They say not doing a Michelin star restaurant in San Sebastián is like going to the Sistine Chapel and not looking up. I did my homework and I decided that Amelia seemed to be the most universally appreciated of them all. Others were controversial or not open while I was in town. Also with Barcelona as our 1st stop on our trip, we had just enjoyed Disfrutar a few days prior. I noticed that chef friends that love the region, seem to be enthralled with the culinary traditions in the Basque region, more than the fine dining here. So I guess what I'm saying is, it's ok to come to San Sebastián, enjoy the Pintxos and quality of ingredients, and not feel like you need to do non stop Michelin stars. One slightly disappointing thing here, I was hoping to be sitting at a chefs counter, we put in a request for it, but since there was 3 of us, we were stuck at a table. Service was nice, but we missed the show that it felt like every other diner got and we were so looking forward to. At this price point reservations should probably guarantee a seat at the counter or table. We agreed to their non-guarantee of the counter, but you feel slighted when not chosen for it, and who wants to start their meal off with a disappointment. Won't dock them a star for it though. Started off with 2 beautiful presentations of protein and produce ingredients used in our tasting menu for this evening. It was a chance for them to tell us about ingredients and for us to ask questions. Wild Trout Roe - nice pastry crunch to contrast the roe that explodes Kamatoro/Palamos Prawn/Caviar - the richness of the fatty tuna, sweetness of the shrimp, and salinity of the caviar worked perfectly. Also loved the smoky gelee from tuna bones. Langoustine/ Champagne sauce with foie. The foie gras really mixed into the sauce here to create high end surf and turf. Ricciola and Tomato - beautiful amberjack crudo in tomato water with some Shiso oil added. King Crab/ Tear Peas/ Iberian Pork Broth - I was disappointed as the peas were late in the season and not impressive for me. Kind of tough and chewy. I'm not an expert in these peas, but this can't be what all the fuss is about. The Bread - I love when high end restaurants have such a respect for the art of baking, and present it as such. Lobster/ Pumpkin - the lobster was a little purposefully undercooked, which made me wonder if we overcook our lobster in the US. We just might. Lobster Revenge - different textures don't always have to include crunchy, we had this debate at the table. Was each texture different? Yes, so I loved this dish. Pigeon/ Onion/ Baby Zucchini - pigeon is used as the meat course often in European fine dining, takes on the characteristic of red meat. Quite a few shaved truffles also made it on the plate. Potato/ Oyster/ Vin Juane - pasta stuffed with potato puree. This had the flavor profile of a cheesy nutty wine sauce. Excellent Sage and Lemon Palate Cleanser was next - did its job in a refreshing way leading to desserts The Cheese - cheesecake, flan, whatever we are calling it, it worked. Daurikas Caviar/ Banana/ Rum - the only fail of the night. I'm getting tired of chefs doing the caviar on dessert thing, it's everywhere at the moment. And this one, to have the right balance should have had 1/4 or 1/5 of the amount. Couldn't taste the banana or anything else here. So much was just a waste of an expensive ingredient. Luckily we finished off a great meal at Amelia with an assortment of chocolates and other sweet goodies. read more

Amelia - Beautiful Protein and Produce presentation of all ingredients in tonight's dishes and courses 1-6 - Modern European Near Me - Donostia, SS

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Seriously think there is only one place where Star Wars decorations, 80s American rock, and two Michelin stars come together for a truly sublime dining experience. But behind the secret door in the lobby of Hotel Maria Cristina in San Sebastian, such a world exists. A stone's throw from the sea, the offerings lean heavily into seafood though the creations were as likely to have come from the seas surrounding Japan as Spain given how much Japanese cuisine and ingredients permeate the menu. I know about these origins because each chef and waiter presenting dishes and drinks shared details in confident yet non-condescending terms. They even had time to accommodate our questions about which dish was the most challenging to make. Chef Paulo Airaudo stopped by our table twice for unhurried chats that were as casual as the food and presentation were not. He explained with a shrug that the Star Wars kitsch was just something he liked. There was a Banksy replica or two mixed in as well (at least one original was at home apparently). That 80s heavy soundtrack, spiced with some James Brown and even one Pavarotti opera classic, is accessible from a code to scan on the card provided at the end of the meal with each a short description of each course. But the food and drinks. We each had a different glass of champagne to start knowing the full wine pairings option was beyond our means. Never knew a pinot noire champagne existed but glad I've now tasted it at least that one time. The starters were delicate with the French green beans and king crab rocking in a way that doesn't seem possible. The Kama-toro and Palamos red prawn was superb but the langoustine, foie gras and champagne was out of this world. Have no idea what they did to it but perhaps some flame applied to the foie gras meant it held together with a roasted taste that was like nothing I'd tasted before. The lobster, pumpkin and sansho pepper...honestly the photo of the "evening's culinary journey" gives the shorthand on all of it as it was all just amazing. First time in a Michelin stars restaurant and may be the only time. But if you are one who aspires to be rich in experiences rather than rich in things, a dinner at Amelia is truly an experience that will make you wealthy in life if less so in your wallet. read more

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This restaurant deserves 3 Michelin stars. The food is superb, the staff are amazing people, and the decor fits the expectations. The presentation was immaculate, usually I care more about the taste but the simplicity and thoughtfulness of each plate made me pause and appreciate the presentation. Each dish was the right temperature, tasted amazing and left me wanting a bit more, but the next dish would come and I'd want more of that and the next...until I was completely stuffed. The pacing was nice ans steady, not leaving too much time to be bored and not too little time to feel like the last bite hasn't gone down. I enjoyed every aspect of this experience- and loved that they offered for us to meet the kitchen staff as well! read more

