This was without a doubt, the best tasting meal of my entire life. (mind you we toured many of the…read morelegends in Donostia and visited Azurmendi) My husband and I stumbled on this Michelin Starred restaurant while staying in San Sebastián/Donostia. It is about an hour drive, and a beautiful journey. We called on a weekday and were able to get reservations for an early dinner that evening. We were not prepared for a dinner of this sort and were in hiking gear. Nevertheless the staff graciously welcomed us. Our dinner was around 5pm and being so early we were the only diners for the first hour. The execution of the meal was impeccable. I have never had fish prepared so beautifully. The service was the highest level, with 4-5 staff dedicated to our table. The flavors were, thoughtful, inventive and beautiful. The town is tiny, a single street, with cute little shops. We enjoyed walking around and stopped at the single bar on the street. Comparatively places like Azurmendi are admittedly more inventive, but Ithurria is a fraction of the price tag and a similar level of magical. My husband and I plan to travel back to France solely to visit Ithurria again. This family owned business is a must on your bucket list.

From the owner: Cuisine traditionnelle du Pays Basque. Nos menus offrent aux…read morevisiteurs de la région la possibilité de gouter à la gastronomie locale ex: Pipèrade, Axoa de veau au piment d'Espelette ... Notre carte se compose de plats traditionnels ou festifs alliant saveur et générosité. Service en salle ou en terrasse.

From the owner: Un peu de piment à Espelette ! Le Pays Basque abrite un hôtel restaurant sympathique, connu pour…read moreces déliceux plats typiques de la région, l'Euzkadi. On peut y déguster l'axoa, un émincé de veau associé au poivrons rouges et au célèbre piment d'Espelette. Cette spécialité basque, préparée depuis cinq génération à l'auberge Euzkadi, a pour particularité d'associer saveurs ardentes et couleurs vives dans votre assiette. Idéal pour les amoureux du Pays Basque !

Absolutely delicious fresh farm to table! Great service, atmosphere and location. Definitely worth…read morethe visit.

Espelette is a pretty, typical Basque village where many houses display strings of drying red…read morepiments on their facade. I chose their specialty menu: Veal/pork blood sausage with tomato coulis. Don't be afraid of helping yourself with the spicy tomato sauce, spicy in France is pretty mild by California standards. This went very well accompanied by a 1/3 bottle of Crozes Hermitage Then my server brings an (empty) very hot plate in anticipation of the main course, a red and green pepper with ground veal stew, with a side dish of light French fries (that you wish was the standard everywhere). I chose the lighter black-currant and pear sorbet with cherries over the gateau basque, but you should try the latter, easily found in every single bakery, before you leave the region. Meal time check 1 1/2 hr ...should have stayed for a digestif...

Family restaurant way off the beaten path We were the only…read moreAmericans and so will you. Very local but with almost a quasi-secret local regional clientele The food is local Basque. The presentation is like a classic restaurant. If you are heading to Basque country to experience the exceptional cuisine it really does not get better and authentic than this. Right down the road from a Basque cake museum And surrounded the creameries You GOTTA go