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This menu was too intellectual. I was looking for a meal, and I got a piece of art instead. And even as an art piece, it felt discombobulated and unfocused. I couldn't tell what the central theme of the meal was, if there was meant to be one in the first place. Pro: Every dish showcased technique and innovation, and challenged the diner to rethink the way we interact with our food, and introduced new ingredients and methods of cooking. Con: Besides the clear oyster soup, I didn't think the taste of any of the dishes were particularly exciting or satisfying. 1. Fortuna: mille-feuille of abundance; Bunch: chives and butter; Green chickpeas 2. Bunch: chives and butter 3. Ama 4. Bon apéttit: oyster mantle soup 5. Wrapped up: codfish bonbon; Origin: seeds an eggs 6. Lukewarm: neither here nor there 7. Potatos with white tuna; White tuna belly tucked in dahlias 8. Misfits: fried sea cucumber 9. Tenderness: beef hump in sauce 10. Gut feelings: sweetbreads and watercress 11. Mellow milk skins 12. Dive in: exposed octopus 13. Face to face: the skin I live in 14. Latxa sheep: black curd 15. Memories of the future: sweet vigor 16. Serenity: fishing for flavor 17. From nose to tail: norwegian lobster 18. Pasture: shape and depth 19. Ritual: piña colada 20. Candy: gluten ball
After securing our reservation for dinner two months in advance, I was really looking forward to our dinner "experience" at this famous restaurant. Several emails were traded back and forth after food allergies and dietary preferences, the 4 of us were ready to have an incredible evening on the side of the mountain in San Sebastián. The taxi took us to this beautiful home which had been modified to an elegant indoor dinning area, a charming outdoor eating place, plus a cozy tea room. So far, so good. But then the experience took a rather un pleasant turn. First, the servers kept emphasizing "the unique experience", "the unique ingredients" and "the unique preparation", but their English was so heavily accented that we all had a difficult time understanding them. This undoubtedly had lowered their presentation and hence we missed many nuances our unique experiences. Then of the 25 or so bites we had, only two or three were liked by all of us. And that is not a good sign. The fact that we were not offered eating utensils was the last straw for me personally. I just couldn't "handle" picking up soft slippery food items. I finally told the servers that I need utensils for every food item, no matter how unique!! As for the food itself, like I mentioned earlier, only a handful were well liked. I just cannot give more than 3 stars. Still, I have to agree that the experience was unique. So if you are looking for that, you've got it. But if you want great tasting food, you may find them on other Michelin stared restaurants. Sorry and no second time for me.
I was really nervous the day before our reservation because I decided to read the mixed reviews on Yelp. I couldn't believe the difference but I told myself to experience the restaurant with an open mind and I'm glad I did. I had a wonderful experience and meal at Mugaritz. When we sat down, we were given a tiny booklet that was filled with words and Mugaritzs' definition of each word. The words in the booklet were tied to dishes that Mugaritz creates. There was so much thought and time put into these unique dishes. It's no wonder they're rated so highly by critics. The staff were very polite and accommodating. They carefully explained each course and was always ready to share which words were tied to the dish. Aside from the food, my favorite part of the evening was being shown the kitchen and given the opportunity to speak to one of their chefs. Another treat that Mugaritz offered to us was to enjoy cigars and dessert in one of the smaller buildings. We were the only couple in this building and was allowed to spend as much time as we wanted! It was a great surprise. I felt the number of courses and portions were just right. I didn't leave hungry and I didn't leave stuffed. All of the vegetables and herbs came straight from their garden. So if they ran out of an ingredient, they would create a completely different dish. You'll definitely see tables receiving something different than yours. A lot of the courses were definitely a surprise and it's not what you expected which made it really enjoyable. I also really appreciated that Mugaritz offered both a wine pairing and a non alcohol pairing. You don't see this too often so I had to try the non alcohol pairing. They created different types of kombucha, tea, and flavored sparkling water. I can see why Mugaritz isn't for everyone. Some have said the dishes are flavorless and I completely disagree with that. There was always at least a hint of flavor. It takes great skills to mask flavors and transform textures. Mugaritz has mastered that. If you're expecting a typical restaurant with extreme flavors, then this may not be for you. If you're looking for a great experience and something new, you should definitely try Mugaritz.
Kind of a sadistic meal...My husband calls it total anarchy. From someone who's eaten at 75% of the Worlds Best restaurants list, I have to corroborate the bad reviews regarding the food. The tasting menu is challenging, uncomfortable (read: THE FOOD IS NOT TASTY), but that's the point. It's not as if the chef doesn't know what he's doing, he is deliberately trying to deny you the very thing you expect. He's not there to please your taste buds. He wants you to feel frustrated; he wants to push you and give you a different experience than you're used to or expect. For that I give a star, because it's a bold and daring incursion, a total aggression against sensibilities of propriety and pleasure. You can't say the dishes aren't creative or interesting, and the non-alcoholic pairing was quite special. The other star goes to service, because the staff are lovely, and for the presentation/plating because it was pretty cool and unique for some dishes! We spoke with someone who once worked there for several years and he confirmed that at Mugaritz "there's no taste, it's about texture". And yes, that definitely makes it challenging. So, if you're up for the challenge and are willing to spend money on food that may be hard to swallow, come! Otherwise if you want a good tasting meal, I preferred Extebarri and Azurmendi (both are on the Top 50 list also).
