The restaurant Vaova Gastro from Mérida wins the national contest held at the MOM Culinary school in Madrid with a lamb cold cut sandwich. The third place goes to the Madrid-based Pacto Raíz.
The restaurant Vaova Gastro, from Mérida (Badajoz), has been declared the winner of the Best Paquito in Spain 2026 contest. Chef Eduardo Cumbreño achieved the title with a lamb cold cut sandwich. The final took place at the MOM Culinary cooking school in Madrid, as reported by eurocarne.com.
In this third edition, the winners from the regional contests of ten autonomous communities competed. The jury evaluated the proposals in a blind tasting, scoring the visual presentation, the doneness and texture of the meat, the bread, the flavour, originality, and balance, along with a subjective assessment.
The winning proposal combines lamb cold cuts, made from all parts of the animal, with sourdough bread, roasted pepper jam, jalapeño, bacon, acehúche cheese, and pickled vegetables that add acidity. The jury appreciated the sandwich's balance, elegance, and the quality of the bread, considering it a Paquito "for all audiences" due to its flavour and roundness.
The sandwich has been part of Vaova Gastro's menu since September. The Extremaduran establishment had already won the regional contest for the Best Paquito in Extremadura twice in a row.
The second position went to Lieva, in the Natural Park of Sierra de Aracena and Picos de Aroche (Huelva). Its chef, Javier Abascal, presented a traditional stew of lamb neck, shank, and suckling lamb leg, accompanied by a fresh tarragon mayonnaise and egg yolk, wasabi sprouts, and sourdough crystal bread in ciabatta style.
In third place was Pacto Raíz (Madrid), from Alex Marugán, a two-time winner of the Best Paquito in Madrid. His proposal includes suckling lamb leg seared with soy, honey, and yondu, in John Torres' francesilla. It is complemented by chimichurri mayonnaise, cured sheep and goat cheese, and xnipec onion pickled and fermented for a week.
Other finalists included Contracorrent (Catalonia), Maestro Bar (Valencian Community), Tapería Da Vinci (Castilla-La Mancha), La Cerdanya (Murcia), El Ambigú (Aragon), A Cunca Vinoteca (Galicia), and La Botica de Matapozuelos (Castilla y León).
Tomás Rodríguez, director of Interovic, stated that this edition "confirms the level that the contest has reached." He noted that the Paquito "has consolidated itself in the gastronomic landscape thanks to the hospitality industry" and that a "close, contemporary, and attractive way to bring lamb meat to new moments and consumers" has been found. He also highlighted that the campaign received this year's Alimentos de España Award for Promotion.
The finalists of the national contest emerge from the 'Paquito Route', an initiative by Interovic to promote national lamb, especially among young audiences. The sandwich reached 40 bars and restaurants in Madrid in 2019. By 2026, over 300 establishments in more than 40 cities across 15 provinces offered it for a month.
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