Akelarre

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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".