Asador Etxebarri — Restaurant in Atxondo

This is the best meal of my life. I left the restaurant with my belly and heart full - I’m still buzzing, thinking about it.

Unlike Disfrutar and El Celler, Extebarri isn’t complex or experimental. In fact, some dishes don’t even have more than two ingredients. Yet by pure skill, Bittor manages to coax otherworldly flavors out.

The gambas from Paloma were mindblowing. Simply grilled and with no seasoning - just salt, the prawn head jus was intense and complex without the “chemical-like” flavor usually found, and the body itself had the same texture as a half cooked Kuruma-ebi, sweet, savory and slightly smoky. This is the greatest rendition of prawn I’ve ever experienced.

The razor clam was also ethereal in taste, topped with a mildly spicy daikon sauce. I will never view razor clam the same again.

The Hake Kokotxa was incredible with the meat being from the chin of the Hake, giving it a fatty texture similar to Samegarei flesh. The Kale was the unlikely surprise here, because it too was grilled on Bittor’s incredibly hot grill, it was so crispy and light - given a little salt and fish oil it was like seaweed. What a combination!

Peas in pea juice induced a sort of carnal pleasure I’ve never experienced before. How is it possible that such intense pea flavor be extracted in such a way and tastes so good? I’ve never tasted peas this good before.

The cod bladder and pil pil sauce was incredible too. There was a slight springiness in the bladder when it’s usually overcooked and soft. Considering the heat (400C) of the grills here, this is some incredible cooking skill.

The snapper and txuleton were larger format proteins that were fantastic as well. Just perfect executions of grilled meats and the txuleton was addictive. We were already bursting from the other dishes but we soldiered on as it was too good to waste.

For dessert we had milk ice cream with beetroot sauce which was incredulous. I’ve never tasted milk ice cream like this - intense fat flavors (only found in really high quality, full-fat UK milk) with a tinge of smokiness. The combination with the slightly tart beetroot sauce was a match...

We had a wonderful meal here in 2011. Trying to have a meal here in 2022 has been so incredibly unpleasant that it has completely destroyed the massive amount of enthusiasm we once had.

Their reservation system provides no information about whether or not reservations are available - it will allow you to make a reservation on a given day once it has opened up, and then says that the restaurant will contact you within 2 weeks if your attempt has been successful. Every night at midnight a new day opens up for reservations, but since you don't receive any immediate feedback, you basically are stuck trying every night. Which I did for about a month.

They don't respond to you in two weeks, either. After about 2 months, I received emails telling me that I had been successful on two dates, and requiring me to make a bank transfer within 48 hours for the price of the meal. After reading other reviews which confirmed this, we made the transfer. Several days after Asador Etxebarri received and accepted our funds, they cancelled both reservations.

The only point of contact for the restaurant is an email address which only spits back automatic responses. There is no phone number, and the company that administers their reservation system has no ability to comment on it.

As a result of all this bull, I am out several months worth of effort, and they have stolen 484 euros from us. I am completely disgusted and I don't understand why they feel it is appropriate to treat people this way.

Update: I forgot to update this - my apologies. After writing this review, and after many unanswered emails and phone calls, I wrote a final email and made it clear that my next step was to stop by the restaurant directly to try to solve the problem in person. I then finally received a response. Although the restaurant offered to make good on my defunct reservation, the enthusiasm and good feeling was completely gone on our part, and no food, however well-prepared was going to overcome that. I indicated that I wanted my money back, and after serveral days,...

What a meal. A truely remarkable and memorable experience. Here you get to taste some of the best dishes you will ever get to experience in your life.

The menu and presentation is simple and humble. Just high quality stuff cooked perfectly well all on their famous grill.

The menu changes depending on season and availability and it is a sure exciting thing to experience.

I love caviar but I never had it better like in here. It is lightly salted and smoked so you get to taste the real thing at its best.

The anchovies are in season. Not fishy just delightfully salted on top of tomato toast. You will never look at anchovies the same.

The shrimp is the best I had in my life. You get in with your hands sucking on every morsel. Thats how good it was.

The grilled turbot served family style was amazing and definitely memorable.

The steak with its delicious yellow fat grilled on grape wood was probably the best I ever tasted in my life. Its not a melt in your mouth wagyu but the flavor is definitely unmatched.

The peas. That’s something no one usually get excited about. Here its like little sugar caviars. They burst in your mouth with sweet fresh goodness. Again something simple but really well sourced and cooked.

Here is a place that offers a true experience, delicious and unpretentious just honest good food in a really relaxed...