Restaurante Marqués de Riscal — Restaurant in Elciego

My friends and I are seasoned travelers with a deep appreciation for fine dining, and during our recent two-and-a-half-week journey through Northern Spain, we visited eight Michelin-starred restaurants. Seven of them were exceptional, but unfortunately, the food at Marqués de Riscal fell far short of expectations.

To put it bluntly, the food was shockingly poor for a restaurant with a Michelin star (or is it two stars). I couldn’t finish half the dishes, which is unusual for me as I typically enjoy everything on my plate. The croquettes they served were lackluster—something you’d expect from a corner bar, not a high-end restaurant.

The medium-rare lamb, which you can see in the photo, was grey and tough, completely unappetizing and far below the standard one would expect from any restaurants.

The only dish I could stomach was the hake, which, while pleasant, couldn’t redeem the overall disappointing experience.

That said, I must commend the staff for their excellent service. They were friendly, attentive, and highly professional. However, no level of service can compensate for such poor quality food. It’s a real shame, and honestly, the staff deserve to work in a place where the food matches their high level of service.

If you’re planning to visit the Marqués de Riscal building, I’d recommend stopping by for a drink only, but definitely avoid dining at the restaurant. The decor is dated, and the food is simply not worth the...

The restaurant is very nice. Staff is very friendly and accommodating. We call to ask in advance and they were able to accommodate food allergies that is of course highly appreciated. You have a few menu options: one note is that considering the level of the restaurant they could print the menus on nicer paper instead of a ‘classic’ a4 left on the table. Let’s talk food: overall very good. Some options were a bit questionable (surprised by some fish choices that were not very flavorful) but the experience is great. The duck was the best plate as well as the potato churro. Also deserves a mention the artichoke thar was delicious. I suggest drinking their wine and if you have questions the team is very knowledgeable and ready to help. Again, great food and very nice experience. For the level of the restaurant and price I can’t give 5 stars but definitely a great place and must do if you are staying...

For the sake of clarity, we attended the gasteonomique.

To get the obvious out of the way, yes, the meal was expensive. It was, however a unique experience.

The prefixe menu (9 Ideas) consisted of 19 micro plates of varied composition and complexity. No two were similar, and every single dish was well thought out and developed with care. From the nine appetizers through to the final dessert, we were thrilled, enticed, and genuinely pleased with every morsel. We left full to bursting and with our taste buds abuzz.

The service was quite good, and the wine (we chose the XR Marqués de Riscal Reserva 2017) was exceptional.

While we're unlikely to repeat the experience, it was very memorable and lived up to our high expectations for a restaurant with a...