APONIENTE

Diners cross wooden walkways over marshes before they ever reach a table, which tells you something about how Ángel León runs things. Set inside a restored tide mill outside Cádiz, this is a tasting-menu restaurant where the sea is the entire argument, from plankton and marine cereals to prawns that arrive, briefly, still alive. It holds three Michelin stars and a spot on the World's 50 Best list, and the room feels like it earned both the hard way.