BASQUE COUNTRYSIDE - GETARIA - RESTAURANTE ELKANO - POST 2

Oct 27, 2025
2 min read

Updated: Feb 9

RESTAURANTE ELKANO One Michelin Star

Getaria is the picture-postcard Basque Country fishing village that produced designer Cristóbal Balenciaga, Plácido Domingo’s mother, and Juan Sebastián Elcano (the first mariner to circumnavigate the globe).

You can wander down the old streets to the harbour, where you will see the fishing fleet, walking past various shops selling their wares.

There are stunning little beaches here.

Set on a crossroads above the harbour of Getaria, Restaurante Elkano is rated at number 24 in the Best 50 Restaurants in the World 2025 list.

The complete list: www.theworlds50best.com

On arrival, we noticed that the outside of the restaurant had been modernised.

Elkano was a pioneer in roasting and baking whole fish and crustaceans over hot coals in the open air, in what, according to many a good judge, is perhaps the best fish restaurant in the world.

To enhance the atmosphere, the dining area boasts an old-world charm.

Once settled in, we tried the excellent house beer, Ubera-Basqueland x Elkano, from @basquelandbrew, which we all enjoyed.

We started with excellent bread,

And appetisers of,

Coliflor asada en salsa de pescado (roasted cauliflower in fish sauce).

Calball (mackerel).

And then chose our first wine, Ganeta Berezia 2022 @gainetatxakolina

Salpicon bogavante (lobster).

Kokotxas con tres texturas diferentes (hake cheeks, three different textures: fried, grilled and pil pil).

Guiso de begihaundi (a small squid, stewed).

Also, when in season, try the very expensive angulas (elves/baby eels) or camerones (small scarlet shrimp), which we had. They only appear during the full moon.

For the incoming star of the show, we chose Sorkin 2022 Makatzak @makatzak.ww, which went wonderfully well with the turbot and is probably the best Txakolina we have tasted.