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Mugaritz Errenteria Reviews
Extremely disappointing experience.
We went to Mugaritz for my husband's birthday and couldn't have been more disappointed. Having eaten in many Michelin starred restaurants around the world, we were really looking forward to an evening of culinary delights. How wrong we were! From the moment we walked in, it just didn't feel right, in fact it felt quite creepy. The food wasn't particularly pleasing to look at and in many cases was quite bland, and the several tins of mould did absolutely nothing. There was not one course I can honestly say we enjoyed and at nearly 300 Euros per head (without drinks) this really was the biggest waste of money. I know we weren't the only ones dissatisfied, as the table next to us were as equally appalled.
AVOID
The worst culinary experience of my life. PERIOD. Nothing edible. I couldn’t understand anything the staff said. Awful !
If you know before you go, the experience is different
I’m from NYC. My husband, 15 year old daughter, and I went to Mugaritz for dinner. We had read the reviews scathing and not about Mugaritz- making you eat bacteria and mold but by then I had already booked this restaurant and wasn’t going to lose my 470 euros of a deposit I put down, although it was discussed. We changed our daughter’s meal to a kids menu, which included- prosciutto for her app, sliced steak and fries and vegetables for her meal, and a caramelized brioche with vanilla ice cream for dessert. That was smart because she could try the weird food we got and also could eat something I knew she’d like. Plus it was 90 euros instead of 270 pp. I think if you go in knowing the theme is fermentation and connection to nature, and if you have an open mind to try new things, you’ll have a great night and enjoy the meal. But if you get grossed out easily or are very rigid in your food palate, pick another place. We did the half portion wine pairings, which were delicious. By then end of the night, I was quite tipsy and probably would have eaten anything they sent out at that point- hahahaha.
When we made our plans to come to Mugaritz, I spent a lot of time reading through reviews, both from diners and critics. I've never seen so much controversy about any other culinary experience, and I arrived knowing full well that the meal might be unusual and that I might not enjoy it. That was probably the best mind-set to come in with. As it happened, the meal *was* unusual, and I enjoyed it immensely. I've eaten my way through way too many stars to count, but Mugaritz has readily launched itself into my top ten, maybe even top five, dining experiences to date. Their two stars are entirely merited. Probably the only reason they're stuck at two stars instead of three is because every third diner apparently runs screaming for the door. If you only want to eat things with conventional flavors, textures, and dining implements, you'd probably be happier eating elsewhere. It's okay to be basic, even in the world of fine dining. But if your palette is a bit jaded by convention, if you're willing to be surprised, intrigued, educated, and perhaps even challenged, Mugaritz might be for you. It's pushing boundaries that I haven't seen pushed before, and while it might not be to everyone's tastes, the culinary world is better for it. Here's a simple test to see if Mugaritz might be up your alley: if a food scientist invited you into their lab and offered to let you lick out their petri dishes, would you be curious or apalled? Mugaritz is a food lab for the insatiably curious. We had a course that was pretty much just like this. Was it "tasty"? That's not the right word, but neither was that the point. Yet this might have been the most fascinating, memorable, and informative dish I've eaten to date anywhere. I've long been vaguely aware of some of the microorganisms essential to various types of fermentation, but now I can speak of them with the intimacy that can only arise from encountering them in their pure form. Honestly, the reviews that concerned me most before I came were the ones that claimed the dishes were bland or tasteless. I have no patience for food that is boring. But in hindsight, I wonder if those diners might have benefitted from investing a bit more attention on their food, rather than their phones or their conversations. Perhaps certain bites have come across as bland because they weren't conventionally "tasty"? Yes, some of dishes might have been on the spectrum of blandness, in that their flavors were not sharp, piquant, sour, or salty, but I did not find a single dish out of the multitude to be the least bit boring. There was only one dish that I would describe as literally bland, an infusion of tea over a chicken-based paste. But the blandness was so intentional, so deliberate—the phrase that came to mind at the time was "the very essence of beige"—that it revealed whole new layers of depth and complexity. The tannins of the tea got to take center stage, which is something I've never encountered before: tannins are almost always a background player, an underlying structure. Given attention, this dish was not boring in the least. I'm reminded of Francois Jullien's book entitled "In Praise of Blandness," which explores the subtleties and potentials of this aesthetic. So no, the meal was not conventionally "tasty," but it never failed to fascinate and delight. Another good mindset to go in with is to imagine that you're about to have dinner in an undiscovered country, or on an alien planet. Go in with an open mind, an inquisitive palette, and undivided attention, and hopefully you will enjoy the meal as much as our table of four did. I should also note that the space was tranquil and beautiful, from the buildings to the terrace to the surrounding countryside. The service was top-notch: warm, helpful, informative, but never intrusive. The pacing was flawless, without a single lull in the 3+ hour experience. I didn't mind having to let them know before I used the restroom, because I didn't want to throw a wrench into that well-oiled machine. We had several diners with food restrictions and allergies that they accommodated without any reluctance, and the substitutions looked just as wonderful as the dishes that were being replaced.
Mugaritz is iconic! It is not the best meal you'll ever
Mugaritz is iconic! It is not the best meal you'll ever eat, it is not the most comfortable you'll ever be in a dining setting, and it is certainly not the most enjoyable time you'll have at lunch or dinner. But we're here for art - Mugaritz is truly an expensive piece of art that you get to experience if you so decide to go! I've been to Mugaritz twice, and each time has been extremely unique. Not one repeated course, and the experience overall felt different. The attention to detail and care with which they make the meal at Mugaritz is just stunning, and the overall ability to interact with a staff that so clearly loves their job is so fun! Most recently we had everything from pig snout to roasted bees to a soup that we made a as a group of diners. Every dish was plated beautifully, had a story behind it, and felt like true performance food art. The wine pairing is such a treat because they bring you wines that are mainly collaborations, and you get to try so much during your journey. If you want a good steak go to Casa Julian, if you want to save money eat pintxos in San Sebastian, and if you want the best meal ever go to Azurmendi - but if you want an experience that is truly worth having, spend 4 hours at Mugaritz - you will not be underwhelmed.
