🍽️ Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spanish Capital of Gastronomy 2022: the municipality that made history
What is and where is Sanlúcar de Barrameda?
In the heart of the Northwest Coast of Cádiz, where the Guadalquivir River meets the Atlantic Ocean and where the langoustines seem to have their own hallmark, stands Sanlúcar de Barrameda.
Mentioning Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spanish Capital of Gastronomy 2022 is much more than recalling an honorary title: it is evoking a year in which this seaside town became the nerve centre of national haute cuisine, proving that you don't need millions of inhabitants to have the soul of a giant.
At The Sun Places we want to tell you everything you need to know about this historic event: when it was announced, who organises it, what it represents for Sanlúcar, for Andalusia and for our hospitality philosophy, and why the name Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spanish Capital of Gastronomy 2022 remains a seal of quality four years later.
📅 When was Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spanish Capital of Gastronomy 2022 announced?
The official announcement was made on Friday 19 November 2021 within the framework of the 24th International Interior Tourism Fair (INTUR), held in Valladolid. It was the Spanish Federation of Tourism Journalists and Writers (FEPET) that communicated the decision, confirming that Sanlúcar de Barrameda would take over from the Region of Murcia from 1 January 2022 to 31 December of the same year.
The immediate media impact was overwhelming: the election of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spanish Capital of Gastronomy 2022 generated more than 500 million positive impacts in national and international media and led to the creation of more than 250 new jobs in the hospitality sector.
🏛️ Who organises and decides the title of Spanish Capital of Gastronomy?
The Spanish Capital of Gastronomy competition was born in 2012 with a clear objective: to recognise each year the city or autonomous community that has most distinguished itself in promoting, at a national and international level, gastronomy as one of Spain's main tourist attractions. And Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spanish Capital of Gastronomy 2022 fitted perfectly into that philosophy.
The initiative is organised from its origins by the Spanish Federation of Tourism Journalists and Writers (FEPET) and the Spanish Hospitality Federation (FEHR).
FEPET, founded in 1965 and based in Madrid, brings together around 200 journalists and writers from the tourism and gastronomic fields, representing all sectors of journalistic activity (daily press, magazines, radio, television, digital media, among others).
Selection: Each year, between June and October, interested cities present their candidacies. A jury made up of members of both organising federations, representatives of public institutions and experts from the gastronomic and tourism sectors deliberates on the projects presented. Finally, during INTUR in Valladolid, the envelope with the name of the winning city is opened.
The selection process is annual, with the designated city having to correspond to the calendar year, from 1 January to 31 December. Sanlúcar was able to show in its candidacy a participatory project, open to all citizens, with an attractive programme that sought to highlight the city's universal vocation and its privileged natural environment – the mouth of the Guadalquivir and the Doñana National Park – as well as its rich history linked to the First Circumnavigation of the World.
🏅 What does it mean to be Spanish Capital of Gastronomy?
Being named Spanish Capital of Gastronomy is much more than a symbolic title. It represents:
- A seal of excellence: The city becomes a national and international benchmark for quality cuisine.
- A tourist boost: It attracts travellers from all over the world interested in gastronomy, de-seasonalising tourism and extending the season beyond summer.
- An economic boost: It generates employment, opens new businesses and promotes local products.
- Recognition of gastronomic heritage: It highlights culinary culture, native products and traditions.
- A promotion platform: The city receives massive media coverage, projecting itself as a top gastronomic destination.
In the case of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spanish Capital of Gastronomy 2022, the jury highlighted that "the langoustine and manzanilla shine with their own light in the Sanlúcar gastronomic universe, proudly displaying their surname 'de Sanlúcar'."
📜 Cities that have held the Spanish Capital of Gastronomy title
Over the years, several cities have had the honour of holding this title. The cities that have held the Spanish Capital of Gastronomy up to 2022 are:
- 2017: Huelva (first coastal city and first Andalusian)
- 2019: Almería (second Andalusian)
- 2020 - 2021: Region of Murcia
- 2022: Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spanish Capital of Gastronomy 2022
Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spanish Capital of Gastronomy 2022 was the first non-provincial capital to achieve this title, and the third Andalusian city to do so, joining Huelva (2017) and Almería (2019). Furthermore, it was the first coastal city that was not a capital to receive the award, opening the door for other municipalities with great gastronomic wealth to apply.
💪What does being Spanish Capital of Gastronomy 2022 represent for Sanlúcar de Barrameda?
Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spanish Capital of Gastronomy 2022 was a before and after in the city's history. The legacy is as tangible as it is impressive:
- Annual hotel occupancy of over 70%, the highest figure in the entire historical series.
- More than 500 million media impacts in national and international media.
- Creation of more than 250 jobs in the hospitality sector during 2022.
- De-seasonalisation of tourism: average occupancy increased by 16%, to 71%, ensuring that visitors arrived throughout the year, not only in summer.
- Opening of two new hotels, increasing from 961 to 1,120 hotel beds.
- Increase in tourist enquiries at the municipal office.
