In a tiny village in Spain’s Basque Country stands what has just been crowned the world’s best restaurant. No luxury hotel, no striking architecture, no elaborate theatrics. Just a traditional Basque farmhouse, an extraordinary chef and a passion as old as humanity itself: fire.
Spain Expat Press Editorial Team
Anyone hoping to dine at the world’s best restaurant will first have to make their way into the rural heart of Spain’s Basque Country. Surrounded by green mountains, meadows and traditional farmhouses, the small village of Axpe lies in the Atxondo Valley. It is here that Asador Etxebarri has earned its place at the very top of international gastronomy.
The restaurant was named the world’s best at this year’s World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards, announced on Wednesday evening at a ceremony in Lima, Peru.
Etxebarri beat some of the most celebrated names in international fine dining to take the top spot. Gaggan, in Bangkok, finished second, followed by Alchemist in Copenhagen.
For Etxebarri, the award marks the greatest achievement yet in an extraordinary story. Having finished second in each of the previous two years, the restaurant has long been regarded as one of the finest dining destinations on the planet. Now, for the first time, it has reached number one.
The chef who mastered the art of fire
At the heart of Etxebarri’s success is Bittor Arginzoniz, a chef whose approach to cooking has made him one of the most respected figures in international gastronomy.
Born in Axpe, the 66-year-old has never truly left his roots behind.
His cooking bears little resemblance to what many people associate with modern fine dining. There are no elaborate molecular experiments, extravagant presentations or unnecessary culinary tricks.
Instead, Arginzoniz focuses on the essentials: exceptional ingredients, wood, embers and precisely controlled heat.
What sounds deceptively simple is the result of decades of dedication.
The chef has designed his own grills and ingenious cooking equipment, allowing him to adjust the distance between the food and the glowing embers with remarkable precision. This enables him to cook even the most delicate ingredients, including seafood and vegetables, over an open fire.
Arginzoniz first encountered wood-fired cooking as a child. What was once an ordinary part of rural life gradually became his lifelong obsession.
Today, he is widely regarded as one of the world’s greatest masters of grilling.
€300 for a tasting menu – and tables are still hard to come by
A meal at Etxebarri requires both a generous budget and considerable patience.
The tasting menu costs around €300 per person, excluding drinks, and securing a reservation can be a challenge. Food lovers travel from across the world for the opportunity to experience Arginzoniz’s cooking.
The menu features ingredients such as red prawns from Palamós, fresh fish, carefully selected beef and seasonal vegetables. Almost everything passes over the glowing embers of a wood-fired grill.
Even desserts occasionally bear the unmistakable influence of fire.
Arginzoniz is particularly known for his ability to introduce subtle smoky and toasted flavours into unexpected ingredients, including milk.
Here, luxury is not about elaborate decoration or theatrical presentation. It lies in the quality of the produce and the extraordinary precision with which it is prepared.
The restaurant itself occupies a traditional Basque farmhouse in a peaceful, almost secluded setting.
There is no bustling city outside, no glamorous hotel lobby and no extravagant dining room designed to impress.
Instead, visitors find themselves surrounded by a rural landscape that appears to have changed little over the decades.
That contrast is part of Etxebarri’s appeal. Some of the world’s most sophisticated cooking is taking place in one of its most unassuming settings.
Spain returns to the top of the culinary world
Etxebarri’s victory is another remarkable achievement for Spanish gastronomy, which has repeatedly dominated the international restaurant rankings.
The legendary elBulli, led by Ferran Adrià, topped the list five times, while El Celler de Can Roca in Girona claimed the title twice.
More recently, Barcelona’s Disfrutar was crowned the world’s best restaurant in 2024.
In 2025, the award went to Maido in Lima, Peru. Now the title has returned to Spain.
Other Spanish restaurants also secured places among the world’s top 50 this year.
DiverXO, the Madrid restaurant led by Dabiz Muñoz, finished ninth, while Albert Adrià’s Enigma in Barcelona took 29th place.
Elkano, the renowned seafood restaurant in Getaria, ranked 33rd.
With four restaurants represented in the international ranking, Spain has once again demonstrated the strength and diversity of its culinary scene.
From avant-garde creations in Madrid and Barcelona to traditional seafood in Getaria and wood-fired cooking in Axpe, Spanish gastronomy continues to attract international recognition.
A triumph without the theatrics
During the awards ceremony in Lima, Arginzoniz paid tribute to those who had helped him throughout his career and to the generations who passed down the knowledge of cooking over fire.
It was a fitting response from a chef who has always appeared more comfortable standing beside his grill than in the international spotlight.
While the world of fine dining constantly reinvents itself, Arginzoniz has spent decades perfecting a single philosophy: exceptional ingredients need very little intervention when they are treated with knowledge, patience and respect.
Etxebarri’s success is a reminder that culinary greatness does not necessarily belong to the world’s biggest cities, most luxurious hotels or most spectacular restaurant concepts.
Sometimes, all it takes is a small village in the Basque Country, a piece of wood and a man who knows exactly when the embers have reached the perfect temperature.
