Abarka — Restaurant in Hondarribia/Fontarrabie

This place is so good, I am tempted not to tell you about it. Even though we live in France, it is hard for us to let three weeks go by without returning.

The prix fixe menu knocks any competition out of the running for price, but it is the quality and the service that seal the deal. Great quality of very fresh fish, well cooked and presented. Even a relatively ordinary tomato and artichoke salad is so well presented that it seduces the eye. And the ultimate in homely cooking, pain perdu, is raised to such a gourmet level with house-made ice cream and artistic presentation, I found it impossible to order anything else.

This family restaurant with a kitschy decor is located in a residential neighborhood, so parking might be a problem (although so far it never has been as we have come for lunch on the early side for Spain). It is popular and absolutely requires reservations, at least on weekends.

There are menus in English, French, and Spanish, and certain of the wait staff speak French well, but the primary language spoken is Spanish, not a surprise since most of the clientele is local. I have not tested...

Terrible! I never review but this really disappointed me. The place could be described as eclectic but I prefer confused. Shiney objects in a farmhouse. The food was ok but terrible value. Thank goodness they forgot our order of piquello peppers as we the bill $150 euros - 2 people - 1 entree lobster salad (24 euro) it was ok, 1 shared main (70 euro !!!) 1 dessert (8 euro) 1 bottle of wine ($15 euro) 2 glasses of dessert wine ((12 euro). We are annoyed that we were not told that the special fish of the day was $70 euro, We ordered it because we were recommended it by our first waiter, a second waiter came to take the order and they argued in front of us whether it was sea bass or red bream. We pretty much ordered it to make the argument stop. We found the food ok but the service a bit of a miss and the value terrible. Just annoyed we followed google reviews and chose this place ahead of many much worthy restaurants in the area. And the price! $120 AUD for a fish for 2!!!! Just very bad value!...

Incredible, authentic basque food. Lovely, kind, attentive staff. While traveling to Hondarribia with 3 girlfriends, we were lucky enough to get a last minute dinner reservation here; and wow! They greeted us with complimentary cocktails and a delicious seafood tapa, a nice portion for each person. I have never had such an experience like this at a restaurant in Spain before, and have lived in Barcelona for years. The waitress (I wish I remembered her name; tall with blonde hair) was so kind and meticulous with every detail. 3 of us shared a large chuleton steak and it was the perfect amount of food (they didn’t try to push for us to get more and were honest that we could all share it and feel full). I highly recommend this spot for anyone looking for quality, comfort,...