With influences from Catalonia to the Basque Country, here are the best restaurants to try now.

Twenty years is a long time in London. Long enough for the city to acquire a Dome, a Shard and the Olympic Games (with differing degrees of necessity). And also long enough for chef Mr José Pizarro – who arrived in the capital two decades ago, before going on to open two restaurants and a tapas bar under his name – to witness a wholesale revolution in Spanish food in the city.

Some of this year’s most heralded restaurant openings have centred around Spanish food with previously untapped areas of the country gaining recognition. “London was not ready for nouvelle Spanish cuisine when I arrived,” says Mr Pizarro. “People weren’t aware of the techniques, the paprika or the oils and many mistook jamón ibérico for Parma ham.”

But, according to Mr Pizarro, our appetites have evolved, shaped by travel to the Iberian peninsula. “People used to go for the sun, pints and fish and chips,” he says of our holiday habits. “Now, rather than go to San Sebastián, for example, they are choosing to go to smaller towns and villages near San Sebastián. And while sangria, patatas bravas and paella are still all very good, there’s so much more to discover.”

Mr Victor Garvey, who recently opened Rambla in Soho, says Spain’s culinary appeal lies in its diversity. “Although Spanish food might be united by its love of the pig and shallow-fried seafood, as a border country that wasn’t unified until the 16th century, it also draws a lot from France, Morocco and Portugal.” Climate, religion, trade routes and history have separated the nation into distinct regions, each contributing to a vibrant picture that extends far beyond the stereotypes.

Rambla is Mr Garvey’s third opening in London and showcases flavours from Catalonia, with Mr Garvey extolling the virtues of the region’s ingredients. “It’s a version of Spanish food that’s hardy and adapted to cooler weather and influenced by being close to other cultures,” he says. “There has always been good seafood, olive oil, aged dairy, paprika and garlic. I also have an unhealthy relationship with razor clams – they are so versatile – you can fry them up with butter and garlic or bake them with breadcrumbs.”

The Basque Country is another region grabbing headlines. Bilbao chef Ms Nieves Barragán Mohacho opened the hotly anticipated Sabor in January focusing on northern Spanish food, while a concentration of Michelin stars awarded to the region’s restaurants over the past decade has drawn global attention to this corner of Spain. Three of these belong to Basque chef Mr Eneko Atxa, who opened his own London restaurant, Eneko, in Covent Garden in 2016. “The Basque Country has so many sensational products and I have different favourite ones depending on the season – even depending on the day,” he says. “For example the amazing dry peppers used to make a vizcaína sauce, local onions and kokotxas – the delicate lower part of cod or hake chin. There are lots of dishes to share with friends, pintxos, grilled meat, fish and my uncle Gorka Izagirre’s txakoli wine.”

It’s taken a cultural shift for British consumers to develop a taste for such produce. The Brindisa retail and restaurant group recently celebrated 30 years of importing Spanish ingredients to London and head chef Mr Leo Rivera sees his role as one of translator. “Our language is food. As a chef I must have one foot in Spanish culture and one foot in British culture, bridging the two,” he says, adding that sometimes he has to adapt Spanish produce to fit British taste. “Take cod tripe, for example, which is very typically Catalan. The customers didn’t get it at first, so we experimented and got an amazing croquet recipe together that shows off that powerful flavour of the tripe and they proved really successful.”

He points to a number of underrated regions yet to be truly appreciated by British consumers. “Asturias is one region I think that is still to capture the hearts of the UK. The verdant green landscapes there produce the most incredible butter, meats and cider, while the Cantabrian Mountains produce some of Spain’s best cheeses,” he says. “It is all about education. For example, I used to see people cut the fat off the ibérico de bellota ham. Can you believe it? However, now we see people understand what it is and appreciate it.”

That we’ve reached this turning point is happy news for Mr Pizarro, whose native Extremadura in western Spain is the focus at new launch Llerena in Islington – something he could never have imagined 20 years ago. Beyond improved access to high-calibre ingredients and pioneering chefs, he credits the idea of kinship with Spanish food’s current renaissance. “Nothing is better than sitting together – it’s all about sharing. And now, finally, that’s happening more in the UK.”