THE 22ND VALLADOLID NATIONAL PINCHOS AND TAPAS COMPETITION WRAPS UP TWO DAYS OF CULINARY EXCELLENCE, BRINGING TOGETHER CHEFS FROM ACROSS SPAIN

Valladolid, 10 November 2026. Today, Tuesday 10 November, the second and final day of the 22nd Valladolid National Pinchos and Tapas Competition was held at Valladolid’s Millennium Dome. The competition continued with two further sessions, in the morning and afternoon, during which the finalist chefs presented their creations to the jury. This concludes the participation of the 45 chefs selected from across Spain, who competed over two days for the title of Spain’s best tapa.

Second session of the National Competition (morning)

The first session of the day, held from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., featured the following chefs:

1. Aleix Riverola Brutau, from Els Casals (Catalonia, Barcelona), presenting the tapa “Buñuelo del perol”.
2. Alex de la Fuente, from In-pulso (Madrid), presenting the tapa “Aguja de carne”.
3. Alberto Montes Pereira, from Restaurante Atrio (Extremadura, Cáceres), presenting the tapa “Bob Bourguignon”.
4. Josué Martín Hernández, from El Altillo Gastro Bar (Canary Islands, Santa Cruz de Tenerife), presenting the tapa “Ropa vieja de cherne”.
5. Iñigo Kortabitarte Bilbao, from Kobika (Basque Country, Bizkaia), presenting the tapa “PIPER”.
6. Bartolomé Lozano González, from Asador Arrocería Puerta Madrid (Castilla-La Mancha, Albacete), presenting the tapa “Hakuna manzana”.
   
   
   
   
   
7. José Ignacio Gordo Martínez, from Aromas de Rioja By Zenit Calahorra (La Rioja), presenting the tapa “Trashumante”.
8. Christian Mor Raso, from Fendo (Aragón, Huesca), presenting the tapa “Domingo de un bocado”.
9. Diego Sánchez Romero, from Restaurante Blanco Hotel Spa (Asturias), presenting the tapa “En un lugar del principado, cuyo nombre sí quiero recordar”.
10. Daniel Redondo Reche, from Quillo – Cocina Flamenca (Andalusia, Sevilla), presenting the tapa “Otoño”.
11. Ignacio Gutiérrez Simón, from Castilla Termal Solares (Cantabria), presenting the tapa “Costa Quebrada”.
12. Andrés Moreno Castellano, from Bar Mingo (Balearic Islands), presenting the tapa “Manjar vikingo”.
    
    
    
    
    
13. Dobrica Ene, from Alba Granados (Catalonia, Barcelona), presenting the tapa “El festín del cochinillo”.
14. Alex Marcos Torres, from Los Álamos Laboratorio Gastronómico (Castile and León, Salamanca), presenting the tapa “Paroxismo”.
15. Juan García Domínguez, from Dolar Coreses (Basque Country, Álava), presenting the tapa “Volcán del norte”.
    
    

During this session, the jury was chaired by Janaína Torres, named The World’s Best Female Chef 2024 by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, alongside permanent jury members Aarón Ortiz (Kabo restaurant, One Michelin Star and One Sol Repsol), Cristina Jiménez (Faralá restaurant, One Michelin Star and One Sol Repsol) and Juanlu Fernández (LÚ Cocina y Alma restaurant, Two Michelin Stars and Two Soles Repsol).

Guest judges included José Manuel Bajo, secretary-general of the Baena Designation of Origin Regulatory Council; food journalist Marina Vega; and food writer Xabier Gutiérrez.

The competition was hosted by COPE journalist Goyo González.

The Brazilian chef highlighted the competition’s innovative and accessible nature, describing it as “the most contemporary culinary competition in the world.” She added: “It is a young competition, open to everyone and with a promising future, where both new generations of chefs and experienced professionals who want to continue showcasing their talent can take part.”

Third and final session of the National Competition (afternoon)

In the afternoon, from 5:00 to 7:30 p.m., the third and final session of the 22nd Valladolid National Pinchos and Tapas Competition took place, completing the participation of this year’s 45 finalists.

1. Juan Párraga Lossa, from La Tasca de Noah (Murcia), presenting the tapa “Lingote Segureño”.
2. Alberto Velasco Iglesias, from Mamaguaja (Asturias), presenting the tapa “Bocado atlántico”.
3. Carlos Miguel García Moreno, from Dexcaro Experience (Valencian Community, Alicante), presenting the tapa “Gofre ahumado”.
4. Ramón Lapuyade Burró, from Hostal Restaurante El Portal (Aragón, Huesca), presenting the tapa “KBZ”.
5. Orlando Rojas Hernández, from Lillas Pastia (Aragón, Huesca), presenting the tapa “Canutillo de berenjena”.
6. Emilio Ramírez García, from La Hospedería – El Provencio (Castilla-La Mancha, Cuenca), presenting the tapa “Bocado de Sotobosque”.
   
   
   
   
   
7. Óscar Torres Martínez, from La Chispa Adecuada (La Rioja), presenting the tapa “Falso taco asiático”.
8. Mario Fernández Argüelles, from TC 28 Beber y Comer (Asturias), presenting the tapa “EL CT DEL TC”.
9. Aitor Corrales Huelva, from Asador El Corral (Andalusia, Sevilla), presenting the tapa “Cannoli de atún”.
10. Juan Carlos Jiménez Pradas, from Azul Mediterráneo (Castile and León, Valladolid), presenting the tapa “Belem-Chazo”.
11. Jiale Pan, from Jiapan (Castile and León, Valladolid), presenting the tapa “Doce/29”.
12. Isaac Jacob Monasterios García, from A Mi Manera Gastrobar (Canary Islands, Las Palmas), presenting the tapa “La vieja regañá”.
    
