Restaurante Ayalga — Restaurant in Ribeseya

During our visit to Asturias we decided to book a selection of michelin star restaurants. Ayalga was one of the five we visited in the region of Asturias and Basque country. When arriving we were met with a beautiful colonial style villa and were excited to eat there. Much to our disappointment the restaurant is actually located in a side building with the most hideous decor I have ever seen (I am sorry but I am not exaggerating). The price point of this restaurant is above 100 euros per person, more expensive then for example Arbidel which is located in the same area. Or compared to restaurant Marcos in Gijon with a similar price point. For that amount of money you expect the owners to reinvest some money to maintain and update the property. Instead the decor has cheap linoleum flooring, walls where the paint is cracking from the walls and curtains from your student dorm. It doesn't need to be this way, as do the other restaurants show.

The service is relaxed and friendly, but again a little too relaxed for a michelin star restaurant. My empty glass of coke did not leave our table throughout the entire dinner service. Plates arrived whilst the dirty ones were still on the table and staff forgot to ask us whether we would have liked to ordered more drinks.

The food...well the dish that was memorable was the pigeon with mole. Taste wise nothing to fault here but alas...it arrived at the table cold. We also had a fish in seeweed broth which was nice. Other than the above 2 dishes, the others were nothing special or simply not tasty. So in my opinion the restaurant is simply overpriced and does not deliver in key areas.

Lastly, the menu on the website is outdated, as are the prices. When selecting a restaurant the menu on the website can be a key piece of information. I was drawn to Ayalga for a certain menu and was disappointed that they did not offer it.

All in all we would have loved to like Ayalga, but unfortunately it ended at the bottom of our list. Instead if you are in the region Arbidel is a much better option in terms of ambiance, quality and...

Dissapointed. This is the general feeling after having dinner here. I do not think is up to michelin star standard. The location is great with a beautiful view, but the restaurant is a metal and glass with linoleum floors addition to a hotel. which is not great. The music is some sort of electronic relaxing royalty free music that did not inspire fine dinning. There are two menus which are basically the same but changing the fish and meat mains. if there are two menus would expect two different experiences with two distinct food stories, not just beef or fowl, or at least that's what I expect from a michelin restaurant. The food was good, but nothing too special. Again in a michelin star menu de degustación I expect to be wow'ed with most dishes. In Ayalga only two things (out of 10 courses or so) made me smile.

When I go to a Michelin starred restaurant I expect to be blown away by the location, the ambiance, the service and the food. In Ayalga everything was mediocre (for a one star restaurant). I wish I had...

Absolutely incredible! The flavors were full of depth and were unique, creative, and so delicious. The presentations were stunning. With the sounds and sights of the ocean it created a spectacular setting, which made it an unforgettable experience for all of your senses. The service was so wonderful, and for how beautiful the plates were, the atmosphere was not pretentious. There was a story behind each plate. We will recommend this wonderful restaurant to all of our...