Antiqvvm (Oporto), by Vítor Matos, debuted this Tuesday as the new two-star restaurant in the Michelin Guide Portugal 2024, which this year celebrates its first edition separately from Spain.

The news of the popular guide was announced tonight at a gala held at the NAU Salgados Palace

Portugal thus accumulates eight restaurants with two stars and 31 establishments with one star, distributed throughout practically its entire territory.

The international director of the Michelin guides, Gwendal Poullennec, highlighted during the ceremony the “constant rise of the Portuguese gastronomic scene”, boosted, among other causes, by both young local talents and more established chefs.

On the other hand, the general director of Michelin in Spain and Portugal, Mari Paz Robina, stressed that this ceremony is “an opportunity to recognize and reward the effort and dedication of all those who make Portuguese gastronomy possible.”

The big winner of the gala was Vítor Marques, who, with various collaborations in different establishments, this Tuesday took the stage twice: for Antiqvvm and for 2Monkeys (in Lisbon), which Matos manages together with Francisco Quintas and who tonight received a Michelin star.

Founded in Porto in 2015, Antiqvvm promotes Mediterranean-influenced cuisine, as well as creative and multi-sensory, with international contributions from the overseas experience of Vítor Santos, whose career has taken him through Portugal and Switzerland.

The restaurant is located in a building that also shares the city’s Romantic Museum and has a privileged view of the Duero River.

In terms of establishments that received a star, the awardees were, in addition to 2MONKEYS, DESARMA (Funchal), by Otávio Freitas; The Balcony (Santarém), by Rodrigo Castelo; and Hall of João Sá, of João Pedro Sá (Lisbon).

On the other hand, Malhadinha Nova (Albernoa), by João Sousa (Albernoa), and O Balcão (Santarém), by Rodrigo Castelo, were awarded with the Michelin Green Star.

The special awards were received by Leonel Nunes, from Il gallo d’oro (in Funchal), as ‘Best Sommelier’; Rita Magro, from Blind (in Porto), as ‘Young Chef’; and Pedro Marques, from The Yeatman (in Vila Nova de Gaia), who won the ‘best room service award’.

The Bib Gourmand recognition, which awards the best quality/price ratio, fell to Flora, by João Guedes Ferreira (Viseu), Inato Bistró, by Tiago Costa and Miguel Rodrigues (Braga); Norma, of Hugo Alves (Guimarães); O Pastus, of Annakaren Fountains (Path of Arches); Olaias, of Monica Gomes (Figueira da Foz); OMA, of Luis Moreira (Baio); Courtyard 44, by Simão Soares and Afonso Ramos (Oporto) and PODA, by João Narigueta (Montemor-o-Novo).

The French company, which recommends 167 restaurants in Portugal, has not yet given any Portuguese establishment the three stars.

The first edition of the Michelin Guide to hotels and restaurants in Spain and Portugal was published in 1910 and it was not until 2022 that the organization announced that the Atlantic country would have its own gala.