I came to Mugaritz with high expectations…
I came to Mugaritz with high expectations, given its global reputation and avant-garde culinary approach. Unfortunately, the experience fell short of what I anticipated. The tasting menu is undoubtedly bold and conceptual. Some dishes were inventive and visually striking, but too often the focus on technique and artistic intention overshadowed actual flavor and enjoyment. It felt more like an intellectual exercise than a truly pleasurable meal. One of the most disappointing aspects was the service. At a restaurant of this caliber, I expected warmth, precision, and flawless timing. Instead, the service felt detached and at times disjointed, which disrupted the overall flow of the experience. The presentation of the dishes was impeccable, and the setting was elegant and serene. However, there was a lack of emotional connection—something that’s essential in a fine dining experience. I admired the ambition, but left feeling more intrigued than satisfied. I respect the effort to push culinary boundaries, but in my case, Mugaritz didn’t live up to the promise.
Worst restaurant I’ve experienced!
Whilst I understand the concept of the restaurant I found the food to be completely tasteless.Having been to many Michelin Restaurants during my time in San Sabestien including two Three Star restaurants I do not believe this should have any stars.I believe it should have been an enjoyable experience with innovative food but I was left feeling very disappointed and I would not recommend in fact I would totally discourage anyone from wasting there time or money.
Don’t recommend
Absolutely disappointing. It was sooo bad that it is hard to describe. It was to celebrate my son’s 25th and not only the food was below std in taste and creativity but they didn’t do anything special for birthday boy. We were so excited for our dinner even though reviews were bad but totally agree with past reviewers. Not worth at all.
Not worth the money or the hype
I hate writing reviews but I felt like I had to after spending a lot of money and eating food that was just simply disgusting. It pains me to say it but I’ve been to so many Michelin star restaurants and people need to stop saying this one is “an experience”, they should aim to also serve good food. It’s like a trial trying to get through some of the dishes and some of the dishes which were more normal like the beef were just soooo dry and lacked something so simple as salt. To spend £1,000 and the food to actually just not be nice is such a disappointment. I appreciate the technique and them trying to push boundaries but it would have also been nice to actually enjoy the food. At times it actually felt like a practical joke, like we were being pranked by the chef and laughed at because this is what we are silly enough to pay for. The staff are all lovely but I can’t say I ever wish to come back sadly… I think I’ll stick to pintxos bars in San Sebastián for some tasty food. I won’t forget this experience in a hurry that’s for sure.
Birthday Meal
Can’t tell you enough how bad is this place. It taste awful and it got worse and worse with the subsequent dish, and it the ingredients and taste just do not work. I don’t know how this place can be awarded 2 michelin stars and is one of the top 100 restaurant in the world, the food taste really bad and it’s the worst I ever had in my life. One of the dishes is tempe, as an Indonesian, this taste nothing like tempe. For the chef, I do hope you read this as we came all the way from London to eat here to celebrate a birthday, and I am utterly disappointed with the meal. For the food critics, I hope you can judge this restaurant fairly and give fair reviews to the customers.
Frankly awful. Avoid
Just awful from start to finish. At the end of the day however clever you think you are as a chef - the food has to taste good and in reality the food is a disaster. From the 22 courses served there was not a single dish that I would ever want to eat again. There is a reason why no one else serves bulrush! Yes experiment, yes support local produce, yes be seasonal, yes challenge the guests to a new experience - but somewhere along that journey it has to taste good and frankly Mugaritz is a bit of a joke. It explains why at least 3 tables were empty on a Friday evening in June and why it has had such a dramatic fall in the list of 50 best restaurants from 31 to 81. In my opinion it should not be on the list. The guests were mostly tourists - the locals always know! The only positives were the wine pairing which was very enjoyable (even though the timing of serving the wine with the right dish was off) and some (but not all) of the staff.
Worst fine dining experience ever
We travelled 1000 miles without reading the reviews as we didn’t want to taint our judgement. We are absolutely horrified at the entire experience. It’s not food. I wouldn’t recommend anyone who’s into fine dining to waste their money and time going here. The description about the experience on their website is totally inaccurate. Horrendous experience.
Worst experience ever
We made a very expensive mistake by going to Mugaritz. Nothing was good except the wine. Food was not edible and service was below standard. Do not be a fool like me who gave Mugaritz a chance despite bad reviews. Spend your money wisely and my advice would be … go elsewhere. I do not understand how this restaurant has earned the Michelin stars.
CRASHED
A horror experience, as the guide can maintain 2 stars in this restaurant. The kitchen tries too hard to be different and the truth is that the food is unpleasant and inedible. What a very unproductive research process to be able to create a menu that tastes like only chemicals, a shame that Aduriz has forgotten what he once learned and is cultivating a generation of chefs who have no culinary identity. The service in the room is good, the wine program correct. The food, the main reason for the restaurant, is very bad, terrifying. If it could be rated with 0 stars, that would be the ranking. At the end of the dinner we expressed our dissatisfaction to the person in charge of the room only for him to share it with his team. We paid what was owed for dinner and we ran out. We would have left earlier but we had a little hope, it was really painful to finish the Menu
So bad it’s funny
The setting is lovely, the service was good and the wine was decent. Everything else was dreadful. The food tries to be bold and interesting but it’s actually just bizarre and bland. Out of 23-25 courses there were only two or three that I would be willing to eat again if they were offered for free. There were none that I would have paid for. Several course I would pay not to eat again or even to be reminded of. It actually turned out to be an enjoyable evening but only because our party spent most of our time laughing at the absurdity of the food and at each other wincing as we struggled to chew our way through another mouthful of tasteless, inedible stodge. Do yourself a favour and don’t bother. There are loads of amazing restaurants in the area that serve infinitely superior food at a fraction of the price.
