Akelarre was a very memorable experience. The service and view are incredible. The food overall is very good, some highlights, but also some bites weren't exceptional. Presentations were very pretty, and you can tell a lot of thought goes into every course. I'd definitely return here, a great place to have a lunch and escape downtown San Sebastian.
We ordered two different menus and shared everything to get more tastes. Some highlights from the Aranori menu - egg with caviar and cauliflower puree (my favorite dish of the meal), squid "risotto", sheep milk dessert. Highlights from the classics included the lobster salad, rice with snails, sauteed foie gras with "salt flakes and grain pepper" (what were these?? so good), the millet with sauce "fusilli", gin-tonic on a plate, and the basque egg pastry with coconut cloud ice cream.
Very unique techniques, showcasing the gastronomy and creativity of the chef. Thoroughly enjoyed the meal here.
Akelare is unparalleled in many ways, in terms of creativity, atmosphere, and of course, food. The food was simply amazing, likely the best fine dining experience I've had. It's hard to believe I would ever say that a tasting menu of €195 is a "bargain," and yet here we are.
They offered three tasting menu options. I opted for the sampling of the restaurant's signature dishes, my wife ordered the newer creations. I enjoyed the food tremendously.
The restaurant is also nicely designed and laid out. It's highlighted by spectacular views of Bay of Biscay. There isn't a bad seat in the house, plus it didn't get too noisy inside.
I love Akelare.
Delicious. We came here for lunch. There is construction underneath the windows so the view is not as good as it used to be. Each dish was nicely presented with a mix of some gastronomy and traditional cooking.
Set on the cliffs outside San Sebastian with a panoramic view of the Atlantic ocean, Akelare boasts one of the most spectacular settings of any Michelin class restaurant. The food was extremely good, though less complex than many places with fewer stars. I especially liked the octopus with tempura and ink sauce.
The wine pairings were spectacular. A tawny white Cote de Jura 2012 had the most amazing nose of any white wine we've tried to date. A cheese and compote dessert plate was perfectly paired with two sweet whites, including one from 1949. The sommelier was thoroughly knowledgeable and explained the regions, vintners, grapes, and terroirs for each pairing.
Highly recommended!
Anelares makes dishes as masterpieces!
3 star Michelin chef Pedro Subijama allows all your senses in that awesome restaurant in that amazing view
The experience is complete in all senses
This is the true magic of gastronomy!
Ideal for lunch and make sure to ask for a window table!
Service is flawless! Useless to say! I had a Corton Charlemagne but ask for O Soro an amazing white rare to find that they have in their cave!
Definitely ask for the tasting Manu and you can have two different of the three options of their tasting menus so u can share and taste more of that amazing cuisine!
Excellent lunch dining experience. The view here is spectacular so you should request a window seat if you make it out to this remote location.
What's unique here is you can get different tasting menus for the table. I would recommend staying away from the classic menu and going with the other two.
Service was expedient and attentive but not fawning or excessive.
My favorites were the shrimp on fire, the steak tartare, foie gras leaf (the attention to detail to making a fake lead out of foie gras is amazing!), and monkfish.
Everything was very well presented and playful. The food was definitely innovative and tasty all around.
When my wife and I planned a trip to Spain I knew we had to fit in San Sebastián to experience the amazing food this city had to offer. However, our first meal was dinner at Mugaritz which was the most absurdly disappointing meal of my life.
We had lunch scheduled at Akelarre the next day and I began to worry that we had made a huge mistake.
I couldn't have been more wrong. Akelarre is one of the two greatest meals I have had the privilege of experiencing. The other being Joel Robuchon.
The restaurant is beautiful and situated with spectacular views of the Atlantic. After settling in with a glass of champagne, my wife and I selected the Classic menu.
Before we were served any of the dishes we were presented a series of four appetizers including "fake" olives stuffed with jamon and salted fish. Out of this world. Also out of this world was the blended goat cheese butter. The excellent wine pairing recommended by the sommelier perfectly accentuated the goat cheese. I had to take a sip after every bite.
The entrees are simply too much to go into detail, but each of them were among the greatest tastes I've ever had. The presentation was fun and really showed Chef Subijana's personality. Thankfully he understands that presentation is nothing without the flavors.
The staff was very nice, knowledgeable and attentive without being suffocating. The only misstep was that we could not get anyone's attention to bring our bill for nearly 30 minutes after we had finished our coffee. Not a big issue though.
If you come to San Sebastián dine at Akelarre for lunch and take in the stunning views as you experience culinary perfection.
One of the several 3 Michelin star restaurants in San Sebastián and my 5th experience at a 3 starrer. Excellent food and presentation, beautiful views, and stellar service. Loved how understated this place was--wasn't needing to be showy or fancy and has the confidence to shine.
Food: 4.5, Atmosphere: 5, Service: 5
Cost to worth it rating: 3 (175 Euros for a 12 course meal if you include amuses)
Return worthiness: yes (though I want to try some of the other 3 star ones as well)
Eve award: stiffest pours for a pre-meal cocktail
Highlights:
- Scampi with smoked monkfish and crunchy whole shrimp: a piece of shrimp beautifully placed inside a flower ring of thinly sliced fish and a crunchy whole shrimp on the side. Something so delicate and subtle with a play on textures was brilliant. 5 stars.
