50 Best explores the restaurants championing the cuisines of so-called ‘Blue Zone’ regions, whose residents seem to live exceptionally long lives
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Around the world, the regions of Nicoya in Costa Rica, Japan’s Okinawa, Ikaria in Greece, Sardinia and California have been dubbed Blue Zones for producing a record number of centenarians. The phenomenon is seemingly born out of lifestyles rooted in strong community ethos, natural landscapes and low stress levels, alongside a varied diet of seasonal produce and plant-rich slow cooking.
With a quest for longevity firmly bedded into the zeitgeist, 50 Best rounds up nine restaurants flying the flag for ‘Blue Zone cuisine’, using everything from heritage ingredients to gut-friendly methods of preparation.
Strong community life is at the heart of every Blue Zone, including lush tropical Nicoya in Costa Rica. Eleven years ago, chef Pablo Bonilla travelled through the country on a research mission, documenting recipes from Indigenous communities and fostering supply chains between farmers and eateries. “My initial intention was never to open a restaurant,” he says, “but Sikwa’s mission has been to bring the rich history of our culture to the table for people to enjoy.”
Working with everything from purple corn – a principal Nicoya Blue Zone crop – to pejibaye (peach palm fruit) and chayote squash, Bonilla showcases modern takes on traditional plates in a jungle-like indoor-outdoor space that belies the location off San José’s bustling Central Avenue. Even cocktails employ the philosophy, with sugar cane spirit cacique meeting apple and limon mandarin.
The roasted octopus at Sikwa is marinaded with tiger's milk and puréed tomatoes
Chez Panisse, Berkeley
@chezpanisse
One thing that all Blue Zones have in common is a major love-in with local, seasonal, ultra-fresh fruit and veg. And if there’s one US restaurant that epitomises the farm-to-fork movement, it’s Chez Panisse. Berkeley’s iconic fine-dining establishment has set the standard for Californian cuisine since it basically invented it in the early 1970s.
Guests can watch their meals being prepared in the open kitchen at Chez Panisse
The interior might be white tablecloths and chocolate-hued woods. but thanks to the lead of celeb chef-owner Alice Waters, the food has a relaxed, uncomplicated feel that lets exquisite-quality, impeccably sourced Cali produce shine. Menus change rapidly according to what’s freshest; among early autumn’s bounty, expect the likes of chanterelle mushroom salad with grilled spring onions, wild rocket and sauce gribiche.
Fradis Minoris, Pula
@fradisminoris
Sardinia’s slow-paced lifestyle has seen it produce a glut of healthy centenarians. And things are pretty laid-back in Pula, a south-coast seaside resort blending powdery beaches, sun-soaked streets and turquoise shores. Right on the waterfront at biodiverse Nora lagoon, Fradis Minoris puts the surrounding landscapes first, sustainably sourcing local fish from traditional fisherfolk and niche vegetables and wines from small producers. The artfully plated tasting menu from Sardinian chef Francesco Stara served on a simple sea-facing terrace features a life-giving bounty of carefully wrought mussels, octopus, grey mullet and razor clams.
Fradis Minoris overlooks Sardinia's placid Nora lagoon
Soil, Athens
@soilrestaurant.gr
“We follow a true farm-to-table philosophy, starting with planting seeds months in advance and nurturing them as seasons change,” says Soil chef Tasos Mantis. Set steps from the ancient Panathenaic Stadium in artsy Athenian neighbourhood Pangrati, Soil is “guided by nature’s cycles” and “purity of ingredients” – most of which come from the chef’s private garden in Alepochori, an hour away. With organic rare herbs, edible flowers and vegetables on show, as well as plentiful fish, meals have an affinity with the Blue Zone isle of Ikaria. Expect shrimp with orange, pecan and marigold served on earthy pottery in an open-air courtyard.
Chefs choose ingredients at Soil's herb garden in Alepochori
While it might not enjoy the Californian weather, this London restaurant takes the Golden State ethos of globe-trotting flavours and seasonal ingredients and applies it in a cosy dining room in buzzy Soho. Cushy rose banquets, tropical foliage and warm lighting set the scene for American chef Victor Garvey’s eclectic menu, hopping from sardine toast with grape and almond to hamachi, avocado and kinako poke, plus a decadent hot pot featuring langoustine, ginger, mushroom and 12-year-old whisky.
At Sola, langoustines are flambéed tableside and served on a rock alongside a dashi broth
Manzú, Nicoya
@manzurestaurant
Steps from the jungle-clad beachfront in the Blue Zone of Nicoya in Costa Rica, Manzú channels Costa Rican pura vida (simple life) culture with tables nestled in the sand and strings of lights hung beneath a canopy of trees. To a soundtrack of rushing surf, an open kitchen turns out twists on trad Tico recipes, such as pejibaye palm – used by Indigenous peoples for millennia – crusted with panko breadcrumbs and wood-smoked spicy peppers. Try the rondón stew, sillky with coconut and studded with seafood.
The rondón stew is one of the staples of the Pura Vida tasting menu at Manzú
La Madia, Licata
Next door to Sardinia in slow-living Sicily, intimate La Madia – sitting around 40 guests each service – showcases chef Pino Cuttaia’s interpretation of trad Italian island cuisine. Across two minimalist dining rooms, a parade of nostalgic takes on superb seafood pours forth – a dish of rice and scampi; a perfect pasta and fish soup. Crisp arancini, brightened with saffron, come softened with a rich ragu of mullet, pine nut and fennel. Meanwhile delicate ravioli are stuffed with squid and tinniruma (sprouts of Sicilian cucuzza squash) and finished with umami-rich anchovy sauce.
Mavrommatis, Paris
@mavrommatislerestaurant
For more than 40 years the Mavrommatis name has been representing the sun-soaked, feelgood cuisine of Greece in Paris. Its flagship romantic restaurant – dressed in floaty white fabrics and putty-hued walls to evoke a sophisticated, contemporary twist on Grecian-island dining – celebrates classic Hellenic flavours and terroirs while employing precise contemporary cooking methods. Tuck into grilled eggplant scented with wild thyme, paired with obsiblue prawn and lardo di colonnata, or octopus with flaky filo pastry, xinomavro wine-cooked onion and sea lettuce..jpg)
The minimalist, stone-hued interiors at Mavrommatis
Bellezza, Okinawa
Bitter goya and purple sweet potatoes, crunchy shima rakkyo shallots and bumpy atemoya fruit: tropical Okinawa has a cuisine a world away from what you’ll find on mainland Japan. Bellezza, the restaurant at plush Hoshinoya Okinawa resort, makes the most of the nutrient-rich local produce and pairs it with a dose of Italian flair.
In the contemporary white- and blue-dressed dining space, overlooking the sea, the kitchen serves up a kusuimun menu, meaning ‘food as medicine’. The nine-course ramble might include mineral-rich kuruma prawn with aosa seaweed and sea grapes, or collagen-rich steamed red snapper.
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