Absolutely awful experience.
Don't get me wrong. We love innovative , creative , edgy cuisines that push boundaries and challenge comfort zones. That's why we went. But this place is a total rip-off. Few of the dishes were well prepared or tasty. Most of the staff couldn't even provide the most basic explanation of what they were serving, and if they tried, their English was usually so poor that we were still left confused. It felt like so many random disconnected moments of bad tastes that I could have believed that the chef and staff were playing a twisted joke on us. I don't think I've ever been more disappointed in a meal in my life.
Great opportunity for improvement
Very beautiful place, great service, entertaining experience. However the primary objective is the food. This was a great disappointment. Either no taste or a weird taste. The 22 dishes were beautifully presented, but many of the dishes simply didn’t taste well. We are quite used to visiting great restaurants, and for us this is the worst experience we have had in many years. We hope that the restaurant will revisit its menu and bring the food up to a two Michelin standard
Read the reviews, believe them
Do not waste you’re money with this restaurant. Read the reviews and believe them. Do not give this restaurant the benefit of the doubt, they actually blame you for doing this. Until it improves, leave it alone. It’s very poor, in comparison to other Michelin star restaurants you could visit. When you dispute the bill because of this, they call the police.
Don’t be Fooled - Not a Michelin **
In Short this restaurant is fooling its clients in a major way it’s almost Fraud to call it a two star Michelin experience. They have taken art way too seriously and forgotten to provide taste, two from 12 dishes were edible that’s all. We complained and demanded a refund of some of the cost of the food, this was refused by Luis the manager, he simply ignored our concerns!! Then he called the police! The police arrived and told us to pay the bill then make a claim afterwards which we did. We paid the bill and left. They deliberately delayed our taxi requests and literally held us to ransom - disgraceful behavior We ignored the terrible reviews at our peril and I would urge you to avoid making this mistake - this was the worst Michelin star restaurant we have ever visited anywhere in the world and we’ve been to several. When I complained the manager Luis said thousands of people loved the restaurant and that was his arrogant position. He made an offer to discount the wine BUT not the food, we refused this offer because the wine was very good (at €250 per bottle). It’s clear they wanted to avoid any criticism of the food for self protection brand reasons. Michelin should review this restaurant urgently it is definitely NOT a one or two star rating.
Hell's Kitchen
Mugaritz is one of the worst restaurants I've ever been to. The waiters call this meal a gastronomical experience, but I call it a gastronomical nightmare. For some context, my family and I came to San Sebastian exclusively for food, so we booked Arzak and Mugaritz on back to back nights, fully expecting to be amazed both nights. Arzak did not disappoint, so we only went to Mugaritz with even higher expectations, but after the first dish, we knew we were in for a long and underwhelming night. Let us break this monstrosity down from the service to the food, and from the start to the end. The service, on a whole, was atrocious. When we wanted to add an extra seat before the dinner, the restaurant not only did not respond to our email, but it also did not pick up its phone and ended up adding the seat without any confirmation. But I digress because they eventually did what we wanted. On the day, after we arrived at the restaurant, the waiters greeted us and sat us down in the restaurant's outside area for some drinks. While some waiters were extremely nice and accommodating, this one lady who served us had such a repugnant attitude. When she asked about our dietary restrictions, the majority of my family requested no lamb, chicken, oysters, and organs. However, she managed to mess up these restrictions TWICE during the meal. When the restaurant served a dish of "sheep", we informed the lady that we specifically asked for no lamb, but she immediately became defensive, rude and maintained that lamb and sheep were two different animals. I do not consider myself a food connoisseur or anything of that nature, but I am educated enough to know that lambs are baby sheep and that lamb and sheep are the same animal. Because of the language difference between English and Spanish, we told the lady to give us the Spanish words for "lamb" (cordero) and "sheep" (oveja) hoping it would mean different animals, but lo and behold, a quick google search confirmed my initial thoughts that lamb and sheep are the same animal. Anyway, my family members did not eat the dish, so the waiters took the plates away. I fully expected a “world class” restaurant would apologise and quickly give a replacement dish, but obviously Mugaritz did not do so. However this may be for the better because we were already very disappointed with the food by then and just wanted to finish the dinner as soon as possible. Four underwhelming dishes later, Mugaritz made the exact same mistake of messing up our dietary restrictions again. When the waiter was explaining this dish to us, we had to double confirm, nay, triple confirm, that he said we were going to eat cod tripe, and to those who do not know, tripe is a type of organ meat. This time around, the waiters were surprisingly apologetic and immediately gave us a replacement dish, but I still would like to emphasise the incompetence of the waiter who noted our dietary restrictions. Although the aforementioned incidents were the main problems, Mugaritz’s service was still far from ideal. For example, they would constantly serve my dishes to the left of my body, to the point where I can barely reach the food, when they serve others normally. They only did that to me for certain dishes and I am still wondering why they did that and why they only did that to me. Another example of poor service was when a waiter messed up the presentation of a dish as he toppled the eggs that were supposed to be balanced upright on the plate. That in itself was completely okay, but instead of immediately bringing it back to the kitchen to re-plate, he tried to quickly put it back together himself and had his colleagues try to shield us from seeing it. The presentation was clearly worse afterwards, and the waiter could have handled the situation much better. To end, the waiters did not send us out and just left us after we paid. That is fine if we were at a normal restaurant, but the fact that this was supposedly one of the best restaurants in the world, we expected end-to-end service, which eventually we did not receive. Now onto the food. I must say Mugaritz’s food is very experimental and creative, but I also must say it was mediocre and disappointing. We understood that Mugaritz is a place that overcomplicates their dishes and puts a twist on the traditional; however, the food was truly nothing special, and even at times, inedible. Other than looking a little weirder and smaller than usual, nothing about Mugaritz’s food screams Michelin stars. What disappointed us the most was the sake that they gave us for pairing. Coming from Asia, we have tried many different sakes, but I personally do not think I have tried something that undrinkable. I personally feel like Mugaritz did not find a balance between innovation and taste and placed its sole focus on creating “different” dishes, so the flavours were highly compromised, with some dishes being overly salty. Overall I would say the food was truly a “once-in-a-lifetime” experience, but in a disgusting way almost as I would go as far as to say that the best drink/food I had the whole night was the sparkling water. My last comments would be to ask Michelin and World’s 50 best to reconsider their perception on Mugaritz. I’m sure Mugaritz was a lovely restaurant once upon a time, but it sure has fallen from grace.
