In this edition, unveiled in Santiago da Compostela on Wednesday, a total of fourteen Portuguese restaurants are awarded one or two stars, though none received the maximum three-star classification.
Boasting two Michelin stars are the Belcanto restaurant in Lisbon, Vila Joya in Albufeira and VilaVita’s Ocean restaurant in Porches.
A newcomer celebrating its first star is the Bon Bon restaurant in Carvoeiro (Algarve), under the guidance of young chef Rui Silvestre, while the L’And Vineyards (Montemor-o-Novo) lost its star and São Gabriel restaurant in Almancil recovered the star that it had lost in the previous edition.
Maintaining one Michelin star are Pedro Lemos (Oporto), Willie’s (Vilamoura), Henrique Leis (Almancil), Il Gallo d’Oro (Funchal), Casa da Calçada (Amarante), Fortaleza do Guincho (Cascais), The Yeatman (Vila Nova de Gaia), Feitoria (Lisbon), and Eleven (Lisbon).
Together, Portugal and Spain achieved a record number of stars with a total of 188, the vast majority of which went to Spain.
Created at the start of the 20th century to help foodies on their travels, the Michelin Guide is today considered a world reference in the qualification of restaurants.
Portugal first entered the guide in 1910.
Michelin’s inspectors base their assessments on quality of products, how well food is cooked, flavour, creativity, kitchen regularity and price/quality ratio.
In London, the Portuguese restaurant Taberno do Mercado was awarded a ‘bib’ by Michelin, handed to restaurants which are cheaper and less formal than those competing for stars.Nuno Mendes’ restaurant was the target of some severe criticism from Times food critic Giles Coren
“Portuguese cooking is the worst on earth. Or, at least, the worst of any warm nation on earth. Obviously, Irish cooking could give it a run. Or Polish. But in its leaden, oversalted blandness, the cuisine of Portugal is, at best, what English cooking would be if we had better weather”, Coren wrote after visiting Taberna do Mercado.