to stock and provide seasonal products, leaving hardly any carbon footprint. For example, Albufera Natural Park is where many local varieties of rice are grown, which provides the main ingredient for València’s most international dish: paella. Additionally, the proximity of the Mediterranean Sea means for easy access to fresh fish sold at the Marina’s Fish Market and offered on many local restaurant menus. Additionally, urban beekeeping farms have installed about twenty hives on roofs throughout the city to contribute to the biodiversity of the city parks. València’s commitment to food sustainability goes further; since 2019 it has been the headquarters of the World Centre for Sustainable Urban Food of the FAO, solving food and nutrition issues in larger cities. This stands as one of the commitments that the city assumed after being declared the World Capital of Sustainable Food in 2017.