- The summer population exceeds 200,000 inhabitants (compared to 68,000 registered), doubling during the high season.
The title of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spanish Capital of Gastronomy 2022 highlights emblematic products such as the Sanlúcar langoustine (with a unique flavour scientifically proven to be different from other langoustines in the world), manzanilla (a white wine from the DO that can only be produced in this area due to its unique climatic conditions), tortillita de camarones, galeras, seafood rice dishes from Bajo de Guía and local potatoes.
🏆 Award-winning Restaurants in Sanlúcar de Barrameda
🏅 Bib Gourmand (Michelin Guide)
- El Espejo: Contemporary Cádiz cuisine located in the Upper Quarter, offering a creative take on tradition.
☀️ Suns (Repsol Guide)
- Casa Bigote: It consolidates itself as a benchmark as the only restaurant in the city with the prestigious Repsol Guide Sun, recognised for its quality and product.
Other awardees: Several local restaurants appear in the guide as Repsol Guide Restaurants, including Avante Claro and Casa Juan, noted for their use of local produce and proposals ranging from traditional to contemporary.
🌍 What being Spanish Capital of Gastronomy 2022 represents for Andalusia
That Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spanish Capital of Gastronomy 2022 fell to an Andalusian city was no coincidence. Andalusia is one of the richest regions in products and culinary traditions. Sanlúcar's award contributed to:
- Reinforcing the tourist offer of the province of Cádiz, placing it on the map as a top gastronomic destination.
- Projecting Andalusia as a world reference for wine and gastronomic tourism, complementing the two previous capitals of Huelva and Almería.
- Highlighting local produce, driving increased sales of manzanilla, langoustines and Sanlúcar potatoes as ambassadors of the land.
Furthermore, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spanish Capital of Gastronomy 2022 coincides with the last year of commemoration of the First Circumnavigation of the World, which set sail from the city in 1519, reinforcing its universal vocation and its historical connection with globalisation.
🏠What does the Spanish Capital of Gastronomy 2022 represent for The Sun Places?
At The Sun Places we feel deeply connected to Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spanish Capital of Gastronomy 2022. This city, a pioneer in obtaining the title without being a provincial capital, shares our philosophy of believing that excellence does not understand size, but rather quality and passion.
✅ Reasons to stay in Sanlúcar de Barrameda with The Sun Places
- Design apartments: Properties with high-end finishes that integrate the comfort of a home with the freshness of the seafaring style and close to the Guadalquivir.
- Langoustines and manzanilla at your fingertips: Our concierge service recommends the best places to taste langoustines at Casa Bigote, shrimp omelettes at Casa Balbino, avant-garde cuisine at El Espejo, and the best wineries with the most authentic manzanilla.
- Year-round gastronomic tourism: We advise you to combine your visit to Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spanish Capital of Gastronomy 2022 with wine tourism activities, visits to the Doñana National Park and the famous Sanlúcar Horse Races (declared a Festival of International Tourist Interest).
- Accommodation with Sanlúcar soul: Enjoy a rest in an apartment that pays tribute to the legacy of this land, away from the mass noise and with all the deserved comfort.
🌟 The perfect plan with The Sun Places in Sanlúcar
- Morning: Take a walk through Sanlúcar Market to feel the hustle and bustle and the raw materials.
- Midday: Visit Casa Bigote and delight in boiled Sanlúcar langoustines, washed down with a glass of manzanilla from wineries such as Barbadillo or Delgado Zuleta. Compare flavours with the shrimp omelette from Casa Balbino in Plaza del Cabildo.
- Afternoon: Walk along the Bajo de Guía promenade with views of Doñana National Park and enter the oldest winery, La Gitana, for an "en rama" manzanilla tasting. Go up to the Upper District for tapas at Bar del Partido Comunista or try the avant-garde cuisine of El Espejo. Close the circle with the papas aliñás from Barbiana or the croquettes from Doña Calma Gastrobar.
- Sunset: Rest in the Sun Places Luxury Apartment, reliving the day and planning your visit to the Horse Races if the season allows.
📞 Experience Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spanish Capital of Gastronomy 2022 with The Sun Places
The title of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spanish Capital of Gastronomy 2022 was the icing on the cake of decades of seafaring tradition and a before and after in the city's tourist history. Today, the legacy remains: every langoustine, every glass of manzanilla and every Fried Fish carries the indelible memory of that magical year.
And staying at The Sun Places is the most comfortable and exclusive way to participate in this legacy, because we have made comfort our hallmark, just as Sanlúcar de Barrameda made its cuisine art.
🌀 Contact The Sun Places and discover Sanlúcar de Barrameda not only as a destination, but as an experience. Its langoustines and calm await you on the front line of the Guadalquivir.
But if you decide to stay in another of the destinations that The Sun Places has prepared for you, here are our Premium destinations: Luxury Apartments in Seville, Luxury Apartments in Cádiz, Luxury Apartments in Puerto Banús, Luxury Apartments in Madrid or Luxury Apartments in Barcelona among other destinations.