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One of my favorite meals on my most recent Spain trip, Amelia was a delight. A very fun and interesting tasting menu, served in a very laidback yet beautiful atmosphere. Most of the seats in the restaurant are at the kitchen counter, where you get to watch the chef's cook and plate everything. The playlist is awesome, the food is awesome, the service is super friendly and professional. The menu shows influences from Spain, Italy, and Japan, among others. It is a relatively quick tasting, the food is very palatable, you don't get overwhelmed but are very satiated by the end. There wasn't a weak course for me - everything was cooked perfectly. Heavy focus on seafood as expected, but there is a main entree (pigeon, or upgrade to a beautiful a5 wagyu cut - what I did). The bread service was amazing (4 types of butter, 2 types of salt, 2 types of olive oil). The amuse were clean and make you excited for the meal. There are 5 options for champagne aperitifs, and a great selection of wines by the glass. The desserts are phenomenal, some of the best I had on my trip, not overly sweet or indulgent but just right. The meal left such an impression that I tried to come back the next day with my husband (no seats left unfortunately); but I did add on a reservation to Paulo's 1 star in Barcelona (Aleia), which showed some similarities to this menu and was also very good. Can't wait to return to SS and Amelia! read more

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One of the best meals I've ever had, topping NoMa and Single Threads. This place could well be on its way to 3 Michelin stars based on food and service. It's an interesting mix of Japanese and Italian style with basque ingredients. Pacing is perfect without lulls. Atmosphere is upscale but whimsical. The highlights were the perfectly cooked lobster, the pasta, the tuna, and the chawamushi. Only miss was we found a hair in our tea at the end but they did comp it to make up. I was still surprised given the stars they are shooting for. Nonetheless I was impressed to try so many different takes of dishes that all felt original read more

Every dish in this seafood-forward restaurant was delicious! The one dish I could do without was the cream pasta. It was a rich plate that didn't quite fit in with the rest of the light, summery menu.  While I enjoyed myself thoroughly, I was somewhat confused by the overall direction of the meal. I felt like I was at a Japanese omakase, with random dishes peppered in, to give it the guise of a regular fine-dining tasting menu.  I think what I'm saying is that I wanted the meal to either go full out with the Japanese influence, or innovate more with the sashimi dishes, like what he did with the delicious combination of wagyu and squid in the kushiyaki. 1. Squid 2. Salmon  3. Ebi 4. Bonito 5. Tuna 6. Ricciola/Tomato 7. King Crab/Iberic Pork/Truffle  8. The Bread 9. Lobster/Pumpkin  10. Pigeon/Onion/Maitake 11. Talleggio 12. Caviar/Banana/Rum 13. The Flan  14. Apple/Salted Caramel 15. Lemon Tart; Turron; White Chocolate/Kefir Lime; Pistacchio read more

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We made lunch reservations for a Saturday and were lucky to get into this gem. First impression, this is not your stuffy 2 Michelin Star restaurant and the experience is going to be personal and not intimidating. We were greeted by friendly and engaging staff and seated in front of the Chef and kitchen staff. No tension or weird vibes here. Rock music was playing along with a decor reminiscent to a Silicon Valley hipster friends' hang out with lots of Star Wars and cartoon references. The tasting menu is a combination of Japanese, Basque and Italian, served Omakase style. All creatively and beautifully plated. Every dish was harmoniously balanced and the ingredients were a symphony of flavors and textures. Starting with tear peas and crescendoing with A5 Wagyu, everything hit you like seemingly subtle rain drops that exploded into waves of tsunami overdrive. The desert courses were, let's just say, just as insanely delicious and WELL worth the spend. Truly one of the best chefs and staff we have encountered in the many years of gastronomical adventures. Thank you, Amelia, for in-blazing a life long memory. read more

Please be aware that this restaurant and chef have predatory cancellation practices of 7 days in advance and they give 0 tolerance. If you are traveling and have any emergencies, they will charge you $345.00 euros per person. I sent them an email cancelling 12 minutes late (6 days, 23 hours and 48 minutes in advance) and they gave me nothing but snarky and sarcastic comments offering the chef's "au pair" and later they sent a link to a local sitter agency for me to leave my kids with a random sitter (the sitter we had booked for the trip cancelled). It is not what I would expect of a respectable establishment with michelin stars. It really makes me wonder whether it is overrated because they clearly can't find other customers that far in advance and give us a courtesy / grace period due to me cancelling only a few minutes late. I've never heard or seen a restaurant behave like this. read more

Amelia is a 2 star Michelin restaurant, and I can understand why. Customer service is exceptional and the plating makes you feel like royalty. They give you an introduction for every dish. The food tastes light yet rich at the same time. The ingredients itself are already high quality, yet they were able to pair it with flavors that complement the highlights of the meal-- the broth/sauces enhanced the dish spectacularly. What I loved about this place is how detailed the dishes were. Like you can taste how a single salt transforms the dish. Unfortunately, I'm not a wine/champagne person (aka I'll fall asleep) so I opted out from the booze pairings. read more

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An absolutely delightful dining experience in every way. I have now visited this restaurant on two occasions and neither failed to excite the senses. The ambiance is quirky and fun, the dishes are delectable and inventive, and the service is absolutely exquisite. Some members in our party had seafood allergies, and the chef and staff made every effort to accommodate their restrictions and still provide a seamless, amazing dining experience. If you want a truly personalized and unique dining excursion, look no further than Amelia! Oh, and I highly recommend the champagne tasting supplement to the meal. read more