Lived up to both our expectations!! I went with the 25th anniversary tasting menu which included 10 out of 12 seafood tastes plus 3 desserts. Hubby doesn’t do seafood so excellent serving staff helped him craft a menu of small bites plus 2 half entrees which kept him on pace with me. Wine pairings - spot on! I wanted to expand my seafood experience and smoked eel as one plate and a second one with uni fit the bill and both were winners!

We booked lunch for our daughter's birthday and it made for a special day for her. The food was excellent and very interesting. The staff and service was second to none. We found one of local waiter particularly amusing in the way he explained the dishes to guests at the other tables. You could tell he loved his job.

Our family is from Melbourne and have eaten at the best 2 restaurants in Melbourne which were ranked 20th and 58th best in the world in 2018 but we think Martin's restaurant and food is better. This was even before the surprise when we finished out lunch and was leaving.

As they knew it was our daughter's birthday they had a surprise present for her - a chef's coat personally signed by Martin!! Our daughter was so happy with the present she did what all young people do 1st chance she had - take a photo of it.

Superb experience. Must come back again somehow, some time.

If you check through my editorial past you will see that my Trip Advisor career began after my first visit to Martín Berasetegui had ended. I felt as though I had an obligation to try and repay the man (and team) who had brought me so much joy in such a short space of time by spreading the word of the magical dining experience I had encountered.

Much to the dismay of my avid followers (currently 0), I’ve laid low on Trip Advisor for a number of months. This isn’t due to the lack of visits to restaurant but because of the unfair comparison I can’t help make to Martín and his team. You get the feeling that this is the place that all aspiring restauranteurs come to cut their teeth but unfortunately fall short of meeting the magical standards which are set here.

I could go into further detail about the drinks, the bread, the courses, the service, etc but similarly to my maiden post, I don’t want to spoil it for those lucky enough to go.

Just be mindful that when you do, your ‘favourite place back home’ won’t be the same again.

The food at this three-Michelin star restaurant was definitely everything we were expecting for and more. This was the third 3 Michelin star restaurant that we visited while in northern Spain and definitely one of our favorite meals. It's located in a quiet neighborhood ~25 minutes drive from San Sebastian, across from a small park, and has plenty of parking both on site and right along the park.

We visited the restaurant for lunch which I recommend since the meal is long (~4 hours) and you will leave stuffed and perhaps a bit tipsy if you choose to do the drink pairing as well.

The ambiance of the restaurant at first appears a bit less casual and a bit more rigid than some of the other fine dining restaurants we visited, but the staff is friendly and they quickly made us feel welcomed and comfortable.

Our meal started off with the most delicious bread a selection of butters. The bacon and brioche bread was absolutely delicious and totally addictive. There were 12 dishes total and two desserts. The flavors and creativity of the dishes were absolutely outstanding. There weren't any dishes that I didn't like (except for the cheese plate we chose instead of one of the desserts). Some highlights include their take on the classic gilda (which is a pintxo composed of chili pepper, green olive and anchovy), the foie gras and green apple amouse bouche, the oyster with green olive juice, the seaweed and prawn dish, the monkfish and the grilled sirloin. The drink pairing for the most part hit the mark and although the somm was happy enough to switch out any wines that we didn't enjoy or didn't pair well with the food, we thought the selection of wines fell short a bit especially when comparing it to one of our other fine dining experiences in the region.

To end this wonderful meal we had chocolate desserts, the almond cake and a cheese plate. We decided to opt for the cheese plate since we hadn't tasted any local cheeses during our trip and we figured this may be a good time to do it. Honestly it was not a good option. The cheeses were too strong and stinky for our taste and they were a bit overwhelming at the end. Of course, at the end of our meal we got a selection of petit fours brought to our table which we tasted but by this time I was so full and my palate and senses were so overloaded, I don't even remember if I truly enjoyed them.

Our second visit to this place of wonder.Without a doubt one of the best restaurants. you need to book way in advance. The experience is great thanks to the devotion and attention of the owners for everything that they do.