The restaurant El Pellizco Costa Calma, by chef Rigoberto Almeida, has been included in the Michelin Guide just four months after its opening, bringing Fuerteventura back to the prestigious red guide after a decade of absence.
The Michelin Guide has once again turned its attention to Fuerteventura. The restaurant El Pellizco Costa Calma, by chef Rigoberto Almeida, has just been included in the 2026 edition of the renowned gastronomic guide, the first recommendation for the island in the last ten years. The establishment, located just a few meters from the beach of Costa Calma, has achieved this recognition merely four months after its opening, a milestone that few reach.
The Cuban-Canarian fusion that captivated the inspectors
Almeida's proposal is based on an author cuisine that fuses the flavours of his native Cuba with Canarian produce. The guide highlights on its website that it is “this enticing restaurant, just a few meters from the vast beach of Costa Calma,” and praises its spacious white terrace. But what has really caught attention is the creativity of its two tasting menus: ‘La guantanamera’ and ‘La majorera’, the first of their kind on the island.
Dishes such as ‘Fish in the water’ – a gelatine of majorero tomato with cured fish – or ‘Goat flower and nectar’ – cured goat leg sliced in the style of ‘cabra-bushi’ – have been key in seducing the inspectors. The Michelin Guide included them in its July 2026 news article, citing first “the Cuban-Canarian fusion, with which chef Rigoberto Almeida is surprising.”
A chef with Canarian roots and international training
Rigoberto Almeida, born in Cuba but the grandson of Tenerife natives, is not a newcomer to the kitchen. After graduating in Food Chemistry in Havana, he worked at La Bodeguita del Medio before moving to Fuerteventura. There he started from the bottom at San Borondón, where he became head chef, and later trained at Cordon Bleu and the Basque Culinary Institute. In 2018, he opened his first El Pellizco in Morro Jable, followed by Lo Nuestro Jandía and, in 2023, the current one in Costa Calma.
The chef has accumulated awards such as the Gold Medal ‘La tapa del bonito’, the ‘Tapa Platino’ in Fuerteventura and was a finalist (the only Canarian) in the National Tapas Competition in Valladolid in 2023. In 2025, he was declared Chef Revelation of the Canary Islands by the Que Bueno 2025 Guide and already holds the Repsol Recommended distinction.
Now, with the entry into the Michelin Guide, Almeida not only puts Fuerteventura back on the international gastronomic map but also marks the beginning of a new era for majorero cuisine. On November 19, he will inaugurate as a consultant the restaurant ‘19’, at the Hotel Golf Jandía, another step in his meteoric career.
For lovers of fine dining in the Canary Islands, this news is a source of pride and a perfect excuse to plan a getaway to the coast of Fuerteventura. El Pellizco Costa Calma offers two tasting menus that range from 70-80 euros, an experience that promises to surprise even the most discerning palates. Reservations are almost mandatory, as with the Michelin recommendation, tables will fly.