This place deserves zero stars. Worst. Dining. Experience. Of. My. Life. None of the dishes were edible. You can't even pay me to eat any of the dishes that were served to me. It's outrageous they charge so much for inedible food. It was so bad we actually left early and didn't get the last three of the 27 dishes. No desserts here. No utensils are used unless they give you one. I should've known this place was going to be bad when the first two people had no idea what they were saying when I asked about the wines. Do they even have a sommelier here? How is this a top 10 restaurant in the world? Must be some political game that critics play with these restaurateurs. The first dish started off with shredded asparagus that was bland. There was a dish that looked like and tasted like grass. Reminded me of cow dung actually. There was an extremely bland consumme that you suck out of a straw. At one point they served us a chip. Lol. I can't even tell you how disgusting the yuca dish was with its warm gooeyness on top of frozen ice that I had to chew through. It was so bad we all started laughing. Someone must be playing a joke on us. I had enough when we got to the shrimp dish. No joke but it tasted like toothpaste. The shrimp itself was fine but the sauce that it came in straight up tasted like toothpaste. After tasting that, I couldn't stand it anymore and told them to stop serving us dishes. The service was also bad. We asked for sparkling not flat. They didn't do a good job of explaining the dishes. This was far and away so different from the Azurmendi experience I had a couple days earlier and the Asador Etxebarri experience I had just earlier in the day where the servers were very well trained and very knowledgeable. Seriously who actually tasted these dishes before they were served? They probably think they're being extremely creative by serving ingredients that people have never had before and in ways that people have never seen, but there's a good reason why. I don't think I'll ever have another experience that can top this one. It's so comical. Don't go. Just don't waste your time. Did someone here get to the top of the world list and just have creative license to do anything, including serving inedible food? It just feels like another version of the Emperor's clothes.
As you've probably read by now, people who have lunch or dinner at Mugaritz either really love it or hate it. We stopped here for lunch while visiting Basque Country, and was prepared to either love it or hate it. Having sat through almost a 5 hour lunch, I have to say that going to Mugaritz is not for amateurs or foodies who haven't had a broad set of experiences at places with similarly designed menus. If you're expecting a traditional meal with traditional flavors that appeal to the masses, you probably won't find it here. There's a lot of weird things that come out of the kitchen - like a frozen hake fish wafer called "Communion" or organ meats like heart and liver. At the same time, Mugaritz is one of the best restaurants in the world, and everything that comes out of the kitchen is innovative, creative, and whimsical. I can't think of a more conflicting experience - not everything I ate was fantastic, but everything I had was like eating art. For lunch, I opted for the non-alcoholic beverage pairing, while my husband went with the mid-tier wine pairing. Everything he had was well above his expectations, and the amount of pricey and rare bottles that were brought out was staggering. Mugaritz has been around for about 20 years, but it's run like a test/concept kitchen. The menu is only around for a certain period of time, and the staff is also only around for a small period of time. Service was a little choppy, and not everything was clear or well explained, so I understand the reviews that complain about the service. After all of that though, I thought our experience at Mugaritz was unique and memorable. I loved walking in the garden after lunch, and really felt like I got to enjoy a lot of what Basque Country has to offer through the lens of the chefs at Mugaritz.
*Read this before u book the table* This is probably the worst restaurant I've been in my life. I am a foodie, I've been to so many restaurants with Michelin stars or on the world's 50 best list. Traveling to San Sebastián is always been on my list, since I got a chance this time, I can't wait to try this award winning restaurant. I am so regret I did this, because I only have 1 night in here, could've been to much better place like a tapas bar or something. Dining experience is about 4-5 hours, I arrived on time at 8:30 p.m, left at 1:15 a.m with a very hungry tummy. I have attached some of the photos below, and trust me it's even worse than how it looks. Starting with the appetizer, the "melon"-ish food was disgusting, first bite, I almost throw up, black asparagus was bad, I can't eat this. Raw lettuce is okay. I guess because they don't need to cook it. Following with some dishes has none flavor, or just bad. There plain, empty or taste like piss. One of the worst dish was a cup of "foam". They call it Coffee but not made of coffee. It's sour, smells bad and I only had 1 sip and start to feel weird in my stomach, that was already at 11 p.m, and I was so hungry. At that moment I already let the waiter know that I'm very disappointed with their food. I left for a bathroom break, asked a lady there about her thoughts about the food. She was so agree with me she said "my entire group hate the food here" When I get back to the table, I was lucky enough to be invited to the kitchen to meet the chef, I guess he has received my complains, he was being very pleasant and trying to explain why their food is taste so bad. "Our food is famous for being tasteless"- that's his original words. How funny is that, u are a Michelin rated restaurant, no.9 of world best 50, cost at lease €250 per person, and u can't cook something taste good? The chef was patient enough to listen to my feedback of his food, he advices that sometimes restaurant isn't really for good food, or being delicious. Sometimes it's just there to surprise people with how bad it can be. He compares this restaurant with a horror movie, and told me when people go watch a horror movie they are expecting to be scared. I doubt that's the meaning of a restaurant, isn't it supposed to be bring people joy and happiness from the food itself? And after it's only gets worse, so I guess the chef has listened to my advice their food is being very tasteless, and plain. So every single dish after the meet up in the kitchen was extremely SALTY... oh my Jesus, at that moment I just wanted to run away. But guess what, the restaurant is built on a mountain, middle of no where, unless u drive there otherwise u need to wait for a taxi. Finally, the dessert part, so after I split out half of the whole menu, dessert was finally come, 7 plates of chocolates. Yes - 7. I'm glad I do not have diabetes. Bill- for two people cost €510 Worst 5 hours in my life, do not go there to waste your life.
DON'T GO- INEDIBLE. Not one dish tasted remotely good. What a disappointment. I cannot believe this place is regarded so highly to this day - I am so upset I did not look at the yelp page before going, I would have canceled my reservation immediately. Aside from the fact that the courses do not taste good, they are laughably small and there is no real creativity going on here. I have been all over the world to many Michelin restaurants, and not once did I leave as upset as I did here. Worst of all, after eating around 15 disgusting courses, the restaurant invites you outside for a tower of 5 different types of completely inedible chocolates. I've never not liked a chocolate and this place managed to ruin even that.