Scam or culinary snobbery!
After having tried all the starred restaurants in the Basque country, we were left with Mugaritz, surely a deduction linked to certain comments. Disregarding this apprehension, we took the plunge in July 2023. What a mistake! Wanting to be original or as we say now, disruptive, is not enough. You also have to cook!! And with quality products! There, we were treated, to name only the worst, to coffee with milk drunk straight from a silicone breast (!), to a vulgar chorizo cream to apply on a mask covered with jelly, to cucumber of sea (two infamous and inedible balls of fat), to fermented flageolets (I think you get the same thing with a can expired for 5 years), to a tiny one (it wasn't actually any worse ) piece of fermented pineapple. I'll stop there! There are so many good addresses in the Basque country (berasategui, eneko, without forgetting the discreet but exceptional ekaitza in Ciboure), don't waste your time and money on this deception! The only question to ask: what is the relationship with the Michelin guide inspector?
A horrible horrible meal and a total ripoff.
This used to be a realy great restaurant but has degenerated into a pretentious waste of time and money. Staff are very difficult to understand so trying to work out what was in each dish was nearly impossible. Some dishes - the wax egg full of watery honey, the greasy frozen seed cracker with a little caviar on top - are nasty. Only a good drink pairing saved the evening from a total disaster. There are some really great restaurants in San Sebastian - this is not one and deserves to lose its Michelin stars.
Just three words - silly, pretentious, unappealing
A once excellent restaurant gone right off the rails. Mugaritz used to be one of the best restaurants in basque country but the chef now seems to be so wrapped up in his desire to be different that Mugaritz has become a bad and very expensive joke. We are adventurous eaters and love experiencing new tastes and textures but there was nothing in the set menu that either of us found exciting, interesting or in a few cases even edible. At many other restaurants serving innovative cuisine ( Heston Blumenthal at the Fat Duck, Noma both in Copenhagen and Japan, El Bulli, Iris in the fjords of Norway, Mazzia in Marseille) we have eaten dishes that are profoundly unfamiliar but have the wow factor that distinguishes the work of a really great chef. At Mugaritz the menu veered wildly between bland, silly and downright nasty. The only good thing was the basic drink pairing - some really good wines and a superb ice cider. Such a shame the food was so mediocre. Service was clinical and the staff seemed totally uninterested in any feedback from their customers. Please do not eat here - word must be getting out at the dining room was far from full. Michelin should help by removing the 2 completely unwarranted star that it has somehow managed to retain from its glory days.
A huge disappointment
3rd time that I went to dine in this restaurant which used to be divine and left me with memorable culinary memories. Under the guise of giving you a culinary experience, the chef has totally lost himself in a crazy pseudo-creativity, having forgotten the essentials, taste, emotion and enjoyment of the taste buds. A huge disappointment like this has absolutely never happened to me in a star hotel. It is high time to question ourselves because I do not see how this old institution will be able to keep its stars.
What a desappointment
One of my greatest culinary experiences 10 years ago. And yet an incredible disappointment this time again. One understands the technicality and the work carried out but unfortunately to the detriment of taste and the absence of a common thread. The concept trumps the taste quality! To be avoided from now on…
Arrogance and incompetence
Lamentable gastronomy, we are not customers but at the disposal of the staff it is the height! After 1 hour of “tasting” they asked us to leave, we accepted and the incredible bill took up the entire meal, more than €600!!! Restaurant to avoid because it is dishonest in addition to being totally clumsy by requiring you to eat with your fingers (no local tradition justifies it, we are not in Bangladesh), the 4 dishes tasted out of 22 resemble nothing and are not good while we are in a world of small, fantastic mountains, we expect easy-to-read dishes with real flavors! In short, this episode cost me more than €600 to end up in a tapas bar in Irun After many experiences all over the world I found the worst in the Spanish Basque country, although renowned for its gastronomy.... I wonder about the Michelin guide which gives 2 stars to such an establishment
Spain Trip ( mugaritz is in our top list )
It was nice experience, food was very experimental, service was exceptional from the host, servers and the kitchen, thank u for taking care of us DAVID and the team.
