It’s the WORLD’S #2 BEST Restaurant, but I SEE IT DIFFERENTLY – Asador Etxebarri

It’s been named the 2nd best restaurant in the world (World’s 50 Best Restaurants list) and it’s renowned as the best grill restaurant, period. It’s called Asador Etxebarri. It’s the brainchild of local chef Bittor Arguinzoniz.
You’ve probably seen some of the many articles and videos about this restaurant, claiming it to be one of the best in the world.

Unfortunately, I beg to differ.

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It’s been named the second-best restaurant in the world and it’s renowned as the best grill restaurant, period. Getting a table is nearly impossible. The media loves it, and food bloggers drool over it. Even the late, great Anthony Bourdain said he wished to have his last meal on earth there. Despite the hype, the humble chef has admitted he hates the press and would pay anything to be left alone. My expectations are sky-high. I have to admit, during this visit, there were a lot of questions that had me scratching my head. You’ve probably seen some of the many articles and videos about this restaurant, claiming it to be one of the best in the world. Unfortunately, I beg to differ. It takes us to Basque country in Northern Spain. It’s a country within a country, and it feels that way. We are on our way to a picturesque village of 1400 people. Called Axpe-Atxondo. It’s peaceful, beautiful and the perfect backdrop for our restaurant for today. Asador Etxebarri. The concept is simple. Serve the highest quality flame-grilled food. It’s the brainchild of local chef Bittor Arguinzoniz. He is a self-taught chef who has been described as having a Japanese mentality with an obsession for achieving perfection. He grew up around the corner, in a house without electricity or gas. Where his mother and grandmother would cook everything over an open fire. Carrying on tradition, Chef Bittor does the same. In his quest, he has invented many of the kitchen tools he uses on the grill, including a press that allows him to grill both sides of a steak at the same time. We are the first to arrive. With welcome drinks in hand, we scout out the best table to capture the atmosphere. The first thing I notice is the materials. Everything looks and feels like it was handmade by skilled artisans. Taking a quick look around, we stop to admire the wine cabinet. Looking over the list, we get some bread to snack on. The list has some wines that are super interesting, but this bread really grabs my attention. Just look at that. Superb. For champagne, we start with a premier cru from Dhont-Grellet. But knowing that there will be steak on the menu and they have a top selection of Spanish red wines, I started looking through the wine list. And then, this catches my eye. A heavy hitter. 1957 Vega Sicilia Unico gran reserva. It’s known by many to be the best winery in the country. At 2300 euros, it’s not cheap, but it’s something I probably won’t have the chance to ever try again. The wine is opened and allowed to breathe for a while because it has been in the bottle for a long time. so we will return to it later. On the menu are a la carte options and a 14-course tasting menu for 280 euro. Full table only. That means if one person orders the tasting menu, everyone else at the table needs to order it too. This happens at many Michelin-star restaurants, and for me it’s no problem. Getting a reservation is a problem. Because this place is so popular, getting one can take months. Here is our first appetizer. It’s one of Extebarri’s most iconic creations, which has the internet raving. Chorizo. This is an interpretation of Joselito chorizo based on the traditional local recipe. After making a paste from chorizo peppers, Joselito Presa and Secreto are mixed in and it is left to rest for 24 hours. It is then stuffed into natural sausage skin and cured for several weeks. This was very tasty as a starter. In the world’s best restaurants, meals always begin with an amuse-bouche. These are served both to prepare the guest for the meal and to offer a glimpse of the chef’s style. Most of the time, they serve complex, flavor-rich bites prepared using various techniques. But here, they use one technique and one ingredient. Next is anchovy. Not the salt-cured kind. This one is marinated since it’s in season. And then grilled. Simple, tasty and fresh. I love simple yet great things. High-quality ingredients, perfectly prepared. We move onto buffalo mozzarella cheese. This is an Etxebarri classic. The chef has his own herd of buffalo, and this cheese is made from fresh buffalo milk every morning. It’s served here with basil oil, and of course, it was a quality cheese. It’s clear that the chef makes no compromises when it comes to the quality of the ingredients. In an interview, Bittor mentioned that he doesn’t cook for these awards. And all this attention gives him stress because people expect more from them every day. The wait is over. It’s time to taste the red wine. By some sort of miracle, this wine is almost 70 years old yet still young and fresh on the palette. I can see why Vega Sicilia has such a good reputation. I tell Mohamad, the sommelier, to definitely pour himself a glass of it as well. He is very grateful for it and wants to show us the next drinks as a gift. Here is the first one. Our next drink is a Spanish wine from producer Raul Perez. It’s made with Albariño grapes that are common here in northern Spain. It is paired with our next course. Grilled white asparagus with spring mushrooms. Asparagus is a very important ingredient in this region. This dish is a bit more complex and features a great flavor pairing. It’s a delicate yet flavorful dish that highlights the fresh, seasonal ingredients. They don’t consider themselves as a fine dining restaurant. They say they are just a small house where you can get food and drinks. So it’s no surprise that the service is quite different from what we have seen in other top restaurants around the world. They come out, say the name of the dish, and then leave. Not everyone speaks English, so sometimes we only hear the name in Spanish. I also have to pour my own water and sometimes my wine. They are kind and they smile, but this is a different kind of service. Next, razor clams with a pea sauce. Razor clams are a fascinating species. All because of their oversized foot. They use it to create thrust similar to squid. But its main purpose is to dig. Razor clams have adapted to become the fastest-digging clams on the