I had such high expectations for Mugaritz. I was in San Sebastian 5 years ago, and wasn't able to get a reservation here. So, it's always been on my bucket list to come back, and try out the restaurant. Well, I kind of wish I hadn't. Nearly all the dishes ranged from disappointing to outright terrible. Our final dessert course was literally a single drop of bitter chicken stock on a giant white platter. Not only was the taste acrid and not dessert-like at all, they also gave zero utensils. You had to eat the goop with your fingers, or by licking the plate. Now don't get me wrong, normally, I'd have a lot of fun with that. But not when you're paying hundreds of dollars for inedible food. Speaking of no utensils, the first half of the entire menu was served with zero utensils. Again, this would have been fun if the food had been good. They don't necessarily aim to make all dishes delicious. Instead, they're using their customers as guinea pigs for their creative genius. They highlight of our visit was a tour of the kitchen. They have chefs from 12 different countries, and these guys are clearly skilled. It's just a bummer that the result of their talents this evening was so disappointing. No two tables get the same menu. On any given night, they prepare 70 different dishes. The staff then figure out how to combine these different dishes for each table in unique ways. I guess we may have just gotten really, really unlucky? There seemed to be a consistent theme of repeated ingredients and techniques throughout many of our dishes: 1) Fat emulsion 2) Sherry 3) Fermentation 4) Meat sauce 5) Red peppers My recommendation: save your money, and go spend it elsewhere at any other restaurant in San Sebastian. Here was our menu: 1) Chickory leaves in hummus spread 2) Beef tendon with shisha mushroom, draped in a thin veil of bacon 3) Baby carrots in Danish yogurt 4) Bonbon of fresh herbs and flower petals (marigold, dahlia, agastache, mexican aster, nasturtium) in a tart cream, cooked tableside in liquid nitrogen. Really interesting result. Cold and crunchy on the outside, and soft and creamy in the inside 5) Frozen Kiss of the Oyster. Oyster tartare perched on top of a spherical ice ball. You're supposed to pick up the ice ball, kiss it, and then eat the oyster. Fun, but the theatrics of the ice ball didn't really do it for me 6) Vermouth gelee in a kamquat 7) Fermented Mexican mole, dried and pressed with chilies, chocolate powder and bone marrow butter. This was the first dish I really enjoyed. It was creative, flavorful, and fun 8) Minestrone soup filtered 3 times, and served with the seeds of the vegetables in the minestrone soup. The first dish that came with a utensil 9) Hake with unfiltered Japanese sake. Individually, the ingredients were delicious. The combination didn't work for me though. The sake was way too strong for the dish and overpowered the fish 10) Roux of octopus served with red pepper sauce. Too bitter 11) Baby shrimp from southern Spain deep fried in powdered lemon and pepper 12) Mugaritz Creme Brulee. Crust on top with two types of cream: sweet corn and a red cream made from the head of a large prawn 13) Sliced potato kombucha with baked parmesan cheese, served with green tea kombucha 14) Red mullet tartare served with a red mullet reduced sherry. This dish was pretty bad. The tartare was nothing special, and the sherry overpowered the fish 15) Flaky bread with garlic and powdered potato topped with blue fish roe 16) Tempura mushroom marinated in sherry and covered in meat sauce 17) Bone marrow with lamb broth and raspberries 18) Smoked lobster with beef sauce and vanilla 19) Emulsion of beef tendon and beef fat, served on a beef bone. To eat, you lick the emulsion off the bone. Fun concept, but the taste was pretty terrible. You're literally just licking thick fat off a bone. 20) Grilled grouper with local red pepper with emulsion of cow fat. The fat was just unnecessary. Unfortunate, because the fish was quite good 21) Lettuce heart with chorizo sauce and powdered red pepper. Salty and not great 22) Squid with Iberican pork sauce 23) Ice cream with toasted rice 24) Beef marshmallow with toffee sauce 25) Bread and smoked cheese 26) A single dollop of chicken broth reduction. I thought this was a joke when it arrived on the table, but nope, this was really the last course. What a joke!