You should surely know what to expect
There is no point of giving this ‘Place’ anything but one or five stars. Everyone who books Mugaritz should have a fair idea what they are in for - in our case 22 dishes over 3 hours of culinary experience (or experimentation) If it doesn’t meet your requirements then a one star is all it deserves if it does it’s worth the trip from wherever you have travelled. The serving staff move constantly like the A I robots they will inevitably be replaced by to serve the 1000 dishes the kitchen has to produce per sitting. Like a West End play they carry out this service with Matinee and Evening performances flawlessly Value for money ? Is an Audemars Piguet worth the money? or Front row seats in that theatre or Opera ? If you are thinking of dining at Mugaritz your rating is surely already cast If not there is a fantastic McDonalds in San Sebastián 😊
Worst ever
The worst experience I've ever had. If someone gave me €1,000, I would never go there again. An absolute nightmare!!!
Unique experience
A true luxury to have had the opportunity to experience this place. All the staff were very attentive and helpful, we felt very cared for and pampered at all times. We were very surprised (in a positive way) by the presentation of the dishes. The combinations, textures, flavors and smells are unique. We really loved every minute we spent in that wonderful environment, and we are looking forward to repeating it as soon as we can.
Different from everything: you have to go with an open mind
A unique place. I don't think it is suitable for everyone since you need to go with a very open mind and want to be surprised by breaking some mental scheme and understanding that here you don't come to eat the best turbot or the best peas tears or perfect dishes in combinations and cooking points. Hence many people may be disappointed and hence the low scores they have in this forum. Understandable in part because when you are going to celebrate an anniversary or an event with your partner and you choose a two Michelin star, you expect that type of culinary experience bordering on conventional excellence: with appetizers that whet your appetite, lustrous dishes with lobsters, perfectly cooked fish. and great sauces and stocks, or dishes with a twist but maintaining the taste and texture you expect. The experience I had in Mugaritz was something totally different from that and it is part of the fun too. Fermentations are used here, almost nothing is what you expect when you see it and sensations of perplexity or strangeness emerge in some preparations. The experience begins: The environment is cozy, silent, calm, bicolic... A baserri in the middle of nowhere. They welcome you and seat you at a wonderful table with the noise of the birds. Everything is reminiscent of those great restaurants in hamlets in Euskadi and fundamentally makes that traditional food travel: Etxebarri, the extinct Zuberoa, Horma Ondo, Garena, etc. with fire as the protagonist... nothing could be further from reality. I think this is a place of antagonisms and the first is how opposite the gastronomic concept and the enclave are. The "appetizers" begin to parade from the first moment, defying the unwritten law of logic in this type of starry places with long tasting menus. Appetizers are usually small, sweet, pleasant, tasty bites to whet your appetite and make your palate salivate. None of that here: a branch of thyme with ice on top, very suggestive but tastes of absolutely nothing, visually reminiscent of frost on trees. I laughed because I imagined some important person (some minister or London banker) sucking on the thyme branch in perplexity. It can only happen here. Another appetizer pass was a peach with pesto and the last one I tried was a suggestive bite that turned out to be almost like taking a bite out of a chive plantation. The taste that it left in my mouth before entering the room was unpleasant since it is very invasive and I am not a friend of this herb. With all your mental schemes broken, you arrive at the dining room. I was expecting the "worst", it may open your mind but taste-wise it is true that until that moment I had not enjoyed it so much. And that's when the waiter appears holding a hot cloth and placing it in your hands. At first the reaction is one of fear and strangeness, it seems that there is something alive in there. You uncover it and you find the warmth of a mother, as some philosopher would say. It directly took me back to the first lived and unremembered moment of my short existence. I have sometimes dreamed that I would have liked to remember those first moments and here they make the imagination fly towards them. It also tastes like what you imagine it tastes like, like milk, with very mild touches of coffee, or maybe it was our perception... Furthermore, there is no cutlery here and being in a two Michelin star restaurant I also take those molds and force the diner to eat with their hands or by sipping, as is the case of the following pass. An oyster soup with its beards and on the other hand a glass with the oysters in their first phase and a champagne. The iodized nuances of the oyster play with a little acidity of the champagne... a curious dish because it is like drinking an oyster without having to sip from its shell... a totally different format and without modifying the flavor so much, just the liturgy. I could be talking about the sensations of each dish but highlight the ones that caught my attention the most. There are many that contain fungal fermentations which can put off quite a few people including my partner, who came to this place for me. It is impressive to see their version of carbonara pasta injected with penicilium camemberti. I must clarify that it does not taste rotten at all but it is true that the texture is completely modified since it has a crust like the white part of the camembert cheese and gives it that cheesy taste. In fact, in taste it is absolutely reminiscent of a carbonara but the texture is radically different: while a good carbonara pasta is unctuous, this version has a hard texture and even a little plastic. All this made me reflect on what really tells us if something is good or bad: the flavor or the texture? Because, for example, some pig's trotters, or some tripe, or the kokotxas al pil pil, or the elvers themselves are good thanks to the texture they have and not so much to their flavor. Something similar can happen with this carbonara and it totally blows your mind since the flavor is the same as a carbonara pasta. The same thing happens with the bite of the "pizza", from a small moldy looking piece you close your eyes and it totally tastes like pizza with its tomato, basil and cheese. Minimalism in its purest form. Here they achieve truly incredible things by removing many foods from their preconceived texture and giving them a totally different one: the same thing happens with lamb, which has a curd texture... impressive! The dish of the octopus head skins is also impressive because it takes advantage of that part that everyone throws away to change the texture of the octopus and make a great meal. The visual component also plays an important role, that impact at the sight of its version of chorizo in cider. They worship what they were going to be, a cider house but with their own style of cooking: you eat with your hands and you eat the whole thing just like in traditional cider houses while you pick the bones from the roasted chicken with your hands. Finally, highlight the bite of the ox hump, it looks like a pastrami with a very tasty, completely concentrated sauce. Rich and sweet bite. Anyway, many more sensations than it is fashionable to write them all in a Tripadvisor review. I enjoyed it a lot, especially because they make your imagination fly and how they break schemes and preconceived ideas with food. Truly modern and research cuisine. It is not for everyone, but for curious, imaginative and unprejudiced people who like to try different things, I think it is a place to take into account. I also don't understand the criticism of people who say that there are many dishes that don't taste like anything: perhaps they are confusing texture with flavor. Or not... who knows.
