Alcalá de Henares Opens Registrations for its Gastronomic Contest

The initiative aims to highlight local cuisine and attract tourism, with registration open until August 23rd.

Generic image of a gastronomic competition in Alcalá de Henares with typical dishes.
IA

Generic image of a gastronomic competition in Alcalá de Henares with typical dishes.

The Alcalá de Henares City Council has opened the registration period for the XII Alcalá Gastronómica Contest, an initiative to enhance the city's cuisine and foster culinary tourism.

The Tourism Department encourages hospitality establishments in the municipality to participate in this edition, which emphasizes creativity, technique, and the use of local produce. The contest seeks to value the culinary excellence of the city's businesses.
The registration period will be open until August 23rd. All hospitality venues with the relevant licenses may participate. Each establishment can submit a single dish in a half-portion format, accompanied by its technical sheet and a high-quality photograph.
Between September 25th and 27th, participating establishments will offer their creations in a tasting format, forming a gastronomic route for residents and visitors. Subsequently, a professional jury will select the finalists, with an awards gala scheduled for September 29th, 2026.
A semi-final stage, evaluated by the Hospitality School, will select the 10 finalist dishes. A jury composed of gastronomy, tourism, and communication professionals will determine the winners based on criteria such as technique, flavor, presentation, creativity, and commercial viability of local products.

"Gastronomy is one of Alcalá's great cultural and tourist drivers, and this contest demonstrates the talent of our restaurateurs every year."

Isabel Ruiz Maldonado · Tourism Councilor
Interested establishments can consult the full rules and submit their registration through the Tourism Department.
Based on information from the official source: Ayuntamiento de Alcalá de Henares (31/07/2026)