    
    
    
    
13. Goiza Isiegas Garisoain, from Akari Gastroteka (Navarra), presenting the tapa “El reflejo”.
14. Claudia Manzano Álvarez, from Restaurante Xarop (Balearic Islands), presenting the tapa “570”.
15. Víctor Vallejo Bonilla, from Basho Café (Aragón, Zaragoza), presenting the tapa “El boom de Agustina”.
    
    

In this final session, the permanent jury was once again chaired by Janaína Torres, alongside Aarón Ortiz, Cristina Jiménez and Juanlu Fernández.

This time, the guest jury comprised Belén Sanz, winemaker at Dehesa de los Canónigos; Omar Allibhoy, internationally known as The Spanish Chef; and Santiago Granda, director of the Guayaquil Food Show.

The judges assessed the finalists’ creations, bringing to a close two days of competition celebrating creativity, technique and the diversity of Spanish gastronomy in tapa form.

Wednesday 11 November: 10th Valladolid World Tapas Championship in the morning, followed by the awards ceremony in the evening

Following the national competition, the 10th Valladolid World Tapas Championship will take place tomorrow, Wednesday 11 November, bringing together 16 chefs representing Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Ecuador, the United States, Thailand, Brunei, South Korea, Malaysia, India, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Spain, South Africa, Egypt and Uganda.

The competition will take place at the Millennium Dome from 10:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Its jury will be chaired by Mario Sandoval, chef of Coque restaurant, awarded Two Michelin Stars, One Michelin Green Star and Three Soles Repsol.

He will be joined by guest judges Janaína Torres, Cristina Jiménez, José Gómez, José Luis Prada, Gloria Lucía Martín, Jonatan Armengol, Rafael Pico, Tony Abruscato and Leo Harlem.

The closing ceremony and awards presentation for both competitions will take place on Wednesday 11 November at 7:30 p.m., when the winners of the 22nd National Pinchos and Tapas Competition and the 10th Valladolid World Tapas Championship will be announced.

The International Tapas Festival runs from today until 15 November

The International Tapas Festival begins today, 10 November, and runs until 15 November. During this period, the public can sample the competition tapas at Valladolid establishments partnered with the competitors.

Each finalist will be supported by a hospitality establishment in the city, providing the ingredients and resources needed to prepare their creation. These venues will also offer the competition tapas to the public for €3.50. Participating venues, opening hours and available tapas can be found in the SpainIsTapas app.

About the 22nd Valladolid National Pinchos and Tapas Competition

With more than two decades of history, the Valladolid National Pinchos and Tapas Competition has established itself as one of the leading showcases for Spanish culinary talent. Each year, it brings together hospitality professionals who find in miniature cuisine a space for creativity, innovation and culinary expression.

In this 22nd edition, 45 finalist chefs from all Spain’s autonomous communities will compete for the title of Spain’s best tapa.

The competition took place on Monday 9 November, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., and continued on Tuesday 10 November, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and from 5:00 to 7:30 p.m., at the Millennium Dome.

Entries were open to working professionals from hospitality establishments throughout Spain. Each entrant submitted an original pincho or tapa with a maximum raw-ingredient cost of €1.90.

Each finalist was paired with a local Valladolid establishment to provide the ingredients needed to prepare their recipe.

The venues, dates and times at which finalist or award-winning tapas will be sold at partner establishments for €3.50 will be listed in the competition app, SpainIsTapas.

In 2026, the jury will be chaired by Janaína Torres, the Brazilian chef and restaurateur named The World’s Best Female Chef 2024 by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants and one of the leading figures in international gastronomy.

She will be joined by renowned professionals including Juanlu Fernández, chef of LÚ Cocina y Alma, awarded Two Michelin Stars and Two Soles Repsol; Cristina Jiménez, chef of Faralá, with One Michelin Star and One Sol Repsol; and Aarón Ortiz, chef of Kabo, awarded One Michelin Star and One Sol Repsol.

The jury will also feature figures from gastronomy and the media, including food writer Xabier Gutiérrez; specialist journalist Paz Ivison; Omar Allibhoy, internationally known as The Spanish Chef; food journalist Marina Vega; José Manuel Bajo, secretary-general of the Baena Designation of Origin; food critic Victoriano Porto; Santiago Granda of the Guayaquil Food Show; food critic Luis Moreno Maldonado; and winemaker Belén Sanz.

With thanks to our sponsors and partners

The 22nd Valladolid National Pinchos and Tapas Competition and the 10th Valladolid World Tapas Championship are made possible by the support and commitment of our sponsors and partners, whose involvement helps promote culinary talent and strengthen Valladolid’s position as a national and international benchmark for miniature cuisine.

Gold sponsors: Aceites de Oliva de España, Inhostel Ingeniería Hostelera and Diputación de Valladolid.

Silver sponsors: Bodegas Dehesa de los Canónigos, AQUAVALL and Estrella Galicia.

Bronze sponsors: Pago de Valdecuevas, Coca-Cola, Denominación de Origen Baena and Mercadolid.