- Foie gras in a salad: they colored foie gras to fit in as a leaf. So artistic and the flavor was amazingly smooth and mild. 5 stars.
- Iberico and piquillo carpaccio thin pasta layer topped with Parmesan cheese and mushrooms. Stunning. Never had anything like that mixed pasta. 5 stars
- Roasted suckling pig. Crispy exterior and tender meat. "Bone" was sugary. 5 stars.
- Beef tartare with potato puff and thin crackers. Largest portion of the raw minced meat I've seen. 4 stars
- Shrimp tart: thin with a glasslike thin later was unique to get started. 3.5 stars
- Casual nice atmosphere: not stuffy or pretentious so we could enjoy a relaxing fine dining meal. Also liked that you could choose from 3 different tasting menu experiences.
- View: whole restaurant covered in large windows to see the water and we were seated in the elevated middle area.
- Cocktails: a simple vodka soda or gin and tonic was served tableside in a huge wine goblet!
- Chef was there: not common among famous chefs. He even waited to take a photo with us after our meal which was awesome.
Midlights:
- Tomato amuse: tasted a bit too fishy for me.
- Desserts: creative presentation but taste was just ok for me.
Lowlights:
- Anchovy olive: not due to the quality of the fish--mostly cause I don't care for either ingredient
- Raw plate with the cod: I didn't quite understand it accompanying a cooked fish
Excellent meal that lived up to the foodie hype of arranging a trip here from SF to eat for the weekend. :-)
For me, the ambiance of a restaurant is a huge part of the experience. This restaurant which sits on a cliff overlooking the Bay of Biscay was key in our choice of which one of the 3*s to try in San Sebastian. This was my first 3 Michelin star experience, and we basically planned the itinerary of our entire Spain trip around this meal. was it worth it? Yes.
First of all: Make reservation ahead of time. We made ours about a month in advance. Second of all. Start saving. It's going to set you back a few.
After seeing things like their leaf disguised as foie gras, their edible bones, and their broken yogurt desert, I was a bit worried that there would be too much of a focus on "innovation" here and not necessarily just really great tasting food. I know to get three stars you need more than just good food, but the quality of the dishes remains the most important part for me. And I was not disappointed.
I opted for the Aranori tasting menu with a wine paring.
The leaves and the Foie gras under the rain: Here's where they made a leaf out of foie gras and disguised it in your salad. Love it. A vegetarian's nightmare. Very clever, but most importantly. Delicious.
Green Broth Infusión, Scampi and Smoke Monkfish: Here you have a real bare bones broth made fresh from the head of the monkfish you get on a separate plate. I could appreciate the freshness and way the whole dish is self contained and straightforward, but it was a bit uninspired to me. Not super flavorful.
Very thin and Light Beef Tartare, new Potato Soufflé and Aromatic Herb Bread: Now we're kicking it up a notch. This was the best tartare i've ever had, and the serving size was generous.
Sea Bass "Umami": The menu gets better and better at this point. This melts in your mouth and now you truly are beginning to experience why this is a 3*. I've not had fresher or better prepared fish.
Roasted baby Pig "Bone" and Iberic's emulsion: So this was the main event. Aaaand, i actually ordered the other option (veal), not this one... so kind of a slip up on their part, but luckily, it was fantastic. Really tender and flavorful, and certainly not overdone. Oh yeah, you can eat the "bone" ( I think its sugar or something - nice touch).
The Broken Jar of Yogurt, "Gatzatua" and Berries: So this was probably the most unique part of the meal. It's an edible "jar" of yogurt which is "broken" on the plate, with the contents spilling out. As the waitress brought it out, she timidly said "sir, we've had an accident!" as it was being set down. I half wanted to screw with her and tell her to take it back and give me one that wasn't broken, but i didnt have the heart. Anyways, great end to a great meal. Fresh berries, the actual "jar" isn't very tasty, but it was a fun touch.
Amazing meal in my favorite town in the world. You will not be disappointed.
Originally pursuing a career in medicine before circumstances saw an interest in hospitality develop late in school. Pedro Subijana's resume bears little resemblance to those of contemporaries who honed their skills in the best kitchens of France, but continuing to develop a distinctive style since taking over Akelarre in 1975 there is little doubt forty years later that some things are written in the stars, the Chef and his seaside restaurant continuously holding Three from Michelin since the 2006 guide.
Writing its own story in a land where Basque traditions often mingle with modernist flare, arrival at Akelarre is not dissimilar to that of other fine dining destinations but with the two-tiered room placing some along the windows while other are elevated at its center the choice is really a matter of preference, an afternoon overlooking the ocean probably the ideal though those who prefer to witness the service spectacle may wish to peer down from above.
