If there’s a synonym for excellent cuisine and high-quality products, it’s the Michelin Guide. This restaurant guide is the oldest, originating in 1900 as an advertising guide by André Michelin, aimed at informing travelers.
However, today the Michelin Guide and the restaurants featured in it are a benchmark for lovers of select and high-quality gastronomy. A guide where the quality of Murcian gastronomy has found its spot, as it includes four restaurants from the region, one of them with two Michelin Stars and three with one Michelin Star.
For a complete gastronomic experience in any of these restaurants, we recommend pairing the dishes with wines from the region. The wineries in Jumilla offer magnificent wines each year to pair with the most select dishes of Murcian cuisine.
Starred Restaurants in Cartagena
Murcia is not the only city in the Region with restaurants distinguished with the prestigious Michelin Star. In Cartagena, it’s also possible to taste a bit of the culinary excellence that is awarded in the world’s most famous restaurant guide.
Magoga (Cartagena)
Magoga is the last of the Michelin-starred restaurants in Murcia that we are going to talk about. This restaurant is located in the old square where the vegetable market in Cartagena used to be, and despite the contemporary and sensitive nature of its dishes, it directly follows the local recipe and product.
It got its first and only Michelin Star in 2019, led by its chef María Gómez, originally from Fuente Álamo, also in the Region of Murcia. The goal of Magoga’s menu is to showcase the flavors of Cartagena, with a great spotlight on local fish and shellfish, but also meat from local suppliers and fruits and vegetables from the rich Murcian orchard.
Starred Restaurants in Murcia Capital
According to the words that appear in the guide, achieving one of the coveted Michelin Stars means that the restaurant has a “cuisine of great finesse and is worth making a stopover to taste its dishes”. Something that the Michelin-starred restaurants in Murcia can certainly be proud of.
Cabaña Buenavista (El Palmar, Murcia)
Even though Cabaña Buenavista is not located in the capital of Murcia, it’s only fair to mention it first, as it’s the only one distinguished with two Michelin Stars in the entire Region of Murcia, earned in 2009 and 2017 respectively.
The restaurant, which opened its doors in 2004, is located in the Murcian hamlet of El Palmar, in a rustic-style cabin. Chef Pablo García Conejero only needed five years since its opening to get his first star thanks to his creative cuisine closely linked to the typical dishes of Murcia.
Odiseo (Murcia)
Odiseo is another of the Michelin-starred restaurants in Murcia. This one is located in the Murcian capital, within the leisure center bearing the same name, and currently has one of these distinctions.
Under the command of chef Nazario Cano, the restaurant’s cuisine focuses on reinventing and updating historical recipes of Mediterranean cuisine according to the principles of modern cooking. Its dishes also have influences from different cultures that have inhabited the area and, above all, high-quality raw materials can be found.
The restaurant also features a gastronomic bar where live cooking can be enjoyed and a terrace where one can escape the routine without leaving the city.
Alma Marte (Murcia)
Alma Mater is the last of the Michelin-starred restaurants in Murcia that you’ll find in the guide, although this is not its only distinction, as it’s also been awarded a Repsol Sun. Chef Juan Guillamón (nominated for the Revelation Chef award in Madrid Fusion) presents a cuisine with character that combines the avant-garde and respect for the roots of Murcian cuisine.
In the restaurant’s menu, it’s possible to find traditional dishes focusing on the quality of the product used such as ham or Iberian loin, or smoked sardines with sea lettuce vinaigrette. But it also presents dishes for lovers of culinary avant-garde and sophistication like the Guinea fowl from Las Landas with mushroom duxelle, corn cream and miso, red tuna parpatana or red shrimp curry with seasonal vegetables and wild rice.
If you’re someone who always goes big, you can always opt for their tasting menu so as not to miss anything from their menu, not even their desserts.
So what are you waiting for to reserve a table at any of these restaurants on your next vacation in the area?
