With seven restaurants topping the World's 50 Best Restaurants list, Spain's gastronomic landscape is on the cutting edge of fine dining.
In cities like San Sebastián, Barcelona, and Seville, food isn't just an art, it's a culture. Thanks to the towering influence of the great Catalan chef Ferran Adria, Spain is home to some of the most genius culinary minds in the world, not to mention pitch-perfect service and dining experiences that verge on theater.
To find the crème de la crème, we studied Spain's Michelin Guide, the World's 50 Best Restaurant List, and numerous critics' reviews so you don't have to.
Keep scrolling to explore Spain's culinary universe through its 20 most incredible restaurants.
SEE ALSO: 20 restaurants in Italy that will give you serious wanderlust
Asador Etxebarri (Atxondo)
Asador Etxebarri is a fine dining exploration of all things smoke and fire. Chef Victor Arguinzoniz has based his entire restaurant (and his entire life) around the grill. Every dish that comes out of this country restaurant (No. 13 in the world) has a hint of smoke, and Arguinzoniz is known to locals as "the Ferran Adrià of the hearth." He's famous for his homemade chorizo, which he often prepares as tartare.
To learn more about Asador Etxebarri, click here >
Arzak (San Sebastián)
With three Michelin stars, Arzak is ranked No. 17 on the 2015 World's Best 50 Restaurants list. Operated by father-daughter duo Juan Mari Arzak and Elena Arzak Espina, the kitchen turns out modern Basque dishes like its famous "Red Egg," made with piquillo peppers and crispy trotter meat.
To learn more about Arzak, click here >
Azurmendi (Larrabetzu)
Azurmendi chef Eneko Atxa, who has been cooking professionally since the age of 15, puzzles and delights with dishes like an "inside-out" truffled egg and noodles made of squid. A pioneer of ultrasonic cooking, Atxa is also fervent about sustainability. Not only does the restaurant (No. 19 in the world) use geothermal technology to heat and cool its environs, it also recycles its own waste and harvests rainfall.
To learn more about Azurmendi, click here >
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
NOW WATCH: The hardest part about being a supermodel