For a second consecutive year, Bittor Arginzoniz’s Bizkaia-based grill restaurant has finished runner-up in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards.
Located among the mountains in the Bizkaia village of Axpe Atxondo, Asador Etxebarri is a thirty-minute drive away from Bilbao.
Bittor’s restaurant has garnered world acclaim for his “elegant dishes where the ingredient is king”. Arginzoniz cooks his dishes over an open grill, with different varieties of wood, leading to him being recognised as “the Basque master of the barbecue”.
Asador Etxebarri first appeared on the World’s 50 Best list in 2009 and has only been off it once since then. What’s more, it’s finished among the top 10 every year since 2016.
Guests can choose between a 14-course tasting menu, starting at €280 per person, or an a la carte menu. Signature dishes include grilled baby eels, aged milk steak and homemade chorizo.
However, due to the establishment’s increased popularity, getting a reservation is extremely complicated, so you’ll need to book months, if not years, in advance to get a table. This can be done via the Asador Etxebarri website, where visitors are asked to submit a booking request.
Luckily, on Sundays, Etxebarri’s downstairs bar serves pintxos and small plates to the general public. As there are only five tables, there is an on-the-day waiting list at the bar and guests might need to wait for a table to free up if they want to sit down.
The restaurant featured in Season 8 of Netflix’s Somebody Feed Phil, with the series’ protagonist Phil Rosenthal describing the dinest experiences as “one of the best” of his life.
Other Basque restaurants in the World’s Best list
Renowned seafood restaurant Elkano, based in the town of Getaria – 30 minutes away from Donostia – was the only other Basque representative among the top 50.
Txispa, opened in Atxondo by Arginzoniz’s protege, Japanese chef Tetsuro Maeda, was 85th on the list. Maeda’s place fuses “Japanese culinary roots with Basque produce”. The restaurant opened in April 2023 and won a first Michelin star in November of the same year.
*Featured image from Asador Etxebarri’s Instagram page
Basque cuisine in Bilbao
If you’re looking to sample the best Basque gastronomy has to offer but perhaps don’t have the time or budget to wait for a table at Asador Etxebarri, there are plenty of places in Bilbao to get your fill of pintxos, txuleton, cod and cheesecake.
Take a look at some of the guides we’ve put together on what you should try and where to eat it.
