Cenador de Amós

Chef Jesús Sánchez and his wife Marián Martínez opened Cenador de Amós in 1993 in an 18th-century manor house in the small Cantabrian village of Villaverde de Pontones, and built it into the only three-Michelin-star restaurant in the region — the first star came around 1995, the second in 2016, the third in 2019. Navarrese by birth and Cantabrian by choice, Chef Sánchez cooks the northern coast: the Cantabrian Sea, the seasons, and a deep commitment to sustainability that's earned a Green Star. You'll spot him by his ever-present flat cap, which his whole kitchen wears too. The welcome starts with drinks in a glass pavilion before you move into the rustic-elegant dining rooms, and the house-baked bread alone is worth the trip. A real sense of place, on a plate.