Mugaritz is iconic! It is not the best meal you'll ever eat, it is not the most comfortable you'll ever be in a dining setting, and it is certainly not the most enjoyable time you'll have at lunch or dinner. But we're here for art - Mugaritz is truly an expensive piece of art that you get to experience if you so decide to go! I've been to Mugaritz twice, and each time has been extremely unique. Not one repeated course, and the experience overall felt different. The attention to detail and care with which they make the meal at Mugaritz is just stunning, and the overall ability to interact with a staff that so clearly loves their job is so fun! Most recently we had everything from pig snout to roasted bees to a soup that we made a as a group of diners. Every dish was plated beautifully, had a story behind it, and felt like true performance food art. The wine pairing is such a treat because they bring you wines that are mainly collaborations, and you get to try so much during your journey. If you want a good steak go to Casa Julian, if you want to save money eat pintxos in San Sebastian, and if you want the best meal ever go to Azurmendi - but if you want an experience that is truly worth having, spend 4 hours at Mugaritz - you will not be underwhelmed. read more
A very interesting experience (9/2023), giving Mugaritz 4 stars. A very influential place/chef, it was a bucket list type place so all of the poor reviews and friends' advice couldn't stop me from seeing it for myself. Like others have said, they try to give a unique experience, saying they don't follow a traditional fine dining format, but more just serve you textures and temperatures in no particular order - somewhat true, but the meal did still follow (albeit loosely) the standard, with light bites followed by more substantial entree type dishes, and a little sweet to end. There were few courses where utensils were provided, most of the meal was to be experienced with your hands. The menu was definitely an experience, and it's sort of masochistic - they don't want you to like everything, and pushed us to tell them which dishes/courses/flavors/anything we didn't like. Overall though, the food was mostly good. Nothing with flavor that will blow you away, but the creativity I do greatly appreciate, and I've been to enough of these dinners where something weird and off the beaten path like this is appreciated. There were a couple courses that unfortunately fell flat in terms of flavor, and of course they were the 'weird' courses too - the milk from a fake boob was flavorless and made a mess, the cider "skin" peeled from the face had no flavor and fell apart, making this course basically one where you have to pick up sauce with your hands and eat it. My main issue with the experience overall was the service. Maybe they were understaffed, but it was just bad. The cups are wooden, so servers can't tell that they're empty unless they're standing over them basically. They wouldn't serve a dish unless they had two people ready to serve them simultaneously, which resulted in multiple times where the food was sitting by our table, with one server awkwardly trying to flag down another so we could be served - one of these took like 3 minutes which was very weird. They made a whole spiel about the wine experience where you choose a painting from a booklet and give them keywords to help them choose a bottle for you, but they took that booklet and never asked us about it again so I guess they didn't wanna do that. The wine list is very short, the sommelier couldn't tell us much about the wines we asked about. Also there was one sommelier for the entire service, and the servers refused to pour wine for us so we would sit empty for long periods of time, and the wine was out of our reach where it would be weird to get up and pour our own. We asked one server multiple times to refill our glasses after an extended period of time, and he reluctantly poured the wine, except he did so into my cup with water in it? Barely an apology, no fresh water cup offered or anything. Just very weird stuff from a 2 michelin star/world's best restaurant, where consistency and attention to detail are typically the standard. read more
This is one of my good friend's favorite restaurants in the world. It is also on the top 10 restaurants in the world list! The expectations were high but I was still nervous to dine here given that they are off the beaten path. Service, setting were on point. The food was a hit or miss for me. The style and element of surprise were amazing but the tastes for were a little offtraditionalist. I guess I am more of a thoughttradinalist than I though. read more
This menu was too intellectual. I was looking for a meal, and I got a piece of art instead. And even as an art piece, it felt discombobulated and unfocused. I couldn't tell what the central theme of the meal was, if there was meant to be one in the first place. Pro: Every dish showcased technique and innovation, and challenged the diner to rethink the way we interact with our food, and introduced new ingredients and methods of cooking. Con: Besides the clear oyster soup, I didn't think the taste of any of the dishes were particularly exciting or satisfying. 1. Fortuna: mille-feuille of abundance; Bunch: chives and butter; Green chickpeas 2. Bunch: chives and butter 3. Ama 4. Bon apéttit: oyster mantle soup 5. Wrapped up: codfish bonbon; Origin: seeds an eggs 6. Lukewarm: neither here nor there 7. Potatos with white tuna; White tuna belly tucked in dahlias 8. Misfits: fried sea cucumber 9. Tenderness: beef hump in sauce 10. Gut feelings: sweetbreads and watercress 11. Mellow milk skins 12. Dive in: exposed octopus 13. Face to face: the skin I live in 14. Latxa sheep: black curd 15. Memories of the future: sweet vigor 16. Serenity: fishing for flavor 17. From nose to tail: norwegian lobster 18. Pasture: shape and depth 19. Ritual: piña colada 20. Candy: gluten ball read more
3 years ago
After securing our reservation for dinner two months in advance, I was really looking forward to our dinner "experience" at this famous restaurant. Several emails were traded back and forth after food allergies and dietary preferences, the 4 of us were ready to have an incredible evening on the side of the mountain in San Sebastián. The taxi took us to this beautiful home which had been modified to an elegant indoor dinning area, a charming outdoor eating place, plus a cozy tea room. So far, so good. But then the experience took a rather un pleasant turn. First, the servers kept emphasizing "the unique experience", "the unique ingredients" and "the unique preparation", but their English was so heavily accented that we all had a difficult time understanding them. This undoubtedly had lowered their presentation and hence we missed many nuances our unique experiences. Then of the 25 or so bites we had, only two or three were liked by all of us. And that is not a good sign. The fact that we were not offered eating utensils was the last straw for me personally. I just couldn't "handle" picking up soft slippery food items. I finally told the servers that I need utensils for every food item, no matter how unique!! As for the food itself, like I mentioned earlier, only a handful were well liked. I just cannot give more than 3 stars. Still, I have to agree that the experience was unique. So if you are looking for that, you've got it. But if you want great tasting food, you may find them on other Michelin stared restaurants. Sorry and no second time for me. read more
