For Spain, this summer is, by all accounts, going to be the summer of recovery, as the country, which has long been a favourite holiday destination, prepares to see tourists return in their droves. Domestic consumption is also on the rise, especially in the foodservice sector, as figures from the latest Mastercard SpendingPulse report reveal: in May 2022, of nine countries analysed, Spain was the one where sales rose the most in all sectors, with restaurant sales up 174% on May 2021, and hotels up 117%. And that happened despite the fact that hotels, cafés, bars and restaurants are charging higher prices than last year, according to the Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE).

When it comes to foodservice, Spain really does know how to take it to the highest level as the rankings among the World’s 50 Best Restaurants demonstrate: Disfrutar (Barcelona), DiverXo (Madrid) and Asador Etxebarri (Atxondo) were in 3rd, 4th and 6th place respectively. At the same time the country never forgets its pop roots and passion for street food. Examples include the new formats by Dabiz Muñoz, the passionate chef at the 3-star-rated DiverXo, which recently opened a ravioli format at RavioXO, “a journey from China to Italy and back without any Chinese or Italian cuisine,” GoXO, a restaurant for delivery services, and StreetXo, a haute cuisine fast food establishment with no waiters and no booking procedure.

Another trend is the growing attention towards natural foods and issues around sustainability. These are things Mugaritz in San Sebastian have always cared about, but Aponiente was the one named the most sustainable restaurant in The World’s 50 Best, which recognised the work done by chef Ángel León in collaboration with the University of Cadiz and local fishing companies, who saved many aquatic species, including an eel that had been threatened with extinction. Restaurant staff got involved in cleaning the beaches of Cadiz, helped spread awareness of the importance of healthy eating in schools and, during the pandemic, took part in the World Central Kitchen campaign.

Spain is no stranger to technology in the kitchen, either. There is growing interest in 3D printed food, which gives chefs plenty of opportunity for creativity as well as reducing food waste. Then, there is the Metaverse and NFTs, used to create exclusive situations but also to help chefs protect their creations, and also augmented reality to create very special situations. A pioneer in this field is the Sublimotion restaurant in Ibiza, which has a table seating just 12 diners (at great expense) offering a truly multimedia sensorial experience that goes beyond “simple” haute cuisine.