Terrible Experience and Flavors
I had a sensory experience (very unpleasant) through the food, and NOT a gastronomic experience. There is no cutlery, extremely bizarre and unconventional flavors (like oyster beard, many fermented or slimy things, a lot of gelatin), small plates to the point that you leave dissatisfied, and graphic presentations which include molds that simulate body parts from which you must eat (breast, face, ear). They must be very clear about what they are going for if they decide to go, the price they are going to pay ($600-$700 per couple), and that they are going to a "theatrical" type experience in which they eat 22 very small plates with their fingers and taste Extremely bizarre flavors and textures through very strange presentations that even generate rejection. As they say at the beginning, there is no bread or dessert, so don't expect anything of that style. If you want to eat well and have a top-notch gastronomic experience, this is not the restaurant.
The Emperor's New Clothes
This is not a restaurant. They say it’s an “experience.” In reality it’s more like a movie set for “The Menu.” Watch the movie before going, and don’t expect to eat any actual food. I was amazed by the people around me pretending to enjoy their bread less bread plate. It really is the Emperor has no clothes. It might have been creative if the food was good, but instead whatever they pretend to serve is just plain bad. Read all the reviews first, and go ahead if you still want to spend 253 euros per person on a joke (plus 100 euros round trip taxi fare to go to the middle of nowhere). Pretentious nonsense is what this is.
Sad that you can spoil food in this way
If you want real food and not a playhouse with food don't go here If you like spectacular ways of eating food, go here Like if you want to lick a face full of jelly Suck on something that looks like a nipple Eat food that tastes nothing We got about 22 small dishes, we tasted them all, but didn't eat many of them The service was very professional The place itself was a little out of the way, but very nice with a nice garden Incredibly expensive in relation to the food, which in my eyes was a disaster Reason for getting a second is for good service and the venue itself
Horror experience
We should have known better. The chef is almost never in his restaurant, we were told by the staff. Well, it would be better if he was there because then he would be able to see the mess which is created by this menu. Completely over the top, sometimes even without any taste or horrible taste. We paid 1.800 euro and it was definitely not worth it. Save you money! Go somewhere else!
Its owner says “expensive and strange” my experience “expensive and bad”
I had never had such a bad dinner in my life. It doesn't taste like anything, nothing. We love touring the Michelin Stars of this country and trying new things, but this is not food, nor experience, nor flavor, nor texture. I don't know what it will be.
Absolute disappointment
We had been waiting for this moment for a long time, we had come from very far away and were very excited to be able to try another Michelin star again, since these places can be visited in an exceptional way in our case. What we take???? Absolute disappointment!!!! The food is tasteless, nothing had flavor, they made us suck on a breast that tasted horrible to the palate. When you arrive at a place like this you imagine different flavors that explode in your mouth and take you to places or evoke certain things, here the only thing I thought about was that please the next dish they brought out would be better. We feel scammed, I don't recommend it to anyone!!!!!
Pitiful, fatal.
Three couples of friends traveled from Valencia in cars, planes... hotel reservations, come on, we were very excited to celebrate and it turned into the most disappointing day in our culinary history (they had quite a few experiences in other Michelin star restaurants. .). Of the 22 passes, 1 was just and the other 21 were planned, without a punch, it seemed incredible to us what was happening, we thought it was the beginning and then it would improve, but it was not like that, it never improved. Stunned by what had happened, we ordered some whiskeys to drink outside quietly... (I will ignore the scandal of the price of each glass) and after a bill of more than 2500 euros they came to throw us off the terrace with the drink half full because it was the 6 in the afternoon and they were going to close. The truth is that I don't know what to say about all this, they have broken the molds. Rate it yourselves.