3 years ago
7 years ago
I was really nervous the day before our reservation because I decided to read the mixed reviews on Yelp. I couldn't believe the difference but I told myself to experience the restaurant with an open mind and I'm glad I did. I had a wonderful experience and meal at Mugaritz. When we sat down, we were given a tiny booklet that was filled with words and Mugaritzs' definition of each word. The words in the booklet were tied to dishes that Mugaritz creates. There was so much thought and time put into these unique dishes. It's no wonder they're rated so highly by critics. The staff were very polite and accommodating. They carefully explained each course and was always ready to share which words were tied to the dish. Aside from the food, my favorite part of the evening was being shown the kitchen and given the opportunity to speak to one of their chefs. Another treat that Mugaritz offered to us was to enjoy cigars and dessert in one of the smaller buildings. We were the only couple in this building and was allowed to spend as much time as we wanted! It was a great surprise. I felt the number of courses and portions were just right. I didn't leave hungry and I didn't leave stuffed. All of the vegetables and herbs came straight from their garden. So if they ran out of an ingredient, they would create a completely different dish. You'll definitely see tables receiving something different than yours. A lot of the courses were definitely a surprise and it's not what you expected which made it really enjoyable. I also really appreciated that Mugaritz offered both a wine pairing and a non alcohol pairing. You don't see this too often so I had to try the non alcohol pairing. They created different types of kombucha, tea, and flavored sparkling water. I can see why Mugaritz isn't for everyone. Some have said the dishes are flavorless and I completely disagree with that. There was always at least a hint of flavor. It takes great skills to mask flavors and transform textures. Mugaritz has mastered that. If you're expecting a typical restaurant with extreme flavors, then this may not be for you. If you're looking for a great experience and something new, you should definitely try Mugaritz. read more
2 years ago
8 years ago
3 years ago
Kind of a sadistic meal...My husband calls it total anarchy. From someone who's eaten at 75% of the Worlds Best restaurants list, I have to corroborate the bad reviews regarding the food. The tasting menu is challenging, uncomfortable (read: THE FOOD IS NOT TASTY), but that's the point. It's not as if the chef doesn't know what he's doing, he is deliberately trying to deny you the very thing you expect. He's not there to please your taste buds. He wants you to feel frustrated; he wants to push you and give you a different experience than you're used to or expect. For that I give a star, because it's a bold and daring incursion, a total aggression against sensibilities of propriety and pleasure. You can't say the dishes aren't creative or interesting, and the non-alcoholic pairing was quite special. The other star goes to service, because the staff are lovely, and for the presentation/plating because it was pretty cool and unique for some dishes! We spoke with someone who once worked there for several years and he confirmed that at Mugaritz "there's no taste, it's about texture". And yes, that definitely makes it challenging. So, if you're up for the challenge and are willing to spend money on food that may be hard to swallow, come! Otherwise if you want a good tasting meal, I preferred Extebarri and Azurmendi (both are on the Top 50 list also). read more
This place deserves zero stars. Worst. Dining. Experience. Of. My. Life. None of the dishes were edible. You can't even pay me to eat any of the dishes that were served to me. It's outrageous they charge so much for inedible food. It was so bad we actually left early and didn't get the last three of the 27 dishes. No desserts here. No utensils are used unless they give you one. I should've known this place was going to be bad when the first two people had no idea what they were saying when I asked about the wines. Do they even have a sommelier here? How is this a top 10 restaurant in the world? Must be some political game that critics play with these restaurateurs. The first dish started off with shredded asparagus that was bland. There was a dish that looked like and tasted like grass. Reminded me of cow dung actually. There was an extremely bland consumme that you suck out of a straw. At one point they served us a chip. Lol. I can't even tell you how disgusting the yuca dish was with its warm gooeyness on top of frozen ice that I had to chew through. It was so bad we all started laughing. Someone must be playing a joke on us. I had enough when we got to the shrimp dish. No joke but it tasted like toothpaste. The shrimp itself was fine but the sauce that it came in straight up tasted like toothpaste. After tasting that, I couldn't stand it anymore and told them to stop serving us dishes. The service was also bad. We asked for sparkling not flat. They didn't do a good job of explaining the dishes. This was far and away so different from the Azurmendi experience I had a couple days earlier and the Asador Etxebarri experience I had just earlier in the day where the servers were very well trained and very knowledgeable. Seriously who actually tasted these dishes before they were served? They probably think they're being extremely creative by serving ingredients that people have never had before and in ways that people have never seen, but there's a good reason why. I don't think I'll ever have another experience that can top this one. It's so comical. Don't go. Just don't waste your time. Did someone here get to the top of the world list and just have creative license to do anything, including serving inedible food? It just feels like another version of the Emperor's clothes. read more
2 years ago
3 years ago
4 years ago
As you've probably read by now, people who have lunch or dinner at Mugaritz either really love it or hate it. We stopped here for lunch while visiting Basque Country, and was prepared to either love it or hate it. Having sat through almost a 5 hour lunch, I have to say that going to Mugaritz is not for amateurs or foodies who haven't had a broad set of experiences at places with similarly designed menus. If you're expecting a traditional meal with traditional flavors that appeal to the masses, you probably won't find it here. There's a lot of weird things that come out of the kitchen - like a frozen hake fish wafer called "Communion" or organ meats like heart and liver. At the same time, Mugaritz is one of the best restaurants in the world, and everything that comes out of the kitchen is innovative, creative, and whimsical. I can't think of a more conflicting experience - not everything I ate was fantastic, but everything I had was like eating art. For lunch, I opted for the non-alcoholic beverage pairing, while my husband went with the mid-tier wine pairing. Everything he had was well above his expectations, and the amount of pricey and rare bottles that were brought out was staggering. Mugaritz has been around for about 20 years, but it's run like a test/concept kitchen. The menu is only around for a certain period of time, and the staff is also only around for a small period of time. Service was a little choppy, and not everything was clear or well explained, so I understand the reviews that complain about the service. After all of that though, I thought our experience at Mugaritz was unique and memorable. I loved walking in the garden after lunch, and really felt like I got to enjoy a lot of what Basque Country has to offer through the lens of the chefs at Mugaritz. read more
