Azurmendi * (Bilbão) – best dining experience of my life.

TLDR at bottom.

On vacation in Spain and Portugal and on a whim got a reservation for Azurmendi. We had already booked Akelare a couple nights prior but someone we met in a pintxos bar in San Sebastián told us that Azurmendi had blown him out of the water, so we got a last minute reservation. (Akelare was also amazing but Azurmendi far surpassed imo.)

You start the night with complimentary welcome wine and their picnic basket in the green room filled with plants. So beautiful and a tasty intro. They then show you around the kitchen with some more snacks before taking you into the final intro room. Couldn’t fit all the snacks in but the passion fruit snack presented on a rose is famous there for good reason, great explosion of flavour to clean the palate before the meal.

Then you finally enter the dining room and the tasting menu goes like normal ones, but the attention to detail, presentation, and flavours are truly a step above. We did the wine tasting and cheese plate (not pictured but amazing) and both were very worth it. Great mix of local wines and funky out-of-the-box pairings (e.g., sake and an orange rum-based chai for two of the dessert courses). My favourite course was probably the lobster, but so hard to choose – everything is delicious and well thought-out.

Service was also so fun. They’re a sustainability-focused operation so the explanations as to the use of all ingredients/parts were great. Staff had lots more character and enthusiasm than some stuffier Michelin’s I’ve been to. My partner is also allergic to fish/seafood and they were super accommodating – she got lucky and got a rare-ish grisante lágrima dish (“tear pea” or “green caviar”) which was perhaps the best of the night. The peas are coveted and only on their main menu for two months of the year while in season but she got them as a substitution in the final days of the season.

TLDR – this was a gastronomic experience like no other I’ve experienced. Sometimes three-star places are known for trying to keep their stars instead of innovating and taking risks – not Azurmendi! Highly, highly recommend.