Chef Rodrigo de la Calle’s El Invernadero restaurant in Madrid was repeated for the second time as the world’s best veggie restaurant at the We’re Smart Awards, celebrated in March in London. The second place is occupied by the Central restaurant in Lima (Peru), headed by Virgilio Martinez and Pia Leon. The third, Fleur, is from Chef Bas van Kranen, in Amsterdam.
Ricard Camarena, with his restaurant of the same name in Valencia, maintained sixth place in this competition, from which Les Cols de Olot (Girona) was awarded the Best Discovery of the Year award. The awards confirm Spain’s position as a global power in green gastronomy. Other examples in this line are Rubén Miralles, from Castellón, and Esterbe, from Yecla (Murcia), who received five horseradish, the maximum guide qualification.
Frank Faull, known as the Vegetable Chef and founder of the We’re Smart World project, which includes the Green Guide and the annual We’re Smart Awards, is committed to putting vegetable cuisine where it deserves to be. Search the world for chefs and restaurants who do best with this part of the menu, once secondary but now a place where creativity can best be achieved to ensure vegetables are the best on the plate.
About Rodrigo de la Calle, who has led veggie cuisine in Spain since the El Infernadero restaurant in Madrid, but also with Firenze in Barcelona, he says: “It is a culinary phenomenon, achieving dishes and combinations that are on the ground technically pure and impeccable in terms of flavour, but whose meticulous work guarantees an exceptionally elevated experience.” Rodrigo de la Calle makes his own drinks for each dish, which can be kefir or kombucha. “Winter cuisine demonstrates the continuous development and global leadership in the art of cooking, confirming its number one position for the second year in a row,” Faul added.
In Spain’s top 10, the first goes to Xavier Pellicer (who is considered an outcast in the world list because he has remained at number one for years in a row), the second goes to El Invernadero, and the third goes to Ricard Camarena. Next in fourth place was La Salita de Valley, whose chef Begoña Rodrigo won the Best Vegetable Chef award. Fierro, also in Valencia, is fifth, Les Cols is sixth, and La Aquarella in Gran Canaria is seventh. Browse the list of top Spanish people: Rubén Miralles, Estirbe and Virens.
The title of Best Chef of the Year was awarded to Chantelle Nicholson from Apricity in London. She succeeds Begoña Rodrigo de La Salita (Valencia), who was awarded in 2024. Nicholson, originally from Nueva Zealand, is known for her commitment to planetary-conscious gastronomy and her advocacy of regenerative and environmentally responsible lodges. The award seeks to promote female references in vegetarian cuisine and contribute to achieving a balance between gender representation in gastronomy.
Our Smart Green Guide 2025 is a culinary guide focused on increasing the value of the creative and sustainable use of vegetables and fruits in restaurants. The guide reviews a total of 1,500 restaurants in 52 countries around the world and ranks them from one to five radishes. One radish indicates a steady start, while five radishes represent culinary excellence.
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