8 years ago
*Read this before u book the table* This is probably the worst restaurant I've been in my life. I am a foodie, I've been to so many restaurants with Michelin stars or on the world's 50 best list. Traveling to San Sebastián is always been on my list, since I got a chance this time, I can't wait to try this award winning restaurant. I am so regret I did this, because I only have 1 night in here, could've been to much better place like a tapas bar or something. Dining experience is about 4-5 hours, I arrived on time at 8:30 p.m, left at 1:15 a.m with a very hungry tummy. I have attached some of the photos below, and trust me it's even worse than how it looks. Starting with the appetizer, the "melon"-ish food was disgusting, first bite, I almost throw up, black asparagus was bad, I can't eat this. Raw lettuce is okay. I guess because they don't need to cook it. Following with some dishes has none flavor, or just bad. There plain, empty or taste like piss. One of the worst dish was a cup of "foam". They call it Coffee but not made of coffee. It's sour, smells bad and I only had 1 sip and start to feel weird in my stomach, that was already at 11 p.m, and I was so hungry. At that moment I already let the waiter know that I'm very disappointed with their food. I left for a bathroom break, asked a lady there about her thoughts about the food. She was so agree with me she said "my entire group hate the food here" When I get back to the table, I was lucky enough to be invited to the kitchen to meet the chef, I guess he has received my complains, he was being very pleasant and trying to explain why their food is taste so bad. "Our food is famous for being tasteless"- that's his original words. How funny is that, u are a Michelin rated restaurant, no.9 of world best 50, cost at lease €250 per person, and u can't cook something taste good? The chef was patient enough to listen to my feedback of his food, he advices that sometimes restaurant isn't really for good food, or being delicious. Sometimes it's just there to surprise people with how bad it can be. He compares this restaurant with a horror movie, and told me when people go watch a horror movie they are expecting to be scared. I doubt that's the meaning of a restaurant, isn't it supposed to be bring people joy and happiness from the food itself? And after it's only gets worse, so I guess the chef has listened to my advice their food is being very tasteless, and plain. So every single dish after the meet up in the kitchen was extremely SALTY... oh my Jesus, at that moment I just wanted to run away. But guess what, the restaurant is built on a mountain, middle of no where, unless u drive there otherwise u need to wait for a taxi. Finally, the dessert part, so after I split out half of the whole menu, dessert was finally come, 7 plates of chocolates. Yes - 7. I'm glad I do not have diabetes. Bill- for two people cost €510 Worst 5 hours in my life, do not go there to waste your life. read more
6 years ago
7 years ago
DON'T GO- INEDIBLE. Not one dish tasted remotely good. What a disappointment. I cannot believe this place is regarded so highly to this day - I am so upset I did not look at the yelp page before going, I would have canceled my reservation immediately. Aside from the fact that the courses do not taste good, they are laughably small and there is no real creativity going on here. I have been all over the world to many Michelin restaurants, and not once did I leave as upset as I did here. Worst of all, after eating around 15 disgusting courses, the restaurant invites you outside for a tower of 5 different types of completely inedible chocolates. I've never not liked a chocolate and this place managed to ruin even that. read more
I had such high expectations for Mugaritz. I was in San Sebastian 5 years ago, and wasn't able to get a reservation here. So, it's always been on my bucket list to come back, and try out the restaurant. Well, I kind of wish I hadn't. Nearly all the dishes ranged from disappointing to outright terrible. Our final dessert course was literally a single drop of bitter chicken stock on a giant white platter. Not only was the taste acrid and not dessert-like at all, they also gave zero utensils. You had to eat the goop with your fingers, or by licking the plate. Now don't get me wrong, normally, I'd have a lot of fun with that. But not when you're paying hundreds of dollars for inedible food. Speaking of no utensils, the first half of the entire menu was served with zero utensils. Again, this would have been fun if the food had been good. They don't necessarily aim to make all dishes delicious. Instead, they're using their customers as guinea pigs for their creative genius. They highlight of our visit was a tour of the kitchen. They have chefs from 12 different countries, and these guys are clearly skilled. It's just a bummer that the result of their talents this evening was so disappointing. No two tables get the same menu. On any given night, they prepare 70 different dishes. The staff then figure out how to combine these different dishes for each table in unique ways. I guess we may have just gotten really, really unlucky? There seemed to be a consistent theme of repeated ingredients and techniques throughout many of our dishes: 1) Fat emulsion 2) Sherry 3) Fermentation 4) Meat sauce 5) Red peppers My recommendation: save your money, and go spend it elsewhere at any other restaurant in San Sebastian. Here was our menu: 1) Chickory leaves in hummus spread 2) Beef tendon with shisha mushroom, draped in a thin veil of bacon 3) Baby carrots in Danish yogurt 4) Bonbon of fresh herbs and flower petals (marigold, dahlia, agastache, mexican aster, nasturtium) in a tart cream, cooked tableside in liquid nitrogen. Really interesting result. Cold and crunchy on the outside, and soft and creamy in the inside 5) Frozen Kiss of the Oyster. Oyster tartare perched on top of a spherical ice ball. You're supposed to pick up the ice ball, kiss it, and then eat the oyster. Fun, but the theatrics of the ice ball didn't really do it for me 6) Vermouth gelee in a kamquat 7) Fermented Mexican mole, dried and pressed with chilies, chocolate powder and bone marrow butter. This was the first dish I really enjoyed. It was creative, flavorful, and fun 8) Minestrone soup filtered 3 times, and served with the seeds of the vegetables in the minestrone soup. The first dish that came with a utensil 9) Hake with unfiltered Japanese sake. Individually, the ingredients were delicious. The combination didn't work for me though. The sake was way too strong for the dish and overpowered the fish 10) Roux of octopus served with red pepper sauce. Too bitter 11) Baby shrimp from southern