It was quite the scoop for the city of Valencia to host the We’re Smart Awards 2024 in early December. They are the equivalent of the Michelin Stars Awards for the world of vegetables and fruits.
They champion the cause of healthy, ethical and sustainable eating by supporting low-mileage foods and eating seasonally. The organisation’s picking Valencia as the host city is an acknowledgement of the city’s massive efforts to make itself the larder of the Mediterranean.
The We’re Smart Green Guide awards the recommended plant-based restaurants from 1 to 5 radishes. It is based on the innovative use of seasonal ingredients, the percentage of fruit and vegetable dishes on the menu and other sustainability criteria such as ecological footprint and social impact. Valencia has three restaurants with five radishes – Ricard Camarena, La Salita and Fierro.
Ricard Camarena
Ricard Camerena restaurant holds two Michelin stars and one Michelin Green star and is regarded as the sixth-best vegetarian restaurant in the world according to the We’re Smart Green Guide.
The restaurant is located on the outskirts of the old town of Valencia in the Marxalenes district. It is situated in the former Bombas Gens factory, a former hydraulic pump factory. Apart from the restaurant, it also hosts a contemporary art centre that specialises in immersive experiences.
Their vegetarian tasting menu – Oxalis Way is priced at €210. Innovative dishes include green asparagus served in coffee butter. The emphasis of the restaurant is on the full utilisation of their produce. You might have stuffed the courgette for one course, and then the peel shavings of the courgette would be used in a dessert course.
La Salita
The restaurant La Salita has notable credentials too. They’ve held their one Michelin star since 2019. They are no.11 on the list of best vegetarian restaurants in the world by the We’re Smart Green Guide. Executive chef Begoña Rodrigo was also awarded best lady vegetarian chef 2024. She is well-known to the Spanish public, having won the Spanish TV chef show Top Chef.
The elegantly decorated restaurant is housed in an impressive 18th-century mansion in the Ruzafa district. The predominantly white decor makes excellent use of natural daylight. It also includes a scenic garden and a handily positioned terrace, ideal for apéritifs or digestifs. Menu la Burria is their vegetarian-tasting menu, which includes playful dishes like rich asparagus, poor asparagus, green mojo, and pickled mushroom broth foam.
The international influence is unmistakable in dishes like mushroom nigiri, curry lentils, and eggplant falafel. Her meat-free “charcuterie” – pumpkin sobrasada is renowned throughout Spain. Their cocktails are not to be missed, including bold creations like truffle negroni and their iconic take on the olive dry martini.
Fierro
This restaurant also holds one Michelin star, as well as five radishes. They are no.32 on the list of best vegetarian restaurants in the world by the We’re Smart Green Guide. They are situated close to the world-famous Mercat de Russafa. They have joint executive chefs in Carlito Lourenço and Germán Carrizo. They combine to offer Argentinian flair whilst showcasing the best of local produce.
They offer two vegetarian menus – emotion and evocation. The former is about awakening feelings and contains seven snacks, eight dishes, three desserts and our petit fours. The latter is about traversing the Mediterranean through memory and contains five snacks, five dishes, two desserts and our petit fours.
The restaurant only seats 12 people at a time and has a much more cosy, family atmosphere than the previous two restaurants. They have a great method of engaging with diners, so the dishes are not introduced at the start, and diners have to guess what the dishes were. The mind-boggling experience might include the likes of corn ice cream and wasabi rhubarb cheesecake.
The No. 1 restaurant on the We’re Smart Green Guide is the Madrid restaurant El Invernadero. The new Green Guide contains over 1,300 of the best vegetable restaurants in the world, so for Valencia to have three restaurants in the top 32 is quite an accomplishment. If you are looking for a progressive culinary experience for your next city break, make sure you check out Valencia.
Why not check out my article on the finest restaurant in South America.
