The Palacio Ico gastronomic hotel in Teguise has just been included among the restaurants recommended by the Michelin Guide in Lanzarote. With its inclusion, Lanzarote has seven restaurants recommended by the red guide on the island.
The Michelin Guide highlights Palacio Ico restaurant's location within "a restored property that showcases the beauty of the Archipelago's architecture."
Of its chef, Víctor Valverde, it highlights his "great experience" and his use of "select ingredients such as Uga smoked salmon, La Santa prawns, and wreckfish to create a cuisine inspired by the Canary Islands with a contemporary feeling." Valverde studied at the Higher School of Hospitality in Alcalá de Henares and has worked with Martin Berasategui and Sergi Arola, among other great chefs.
Palacio Ico also stands out for its "Dialogues in the New Canarian Cuisine." An initiative that includes bimonthly learning sessions, presentations, debates, and thematic meals with notable gastronomy professionals.
The other six restaurants recommended by the Michelin Guide in Lanzarote are: Lilium, in Arrecife; Aguaviva, in Playa Honda; Mácher 60, in the town of the same name; Tacande, in Haría; El Risco, in Famara; SeBE in Costa Teguise; La cocina de Colacho, in Playa Blanca; and Kamezí Deli & Bistró, also in Playa Blanca.
The building and its restaurant
Built around 1690, and included by César Manrique in his book "Lanzarote, unpublished architecture", the building that houses Palacio Ico is an example of Canarian stately architecture.
Its interior includes large wooden coffered ceilings, original floors, both in mulberry and XVIII century tea wood, stone walls more than half a meter wide, and a typically Canarian interior patio, which overlooks the rooms and the restaurant.
The restaurant is located at the entrance of the house and welcomes diners with the wine bar that leads to the interior dining room or the central patio terrace. It also has a small urban terrace, right at the entrance, at street level, to feel the atmosphere of the Villa de Teguise.
With lamps inspired by the work of Heidi Bucher, the tableware and all the ceramics are handcrafted and unique pieces designed by the artist Eguzkine.
As for the wine cellar, the Palacio Ico restaurant has the advice of Iván Monreal, Second Best Sommelier of the Spanish National Sommelier Championship 2021.