Spain deep fried in powdered lemon and pepper 12) Mugaritz Creme Brulee. Crust on top with two types of cream: sweet corn and a red cream made from the head of a large prawn 13) Sliced potato kombucha with baked parmesan cheese, served with green tea kombucha 14) Red mullet tartare served with a red mullet reduced sherry. This dish was pretty bad. The tartare was nothing special, and the sherry overpowered the fish 15) Flaky bread with garlic and powdered potato topped with blue fish roe 16) Tempura mushroom marinated in sherry and covered in meat sauce 17) Bone marrow with lamb broth and raspberries 18) Smoked lobster with beef sauce and vanilla 19) Emulsion of beef tendon and beef fat, served on a beef bone. To eat, you lick the emulsion off the bone. Fun concept, but the taste was pretty terrible. You're literally just licking thick fat off a bone. 20) Grilled grouper with local red pepper with emulsion of cow fat. The fat was just unnecessary. Unfortunate, because the fish was quite good 21) Lettuce heart with chorizo sauce and powdered red pepper. Salty and not great 22) Squid with Iberican pork sauce 23) Ice cream with toasted rice 24) Beef marshmallow with toffee sauce 25) Bread and smoked cheese 26) A single dollop of chicken broth reduction. I thought this was a joke when it arrived on the table, but nope, this was really the last course. What a joke! read more
4 years ago
9 years ago
I don't know what to say. Truly a bizarre dining experience. I expected my senses to be confounded. Well, they succeeded but not in a way they could have intended. It's a beautiful space and everyone on staff was extremely friendly. Unfortunately that's about the most I can say that's positive. They started by dumping a wine list on our table and disappearing. We never had anyone attempt to guide or offer us suggestions in the listing. Then came the "food." They seem to have forgotten that taste should always hold precedent over presentation. Absolutely pretentious nonsense. The third dish was chicken cartilage on toast. Zero seasoning. so yeah, just chewing cartilage. My wife thought it was a mistake and started to spit it out before I could tell her it was intentional. I still had an open mind at that point. A few dishes later I was joining her in the derision. My wife does not use salt. Avoids it at home and laughs at me when I salt anything. When she says food should be salted, you pay attention. Out of 28 courses the first 27 had a distinct lack of seasoning except for the few dishes with caviar. Then came the 28th... the server came to our table and dropped off two plates with a small dollop of brown sauce and walked away. We thought maybe she was coming back to add an item to the dish. She never returned with silverware, more food or an explanation. Eventually I started dipping my finger and tasting it. It was literally beef stock concentrate. 27 courses of bland pretentious nonsense and then literally finished with a plate of salt juice that you had to suck off your finger. Oh yeah, AND they don't offer dessert. This is an establishment fully in love with itself. They emailed me a poem after dinner. This place is a joke and the fact that it has any stars or makes any list is a joke. My wife and I suspect it is all some giant inside joke. Save your time, have lunch at Akelarre and enjoy the views and one of the greatest meals you will ever have. read more
7 years ago
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10 years ago
Heralded by some as the most experimental kitchen in the world even before Ferran Adria converted El Bulli into a "foundation," it was midday Black Friday that the GPS led me up a mountain spiraling to Chef Andoni Luis Aduriz's Mugaritz and although much has been made of the restaurant's astronomic ascent on "Best of" lists since its 1998 opening no number of photos or blog posts can do the experience of eating there justice largely because an "experience" is exactly what it is. Featuring no set menu, each diner instead served approximately two-dozen of over one hundred items reinvented yearly for use throughout the upcoming seasons with changes made on-the-fly as new ideas evolve, Mugaritz resides in a small wooden building amidst the stunning Errenteria hillside and with the space rebuilt after a fire in 2010 it can only be said that the rustic exterior in no way conveys that which is found within. Greeted warmly in the foyer where a few books detailing Aduriz's career and recipes are presented alongside objects of Modern Art it was minutes before the 13h00 reservation that I was led to a table big enough for four and seated with a great vantage of the room a glass of wine was ordered before a brief tour of the kitchen, no less than thirty sous and stages working in silence on individual plates with a bite of fermented rice presented to whet my appetite, not one drop of sugar used but the flavor like that of candy amidst soft grains that separated and melted in the mouth. Asked of preferences, allergies, and discretions before starting a marathon of sprints, never more than five minutes separating one course from the next, those looking for some sort of congruent "tasting" will likely find Mugaritz a bit disappointing as the experience is much more a stream of consciousness event, opening bites of a crispy cock's comb lent levity by creamed spidercrab and its roe while three bites to follow explored concepts of vegetation and textures, the first melting slowly beneath a hefty dollop of caviar while the golden pocket used added pork fat as a mechanism to carry gentle floral notes aloft. Filling a crispy pigtail with stewed pork before presenting a buttery-meets-bitter cloud of eggs and wedge of pumpkin brushed with coffee that oddly harkened the flavors of Tiramisu, it was with course nine that presentations reached next-level status, the sprouted chia stuffed with sweet ceviche given a sense of movement by nothing more than the air circulating the dining room with a silky mouthfeel that was nothing like the structure would suggest. Chasing the furry looking lobster with ancient grains and green sprouts around rich nut butter made more poignant by garlic it was leading into the menu's midpoint that three stunning courses were presented in rapid succession, the chestnut pudding offering an exploration of texture beneath a bouquet of white truffles while the creamed mousse of bird atop clam and slippery eels with raw beef were no less brilliant, each admittedly quite rich but present in just the right portion. Continuing to contemplate individual ingredients and their flexibility of flavor depending on preparation with gelatinous Hake throat over a firm fillet and then in the Bovis Maxima that was "only wafer thin" but ate like a whole porterhouse, it was a first experience with Sea Anemone that highlighted plate sixteen and although texturally something akin to phlegm even after a trip to the fryer the flavor not unlike urchin was itself quite pleasant. Returning to something more traditional with a generous slice of grouper in a beefy cream sauce followed by crisp lamb skin alternatively layered with thin cuts of loin it was a bovine gummy tasting like the richest of demi-glaces that set up the meal's final savory and although perhaps not as intriguing as those items preceding there is no doubt the rectangle of Wagyu was melt-in-the-mouth tender and, once again, just enough to satisfy without being too much. Telling a story of time and culture with local cheeses aged 3, 6, and 12 months - all from the same cow - desserts began with a boozy piece of semi-freddo 'leather' overlying apples and vanilla ice cream, the following quenelle of buttery brioche flavor subtle and elegant amidst grape pulp, granita, and juice. Serving two mignardises as the meal marched past two hours, the mochi a bit too floral while the herbal brittle was as beautiful as it was complex, it was with an Americano of shade grown Colombian beans in hand that the tall wooden puzzle-box was delivered, each layer save for "greed" containing chocolate placed in the context of a sin, wrath represented with firey top notes while gluttony offered nearly fifty chocolate covered biscuits, the base of Sloth a dense pentagram that was more than enough to share or save for later. read more
