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.

This restaurant is located in an old carriage inn, in Cambo, a beautiful part of Basque country…read morejust 1/2hr east of Biarritz. Homy but classy decor, with a view on a small valley, a typical French countryside. Very tasty and innovative food grounded in traditional cuisine, and a very warm and attentive wait staff. We selected a smooth Loire valley red, which was very reasonably priced. I highly suggest to leave room for the beautiful and delicious desserts! In a French restaurant, no one wants to rush you. So if you're on a tight US lunch schedule, better let the servers know when they seat you down. A typical gourmet restaurant meal may last 1 to 2 hours. They could move everyone faster and increase profits but quality's first!