Gastrobar La Banda, located at Dámaso Alonso 1, has been crowned the winner of the inaugural 'Bocados de autor' award for its distinctive pita bread filled with beef stew and gouda cheese. This culinary creation garnered the most votes from the public, narrowly beating the second-place contender, Bar Restaurante Gazkue, which offered a brioche with braised cheek, by a single vote.

The award ceremony took place this Wednesday, presided over by María Nanclares, the Councillor for Economic Promotion, Employment, Commerce, and Tourism of Vitoria-Gasteiz, and Cristina González, the Provincial Deputy for Employment, Commerce, and Tourism Promotion.

This accolade was one of the new features of the sixth edition of 'Bocados de autor', a gastronomic campaign held this year from March 16 to April 6, extending its duration through Holy Week. The initiative aims to promote the city's bar hospitality scene through bite-sized culinary proposals.

This edition saw the participation of 42 establishments, a 20% increase from the previous year, spread across various neighborhoods of Vitoria-Gasteiz. Collectively, they offered 50 gastronomic creations at a special price.

According to data provided by the organizers, 96% of participants found the activity interesting or very interesting. Furthermore, 65% reported good or very good sales, 92% noted an increase in clientele, and 70% positively valued the inclusion of Holy Week in the campaign.

The organization also highlighted that the small bite format was the most popular among the public, with a 63% preference. The campaign's success has even led some establishments to retain their winning proposals as permanent fixtures on their pintxo menus or pintxopote offerings.