Málaga restaurant wins innovation award with Andalusian-style patatas bravas

One of Spain’s most recognisable tapas has helped take the flavours of Málaga to one of the country’s leading competitions dedicated entirely to patatas bravas. Gastrotaberna La Caverna has won the Special Innovation Award at Una de Bravas 2026 with a recipe that brings clear Andalusian influences to the classic dish.

The creation was presented by chef Jesús Barrera, better known as Pachu Barrera, who reached the final in Palencia with his Bravas Andaluzas.

His dish was one of 18 recipes competing in the final, following a selection process involving more than 150 entries from different parts of Spain and beyond.

Patatas bravas with Moorish spices and oloroso sherry

The key element behind the Málaga recipe lies in its sauce.

La Caverna’s Bravas Andaluzas are served with a mayonnaise flavoured with Moorish-style seasoning and dry oloroso sherry from Jerez, giving the dish a distinctly southern Spanish character while still retaining the essence of traditional patatas bravas.

That creative approach earned the restaurant the award for the most innovative recipe in the seventh edition of the competition.

Innovation was one of several criteria considered by the jury, alongside factors such as the texture and frying of the potatoes, the balance of the sauces, presentation and the potential for the dish to be served in a real hospitality setting.

Málaga among the award winners in a nationwide final

Reaching the final in Palencia already meant overcoming a highly competitive selection process.

La Caverna was among the restaurants selected to compete alongside establishments from Madrid, Cádiz, Granada, Asturias, Zaragoza, Alicante, Barcelona, Bilbao and Albacete, among other parts of Spain.

The Málaga restaurant did not make the top three overall, but it did secure one of the competition’s special awards.

The overall winner was chef Mauro Barreiro, from the Real Club Valderrama in Sotogrande, with his dish Bravas Colorás. Second place went to José Luis Martínez Mora, from Taberna y Media in Madrid, while Javier García Albuger, from Asador de la Concepción in Albacete, finished third.

La Caverna received the Special Innovation Award, while Taberna y Media was also recognised with the special award for aesthetics.

From Málaga to a competition dedicated entirely to patatas bravas

The Una de Bravas competition reached its seventh edition in 2026, with the final held on 28 September at the Hotel Rey Sancho in Palencia.

Participants had to prepare their dishes live in front of a professional jury made up of chefs and gastronomy experts.

The judging panel included Michelin-starred chefs Alvar Hinojal, from Alquimia-Laboratorio, and Elena Lucas, from La Lobita, as well as professionals from the world of food journalism and gastronomy.

The format transforms what is traditionally a simple bar snack into an exercise in culinary technique and creativity.

That is precisely where La Caverna found its own identity: starting with a recognisable plate of patatas bravas and taking it in a direction inspired by Andalusian flavours.

An Andalusian recipe among very different interpretations

The final brought together a wide variety of approaches to the same traditional dish.

The names of some of the recipes already showed just how different the interpretations were, with entries such as Bravas Colorás, Bravas Tradición, Brava Granastur, Bravas Sostenibles Solidarias, Lingote de Oro, Bravas de Montaña and La Caverna’s own Bravas Andaluzas.

The variety reflects one of the main ideas behind the competition: preserving the identity of patatas bravas while encouraging new techniques, ingredients and presentations.

The organisers also emphasise that the recipes should work outside the competition and be realistic enough to be served in bars and restaurants.

In Pachu Barrera’s case, the chosen route was to look towards southern Spain and use Moorish-inspired seasoning and Jerez sherry as the key differentiating elements.

A new recognition for Málaga’s food scene

The award allows La Caverna to return from Palencia with one of the special distinctions from a competition featuring restaurants from across the country.

For Pachu Barrera, the prize is also a recognition of the work carried out at the Málaga restaurant and of a style of cooking that gives traditional dishes a contemporary twist without completely losing their roots.

In this case, innovation did not mean transforming patatas bravas beyond recognition. Instead, the recipe introduced flavours strongly associated with Andalusia.

The result is a dish that remains unmistakably bravas, but with its own identity thanks to the combination of Moorish spices and oloroso sherry.

And that combination was enough for Málaga to leave Palencia with the innovation award.