126 different snacks. This is what the jury of the first Spanish Championship of Bocatas had to face, the championship that settles a historical grievance: Why, in the country of the bocata, where so many previous competitions of hamburgers, pizzas or even croissantshave been held, nobody had put in value the bocadillo?
Now, at last, the affront has come to an end, and of those 126 restaurants have come from all the Autonomous Communities that have faced each other in a fair fight to reveal the list of 16 finalists(one for each autonomous community, practically) that have fought in the grand final to decide which is the best sandwich in the country.
After more than 100,000 people had tasted the nominated sandwiches for weeks, it was a sandwich made in the province of Barcelona that won the award for the best sandwich in Spain.
“Miguelín Special”, the best sandwich in the country
The winner for the best sandwich in the country is in the province of Barcelona, barely an hour from the city. This is La Tasqueta de Cal Miguelín (C/ Sants Abdon i Senen 17, El Pla del Penedès,), a bar in Pla del Penedés, a municipality next to Vilafranca del Penedés.
Here they prepare the “Miguelín Special”, which includes “Bacon, chicken breast, Verde bell pepper, rustic bread and our delicious Miguelín sauce”. With 18 years on the menu, the sandwich is an insignia of the restaurant and now, officially, the winner of the I Championship for the best Bocata in Spain.
After him, the second place went to Cal Carrero, from Valencia for his bocata El de Llonganissa and the third place went to La Mesedora from Algemesí, Valencia for its bocata El Joselillo.
The three best sandwiches in Catalonia (in Barcelona)
In addition to the best sandwich in the country, the awards have singled out the three best sandwiches in each autonomous community. In Catalonia, first place obviously went to the national winner, but second place went to Cholito Lindo (C/ Felip II 134, Sant Andreu), from Barcelona, for its Pan con Chicharrón, with “homemade French bread with 200 gr of crispy boneless pork belly, fried sweet potato & house creole sauce and aji amarillo and rocoto sauce sauces.”
Third place goes to Kiena (C/ Parlament, 34, Sant Antoni) and its Schiacciata Italiana, with “rosemary and black pepper potato cream,Italian smoked eggplant,mustard in grains,sweet and sour tropea onion cream and Aricci Porchetta”.
A tournament with many prizes
More than 100,000 people have tasted the 126 participating sandwiches during the five weeks of the I Campeonato Bocatas de España and have already given their verdict, making the last weekend of April and the whole month of May. The three winners came out of a top 16 that faced each other on June 4 in the national final, held in the Mestura space of the Gran Hotel España in Oviedo.
In addition to the award for Best Sandwich in Spain, second and third, there were also prizes for Best Sandwich Delivery by Glovo, Audacious and Origins awarded by the organizing company, Fenicia Marketing Gourmet , Best Classic Sandwich, Best Sandwich Spain, and the three best rated sandwiches in each Autonomous Community.
You can consult the complete list of award winners in the championship website.