Consideration
Following the program "24 Kitchen: Remarkable Places to Eat," we dined at Mugaritz on Saturday, September 23rd. Our expectations were high. Even before we left our home in the Netherlands, there was contact made to inquire about any specific food preferences we had. Coincidentally, both of us dislike the taste of cilantro, which we indicated. Apart from that, we are open to trying everything. The beginning of the evening was exactly as we had seen in the program, with a warm welcome on the terrace and an explanation of the dining concept. We were served four dishes on the terrace. A stone with two sprigs of thyme (or at least, that's what it looked like) with the instruction to only lick it and not eat the sprig further, a peculiar start. Licking the sprig of thyme (if that's what it was) didn't really give a "wow" feeling but felt more like licking a sprig of thyme. The other three dishes were presented nicely, but we also didn't get the sensation that our taste buds were being played with, not bad, but certainly not an angel cycling over your tongue, as we say in the Netherlands when describing very pleasant flavors. Afterward, we were shown to our table, and the dishes were served one by one. The concept of experiencing sight, touch, and taste was emphasized as we were encouraged to eat with our hands, and the presentation of the dishes was unique. We had chosen the wine pairing with our meal, and each course was accompanied by a different wine. After several courses, we both found that the structure and taste of the dishes were often unconventional. In fact, most dishes were perceived as unpleasant by our taste buds. Inquiring with the serving staff consistently led to the response that this was part of the concept (non-standard), and further questioning did not yield a positive response regarding what the staff thought of the dishes. We gave the concept a fair chance, but the fact that some dishes elicited a gag reflex was the last thing we expected in a 2-star restaurant. We informed the serving staff that we did not want the remaining courses, and the wine was being served at a rapid pace. We also informed the sommelier that we had had enough. Despite ending the evening prematurely, we were not asked why. Instead, after presenting the bill, there was an expression of hope that we would return someday. All in all, it was a very expensive experience that we absolutely did not anticipate, considering the two Michelin stars the restaurant has. Taste is subjective, but during our dining experience at Heston Blumenthal's restaurant, we did not have this kind of experience. All in all, we are very disappointed. To express our disappointment to Mugaritz, I sent a detailed email outlining our experience. Mugaritz's response was as follows: "Besides the taste, there are other aspects of a dish that are important: the texture, the temperature, the story behind the dish, what it provokes, what it awakens in the diner, and so on. Since we opened our doors, we are aware that the path we have chosen makes us take certain risks due to the particularity of our approach, and we are aware that precisely for this reason, we cannot please everyone”. That is, of course, honest, and there is no further argument to be made about it. It's just a shame that when you go for a meal, taste at Mugaritz doesn't really play a role. This statement was not mentioned during the 24 Kitchen program or on the Mugaritz website, and that could have possibly influenced our choice for this restaurant. We do, after all, enjoy 'delicious tasting' food, even if it is not recognized as such. The purpose of this review is to provide people with an honest warning that if you have to save up for this (the bill for two people comes very close to four figures, not including the travel you might have to undertake to reach the restaurant), you might want to consider a different choice.
After securing our reservation for dinner two months in
After securing our reservation for dinner two months in advance, I was really looking forward to our dinner "experience" at this famous restaurant. Several emails were traded back and forth after food allergies and dietary preferences, the 4 of us were ready to have an incredible evening on the side of the mountain in San Sebastián. The taxi took us to this beautiful home which had been modified to an elegant indoor dinning area, a charming outdoor eating place, plus a cozy tea room. So far, so good. But then the experience took a rather un pleasant turn. First, the servers kept emphasizing "the unique experience", "the unique ingredients" and "the unique preparation", but their English was so heavily accented that we all had a difficult time understanding them. This undoubtedly had lowered their presentation and hence we missed many nuances our unique experiences. Then of the 25 or so bites we had, only two or three were liked by all of us. And that is not a good sign. The fact that we were not offered eating utensils was the last straw for me personally. I just couldn't "handle" picking up soft slippery food items. I finally told the servers that I need utensils for every food item, no matter how unique!! As for the food itself, like I mentioned earlier, only a handful were well liked. I just cannot give more than 3 stars. Still, I have to agree that the experience was unique. So if you are looking for that, you've got it. But if you want great tasting food, you may find them on other Michelin stared restaurants. Sorry and no second time for me.
A very interesting experience (9/2023), giving Mugaritz 4
A very interesting experience (9/2023), giving Mugaritz 4 stars. A very influential place/chef, it was a bucket list type place so all of the poor reviews and friends' advice couldn't stop me from seeing it for myself. Like others have said, they try to give a unique experience, saying they don't follow a traditional fine dining format, but more just serve you textures and temperatures in no particular order - somewhat true, but the meal did still follow (albeit loosely) the standard, with light bites followed by more substantial entree type dishes, and a little sweet to end. There were few courses where utensils were provided, most of the meal was to be experienced with your hands. The menu was definitely an experience, and it's sort of masochistic - they don't want you to like everything, and pushed us to tell them which dishes/courses/flavors/anything we didn't like. Overall though, the food was mostly good. Nothing with flavor that will blow you away, but the creativity I do greatly appreciate, and I've been to enough of these dinners where something weird and off the beaten path like this is appreciated. There were a couple courses that unfortunately fell flat in terms of flavor, and of course they were the 'weird' courses too - the milk from a fake boob was flavorless and made a mess, the cider "skin" peeled from the face had no flavor and fell apart, making this course basically one where you have to pick up sauce with your hands and eat it. My main issue with the experience overall was the service. Maybe they were understaffed, but it was just bad. The cups are wooden, so servers can't tell that they're empty unless they're standing over them basically. They wouldn't serve a dish unless they had two people ready to serve them simultaneously, which resulted in multiple times where the food was sitting by our table, with one server awkwardly trying to flag down another so we could be served - one of these took like 3 minutes which was very weird. They made a whole spiel about the wine experience where you choose a painting from a booklet and give them keywords to help them choose a bottle for you, but they took that booklet and never asked us about it again so I guess they didn't wanna do that. The wine list is very short, the sommelier couldn't tell us much about the wines we asked about. Also there was one sommelier for the entire service, and the servers refused to pour wine for us so we would sit empty for long periods of time, and the wine was out of our reach where it would be weird to get up and pour our own. We asked one server multiple times to refill our glasses after an extended period of time, and he reluctantly poured the wine, except he did so into my cup with water in it? Barely an apology, no fresh water cup offered or anything. Just very weird stuff from a 2 michelin star/world's best restaurant, where consistency and attention to detail are typically the standard.
This menu was too intellectual.