Divided into three eight-course tastings, a classics menu suggested as the best way to witness Subijana's evolution throughout the years, large parties are encouraged to choose differently with a focus on sharring, the Berkarki menu plus one classic addition proving the most compelling option for myself.
Opening at 20h30 with a total of eighteen items offered along with four housemade breads when accounting for canape, mignardises, and palate cleansing sorbet suffice it to say that two hours at Akelarre features no lack of action, the opening quartet offering but a glimpse of the Chef's willingness to elaborate on familiar flavors with discrepant ingredients and textures as the mussel croquette featured a surprising sweetness amidst brine and butter, the "Bloody Mary" an airy meringue that quickly flooded the palate and just as soon dissipated.
Impressed by the sort of bread that will challenge diners not to overindulge, both the spelt and hearty baton particularly great with curls of butter, course one of the tasting featured jumbo prawns cooked tableside over flames of Brandy, and coming out perfectly tender despite the directed heat all three were picked and sucked clean of their carapace with curls of green beans cleanring the palate between bites.
Again embracing the region in course two, fleshy hake throat delicately fried with a bit of spice and garlic adding nuance without overwhelming the gelatinous core, its follow-up showed signs of whimsy amidst textbook execution of duck liver, the "salt and pepper" haphazardly tossed over top by my server actually flavored like cocoa and vanilla as the bittersweet juxtaposition enhanced a silky center beneath the caramelized sear.
Returning to the fish from prior with a meaty fillet dusted in dried plankton that was as flaky as it was moist it was with suggestions to prepare the palate with a single Oyster Leaf that the evening marched on, the jet-black dish served next not containing a single grain of rice but virtually indistinguishable from the most delicate traditional versions given the finely chopped cephalopod and creamy stock further bolstered by butter.
Rounding out the savories with a very special presentation of acorn-only fed Iberico Pig lightly grilled and as intense as any charcuterie seen to date, it was again riffing on a classic American Cocktail that the mouth was transitioned to sweetness, the airy notes of lime and mint far more appealing to me than the actual drink.
No doubt a worldly man, hints at Americana not subtle in a "Melting" cupcake that tasted as though buttercream frosting was whipped via ISI-Container with fruit and then chilled, the Orange "Tocino de Cielo" was a return to Spanish flavors with a thin custard that tasted similar to a Carballon tinged in walnuts with light floral notes.
Intrigued by the "broken jar of Yoghurt" but told that "The Different Apple Tart" was a dish that should not be missed it was in the later that the meal reached its ending, the mignardises probably good though I reall don't remember as the caramelized tart tatin on an all-butter shortbread was as intricate in flavor as it was in its look.
Experiencia excepcional.
Propuesta innovadora y atrevida. Hay dos menús a elegir y algunos platos "comodín" para cambiar entre ambos, lo cual facilita la tarea en caso de que haya algun plato "titular" que no sea de tu agrado.
Personal atentísimo y un entorno único.
Un must si vas a San Sebastián. No hay queja de nada: la comida espectacular; el servicio atento y amable; el lugar, simplemente maravilloso, con vistas sensacionales.
Simplemente imperdible.
Hacer que la innovación y la sofisticación parezcan algo cuotidiano y tradicional, con carácter, presencia inmejorable y excelente sabor, no es nada sencillo.
El maestro Subijana tiene la experiencia y el conocimiento, pero sobretodo el carisma que le otorga su extraordinario bagaje, para plasmar en cualquier plato una nueva obra de arte digna de la más alta distinción.
Servicio muy correcto que potencia y cultiva la cercanía, el buen trato y la educación. Grandes profesionales, tanto dentro como fuera de los fogones.
El universo Akelarre es infinito y profundo gastronómicamente hablando. No es casualidad que haya estado en lo más alto del firmamento Michelín durante tanto tiempo. El respeto a los productos, la innovación continua y las presentaciones artísticas de los platos dominan desde lo alto del Monte Igueldo. El servicio amable, cercano y discreto hace de la experiencia un momento agradable e inolvidable. Las vistas y la ubicación merecen por si mismas la visita.
Una experiencia extraordinaria con unas vistas magníficas. Destaca el servicio muy profesional pero sobre todo amable y cercano. Hay la opción entre 2 menos degustación con opción de cambiar algún plato.
Recomiendo pedir recomendación de vino al sumiller ya que es difícil elegir un vino que pueda servir de maridaje para todos los platos.
En general hay un ambiente muy tranquilo y agradable lo que hace que la experiencia sea muy agradable.
Sólo puedo decir que es un lugar "casi mágico" y a veces hasta sin casi.
El mar estaba ... "como una balsa".
Sólo con contemplar el horizonte, el panorama... no necesitas nada más.
Sobran las palabras, aunque al mismo tiempo el conversar en un lugar como ese es también una delicia.
Estoy hablando del "espacio Oteiza".
Nos dejo sin palabras, el servicio,la presentación, la amabilidad, la calidad y como no el restaurante el lugar es una maravilla, la terraza es una maravilla, con esas vistas.
No es un restaurante para ir todos los meses, pero merece mucho la pena el ir a conocer este en concreto.
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