Marbella, Malaga’s exclusive and glamorous destination, has always been home to superb gastronomic references. One of the area’s cordon bleu chefs, Dani Garcia, launched here last year his new concept: Leña. This restaurant has come to be the flagship food premise of his commitment to grilled cuisine.
Dani Garcia thus embarked on a journey to introduce his own innovation and revolution to experience changes in a world that, in his opinion, has changed very little over the years. He kick started a new charcoal feast that fills everything with embers and yields the most unique flavours and finest products.
Chef Garcia’s commitment, along with the restaurant’s prestigious design at the hands of Astet Studio, led the 2021 Restaurant & Bar Design Awards to hand out its most distinctive Best Restaurant in the World Award to Leña. The Marbella chef’s steakhouse can now boast about having received the ‘Oscar for best restaurant design’.
The 13th edition of such prestigious awards reviewed culinary spaces of diverse kinds, including food trucks, pop-ups, cruise ships, airports, and, of course, acclaimed eateries run by renowned Michelin star award-winning chefs. There were a total of 844 participants from 69 different countries, and the choice fell on Dani Garcia’s Malaga-based restaurant.
Along with the Best Restaurant in the World Award, which recognises the most beautiful premises in the world, other awards included Best Lighting, Best Interior, Best Colour, or Best Ceiling.
The panel of judges included 38 prominent personalities from the design and architecture industry, such as Aliya Khan (Vice President of Global Design Strategies at Marriott International), Pinar Calimano (Director for EMEA Design at Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts), Sarah Douglas (Wallpaper* Chief Editor), or Charmaine Mok (Editorial Director, Dining at Tatler Asia).
Leña Marbella – The Place Where Beauty And Gastronomy Come Together
The world’s most beautiful restaurant, Leña, is located at the Puente Romano Marbella Hotel. What architectural and design features have helped it win such a prestigious award? Designed by Astet Studio, the interior seamlessly blends stone and wood in perfect harmony with a clear intent to evoke the primitive and the primary.
According to the architectural firm, much of the inspiration has been drawn from the robust cooking style used by the restaurant and its wide gastronomic offering. This has resulted in many organic shapes on a palette of autumn hues under moody lighting.
This is the second time that Dani Garcia has selected Astet Studio—headed by architects Ala Zureikat and Oscar Engroba—to design his restaurants. Restaurant Lobito de Mar, also located in Marbella, was their first collaboration.
Leña is a grill house that breaks stereotypes and combines tradition, innovation and product in a manner that only chef Dani Garcia knows how.
A steakhouse that offers an irresistible duality, honours local produce, and strikes the perfect balance between technique and honesty. The menu is very much focused on goods that are exceptional in quality and familiar in origin with personal touches and a profound international influence.
Malaga’s Beauty At The Wine & Country Club
Malaga’s charm and beauty is reflected in the heart and soul of The Wine & Country Club. Here you will find stylish design, superb cuisine and fine wine. A bold and ambitious wine that will keep you coming back for more – or as Salvador Dali used to say, ‘He who knows how to taste does not drink wine but savours secrets.’
What is that secret? A well hidden tale of quality, bon vivre, peace and tranquillity on a wine estate located in a centuries-old meadowland that transports you to the best recipes, with restaurants such as Leña in close vicinity. Let yourself fall under the spell of its menu in the ambience of the most beautiful restaurant in the world any time you want. Start your new life in one of The Wine & Country Club’s 28 wine properties and watch life go by as you soak in the Andalusian rays of sunshine.