I was looking for a meal, and I got a piece of art instead. And even as an art piece, it felt discombobulated and unfocused. I couldn't tell what the central theme of the meal was, if there was meant to be one in the first place. Pro: Every dish showcased technique and innovation, and challenged the diner to rethink the way we interact with our food, and introduced new ingredients and methods of cooking. Con: Besides the clear oyster soup, I didn't think the taste of any of the dishes were particularly exciting or satisfying. 1. Fortuna: mille-feuille of abundance; Bunch: chives and butter; Green chickpeas 2. Bunch: chives and butter 3. Ama 4. Bon apéttit: oyster mantle soup 5. Wrapped up: codfish bonbon; Origin: seeds an eggs 6. Lukewarm: neither here nor there 7. Potatos with white tuna; White tuna belly tucked in dahlias 8. Misfits: fried sea cucumber 9. Tenderness: beef hump in sauce 10. Gut feelings: sweetbreads and watercress 11. Mellow milk skins 12. Dive in: exposed octopus 13. Face to face: the skin I live in 14. Latxa sheep: black curd 15. Memories of the future: sweet vigor 16. Serenity: fishing for flavor 17. From nose to tail: norwegian lobster 18. Pasture: shape and depth 19. Ritual: piña colada 20. Candy: gluten ball
The owners of this business are totally unethical.
They charge people full price to get on their wait list and only disclose that this payment is non/refundable in fine print. So even if you never eat there and never get a reservation, they try to keep your money. They are total bandits.
One of the worst "experiences ever with regards to dining".
You are literally served garbage in a fancy display...this made me wonder whether the chef is mocking his customers and lost connection or at the minimum is misinterpreting novelty by staging unpleasant experiences ... the menu includes sucking milk out of a silicon breast...or serving stingy frozen grass and the main theme is flavorless collagen modified food lacking any taste.
An experience, but not one where you should expect tasteful
An experience, but not one where you should expect tasteful food. The venue and staff were wonderful. I appreciated the wild presentation of dishes - it was entertaining. However, sadly, the food truly lacked flavor. I second guessed this review after our dinner but upon reading recent experiences I feel so validated. Unless you are truly appreciative of gastronomic innovation and science, I am sad to say that this is a waste of time and money. There are many other Michelin restaurants that will offer you flavor and experience (DiverXO, Enigma, ABaC). Trust me. On the positive, we enjoyed the wine pairing and the presentation. It was fun to have zero utensils but we would have sincerely preferred more flavor..
My wife and I recently went to Mugaritz with the highest of
My wife and I recently went to Mugaritz with the highest of hopes and unfortunately, we were incredibly disappointed. Let's start at the beginning. The staff was attentive and the grounds were lovely. However, I am of the belief that the number one metric for food should be deliciousness, and this place delivered zero in terms of that. We paid for the wine pairings and I have to say the wine was very good. Unfortunately every bite of food that we had ranged between mediocre to inedible. I realize that taste can be subjective but most of the dishes over-indexed on experience vs. Flavor. Don't get me wrong, I completely appreciate the idea of making experimental and experiential food but here's the problem: If your intention is to serve artistic and weird bites of food (at exorbitant prices) that is presented in an interesting way but doesn't taste absolutely delicious, then as far as I'm concerned, you're doing it wrong. How do you charge that much for food and not make every bite incredibly tasting? It's almost as if the chef was daring us to eat the food. Are you trying to test your customers to gauge what they will put in their mouth? While we were there, multiple tables, were standing up and leaving in disgust before service ended. Were we on candid camera in the kitchen? Are you charging people so you can watch your customers hate the food? We felt like we were on Fear Factory as each course came out, and we are not picky eaters at all. A fermented dish that literally smelled like feces? Sucking sour milk from a rubber breast? A tasteless piece of beef that was tough as shoe leather? No thanks. I honestly do not care about the prices at all but I would've rather have eaten a thousand euro hotdog that tasted good vs what we got at Mugaritz. Diners beware.
Are you brave enough ?
Only for the brave. Either you love it or not , there is no in between for this star restaurant. Went there last summer. Hope to be back.
Never again
We were looking forward to an extraordinary experience and it was indeed extraordinary, in a negative sense. 5 of the 20-25 courses were good or ok. The rest was really bad or even inedible. We were initially told there was no dessert, which is understandable because a large part of the courses was sweet. The tuna tasted like old fish from the supermarket, and the aftertaste was absolutely horrible in fact. Most ingredients were completely changed and alienated in form and taste, into a total nothing. First time in my life I ate a piece of Wagyu meat which was limp, soft and with no taste at all. Peel of apple and chickenskin and some sweet cream. Vegan sausage with honey. Too many gel like and sweet courses. Quite unpleasant most of the courses. Total waste of money and more importantly, time.
Take heed! DO NOT BOOK
Please read!! After we read the reviews and were already £220 down from the deposit we were fearful we had to see what the fuss was about. It went downhill from there! Tasteless, raw fish for every other dish. And what seems to be a toxic burnt plastic taste to the sauces and food. Not one dish stood out or excited the taste buds. I understand that this was suppose to be an experiment in food. But what is the point of food if it doesn’t taste good!!! PLEASE DONT VISIT THIS RESTAURANT THERE ARE BETTER PLACES IN THE OLD TOWN.
Mediocre service
Food- sublime Wine- sublime Service- mediocre The staff seemed to be part of a hierarchy, that was stiff and old fashioned, and the sommelier left used glasses (at one point we had three used glasses in front of us, and nothing to drink; not even water!) at the table more than once; it was clearly not her job to remove them. The sommelier was the only one who could serve wine, which meant that the food had to wait for her appearance more than once - and there was no time for us to comment or ask about the wine. When we asked for coffee as well as tea, the coffee arrived cold and the tea steaming hot. The ordered avec arrived at least 10 minutes later.
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