4 years ago
10 years ago
Expensive, but worth it I've been to three other top 100 restaurants and Mugaritz was better than all of them. If you have to decide between this, Arzak and Akalare, I'd go with this. If I had to do it over again, I'd skip Arzak altogether. If Mugaritz was booked I'd settle for Akalere You basically get 25 small bites / courses over 3 hours. I recommend taking every chance you get to take a break - they let you step outside and you can request to see the kitchen in action as well. The restaurant was beautiful and exclusive. Each table was spaced very far apart - four steps from the nearest table! The food was creative, beautifully presented and tasty The service was perfect. Robust wine menu with very reasonable mark ups. read more
12 years ago
We were a bit over indulgent with the meals planned for a short weekend trip to San Sebastian. We had a reservation for Mugaritz for lunch the day after having dinner at Arzak. Reflecting on it, I'm glad we did it in that order. You need to go to Mugaritz with an open mind - as the food is very experimental and its more about the experience rather than the food. There isn't an a la carte menu so you need to tell them what you don't like to eat as well as any food allergies. Later during our tour of the kitchen, we find out that each table has a very tailored menu. If you spy on some of the tables nearby, they do have some of the same dishes but the 20 courses you get are a mix and match and you can see all of the available dishes and whats assigned to your table. I really enjoyed the interaction you have - from crushing your corn to playing a table game for a caviar prize. They explain each of the dishes quite well and how you should consume it. What's really awesome is that they print you a copy of the menu of the dishes you had that day. Some of the dishes were okay - like the patch of grass but all part of the experience. For the dessert courses, we were lucky to have really nice weather and we had it outside in the garden. On top of the desserts, you get a stack of the 7 deadly sins which include various chocolates that represent each of the sins. Super clever. read more
13 years ago
My partner and I enjoyed our luncheon at Mugaritz. We like to walk, and we actually tried to do so to get here for lunch... If you don't really know where you're going, I wouldn't try doing this. You've been warned! We had to give up (the Google Map was not reliable enough), and eventually we found a taxi to take us to this establishment. Problem solved. The polished cuisine was very unique, especially, our amuse bouche of 'potatoes and rocks', and the dessert featuring a fun adaptation of French toast. But, we actually liked the service the most, and the cuisine took a back seat, plus, the decor wasn't a highlight either. Returning to the service: We were treated very nicely by professional staff members whom all made us feel right at home. They easily anticipated everything we were looking for in terms of aperitif, wines paired by the glass with our lunch, then, digestif. All in all, this is a wonderful restaurant to visit, definitely worth a side trip to experience. read more
7 years ago
Save your money and go to Amelia instead ....Michelin got this one horribly wrong! I read other bad reviews on trip advisor but decided to ignore them thinking there gotto be a reason why this place has two stars . And not to mention the beautiful pictures on the restaurant's website which are hard to resist and very misleading . Well, sadly I didn't learn from others mistake and wasted my money and my time over a horrible dinner. Out of the 20 odd courses, there were two that were good and everything else was garbage. I was served kidney beans as my dessert !! go figure !! And oh! btw..we had service issues. 1st - they served us a warm white wine because it came straight from the cellar and wasn't cooled in advance. We were taken away for the tour of the kitchen , so I politely told the host that maybe while we are away for the tour you could put our wine in the fridge or ice...the host was very apologetic about the issue and said of course we will cool it down but never did!! we came back to the table to warm white wine !! This was not the only screw up. Later the server confused the bottles which were sitting in a communal ice bucket and poured someone else's white wine into my "not empty" glass of montrachet!! They made up by giving me a small pour of their house wine which came no where close to my montrachet ...wtf ??? On the other had meal at Akelarre and Ameila (which is only 1 star!) where probably the best meals of my life. read more
9 years ago
9 years ago
So here's the bottom line. I read all the reviews before going and considered canceling, but we decided that we didn't want to regret not going, so we went. 1. Not the best restaurant in or near San sebastian 2. 2 people, bottle of water, 60 euro bottle of wine, 2 glasses of local wine, plus menu is 500 euros. 3. Over 15 courses. Not a single dessert or anything I'd consider dessert. 4. Service was weird...more later If u go with an open mind and want to try something different, it's fine. Not worth 500 euros though. There were 2 of us at dinner and if one of us finished before the other they'd just deliver the next course while the second person was still finishing the last one. Seemed like at certain points they were in a rush. I like 30 percent of what I ate, tolerated 60 percent, hated 10 percent. If you're looking at a place for a meal, this is definitely not the right place to come. I wouldn't come here again but glad I guess we tried it. I will say though that it shouldn't be in the top 50 in the world, that to me is nuts. I see David chang and others on TV praising the head chef, and I'm sure he is a nice guy and knows a lot about food and cooking, but we did not love it to the point it should be top 50 in the world. We went to helene darroze in san sebastian a few days ago as well as azurmendi near bilbao, we enjoyed both of these much more. read more
8 years ago
I'd write a review but must leave this to professionals! A surprise of taste, presentation, and story at every course. Extensive wines selected for pairing. Tour of the kitchen. Surprise course served to the whole restaurant at the same time. Well worth a trip to Spain! read more
8 years ago
9 years ago
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