planet. And for thousands of years, this skill helped them to escape being captured by us humans. Unfortunately for the razor clam, humans adapted too. At some point in the last century, we cracked the code and found a way to make the clam come to us. Salt And find a new home it does. In our bellies. Simple but beautiful presentation. I love it. The razor clams are perfectly tender. So far, I can tell you that the quality of the ingredients here is fantastic. Our next wine comes from one of my favorite wine regions. Chassange Montrachet. This is a 2021 chardonnay from Benoit Moreau. It’s paired with lobster. Flawlessly cooked and wonderfully tender, You can see how tender it is. Look at the size of these claws. One of the biggest I’ve ever seen. Imagine how large the lobster must have been. It was a tough claw to crack. Surprisingly, the lobster also goes really well with the 1957 Unico. Red wine and seafood don’t usually match. But here, they get along like Samwell Tarly and Jon Snow. It really shows the amazing versatility of this wine. Next, the perfect prawn from Palamos. The Palamos prawn is not to be confused with the other famous Spanish prawn, the Carabineros. Carabineros are a deep water prawn found mostly in the east Atlantic Ocean. They are the biggest prawns in the world, known for their bright red color and robust flavor. Gamba de Palamos, or Palamos prawns come from the northwest Mediterranean sea town of the same name. They live in a protected environment, are fished under strict, sustainable regulations and widely considered the best in the world. The next time your prawn is served with the head, you are in for a real treat. The head is actually full of gorgeous flavor, but there is a trick to getting at it. First, you need to hold the prawn firmly facing down. Then, twist off the body. The head acts like a cup and catches all the juices. This is the good stuff. All you need to do is suck it up. Brains and all. In many cultures, it’s considered the best part. This was high-quality prawn, perfectly cooked, and that’s it. Next is baby octopus, artichoke and seaweed. The salty seafood goes well with the nutty artichoke. Here we have another delicacy from the sea. The sea urchin. Sea urchins are fascinating creatures as well. There are almost a thousand species of them and they come in all sorts of colors. And they are also one of the oldest species known to man. Their hard shell is covered with movable spines and they have five teeth that they use to scrape algae and other food from the rocks. Here we have it served in its shell. It is rich and creamy, with both sweet and savory flavors. Next is another course with simple ingredients. This is egg with St. George mushrooms. The egg is slowly grilled to this consistency and then mushrooms are added. Incredibly simple but delicious. Our next dish is hake. Specifically, the ‘cococha’ or cheeks, served on a crisp kale leaf with a dallop of aioli. This is the most exquisite part of the fish and is full of collagen. It had a melt-in-the-mouth quality I really liked. We received the next course, but the server didn’t speak English, so they said in Spanish: guisantes lágrima a la brasa. At first glance, it looks like a bowl of peas. But these are not just any peas. These are tear drop peas. They are grown in the north and can cost upwards of 200 euro per kilo. Also known as green caviar, they are one of the world’s most time-sensitive vegetables. They can only be picked at dawn because the harsh sun destroys their delicate form. And they lose more than half their quality after only two days. That means transport from the orchard to the kitchen has to be done muy rápido. It’s one of the reasons for the high price tag. These precious peas are grilled, of course, and served in their own juice. It was extremely fresh and vibrant, and I enjoyed it. Next we have red snapper. First, they show it to us whole, then they slice and serve it. Perfectly grilled. The sauce is made using the gelatin from fish bones, oil, and garlic. Finally, we are presented with the main course. Meat lovers, feast your eyes on this. Steak, with a simple green salad. Many people say that this is the best in the world. Do you see this? PERFECT! Supreme cut, perfect sear, gorgeous flavor and I really liked the taste of the aged beef. I’ve had many fantastic steaks in my life. In Japan, Argentina, and many other places. This was also a perfect steak. But to call it the best in the world? I don’t think there is such a thing. With desserts coming up, Chef proves that he can grill just about anything. This is milk ice cream smoked on the grill with beet juice. It’s so good, I ask for another one. The combination of beetroot and ice cream was amazing. If you are off the sweets and working on your beach body, look away. This is black and white chocolate souffle. And with that, stick a fork in me. I’m done. Our total for today is 2860 euros for two. And now my final thoughts on Etxebarri. The story of this restaurant is very interesting. They say they are just a small house where you can get food and drinks, yet, there is still a huge hype around the restaurant. You have to wait months if you want to eat here. Nowadays, many restaurants put in a lot of effort to create an exciting story that draws people in. As I see it, in the case of Asador Etxebarri, it happened the other way around. Although, they didn’t ask for it, they got it, and it’s become larger than life. Why this particular restaurant gained so much attention, I don’t know. And don’t get me wrong, chasing perfection is something that takes a lot of effort. I can’t judge if this is the best grill restaurant. There are many places with good fish, good lobster, and good ingredients. And there are many places where they grill very well. But to me, a restaurant is not just about preparing an ingredient with one technique. For me, a good restaurant is a more complex thing. To dine here is pricey, and for 300 euros there are other places that provide better service and a few more bells and whistles. At least for me. Apart from the hype and the contradictions around being the “best”, at the end of the day it’s a good restaurant. If you’re looking for a place to eat perfectly executed traditional dishes, you will certainly find it at Etxebarri. I wish Chef Bittor a long and successful career. To me, anyone who strives for perfection is a hero. and that does it for this episode. Thank you for joining me! If you like this video, hit subscribe! See you next time