Signature cuisine: award-winning and recommended restaurants
Michelin Guide, Repsol Suns, Recommendations, and Other Awards.
Quality makes the difference
In Tolosaldea, four restaurants have received significant recognition for their work, and several more have also made it onto the select list of recommended restaurants. In addition to their meticulous attention to ingredients and top-tier cuisine, they are a symbol of a sustainable gastronomic model, as they use products from local producers daily.
AMA Jatetxea (Tolosa)
With ingredients from small producers from the farmers fair and surroundings and based on traditional cuisine, these young people prepare innovative dishes. Javi Rivero and Gorka Rico have received the Revelation Chefs Award at the Madrid Fusión Congress 2023, and they also have a Michelin star, a Green Michelin star and two Repsol Suns.
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HIKA by Roberto Ruiz (Amasa-Villabona)
The team led by Roberto Ruiz fully utilizes the strengths of traditional home cooking and its products. It is a celebration of simple gastronomy, with the focus on the flavor of the ingredients on the plate, in a beautiful setting. Tolosa beans, prepared in the traditional way on old wood-fired stoves, along with dozens of other products sourced from the market, and grilled fish and chops, are the stars of the show. All of this is paired with different types of txakoli produced at the winery where the restaurant is located. This restaurant has been awarded a Michelin Green Star and two Repsol Suns.
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Bailara (Bidania-Goiatz)
Located in the elegant Iriarte Jauregia Hotel, each dish is crafted like a treasure trove of jewels by renowned chef Enrique Fleischmann. His is a signature cuisine, innovative and creative in appearance, honest in its choice of ingredients, and rich in its array of flavors. This restaurant is featured in the Michelin Guide and also holds a Repsol Sun.
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Casa Julián (Tolosa)
The restaurant was included on the list of restaurants offering the best steak in the world: it is one of the most historic steakhouses in Tolosa. Despite the ribeye steak being the star attraction, the restaurant offers a wide variety of top-quality products: Iberian cured meats, Navarrese asparagus, Tudela lettuce hearts, beef mondeju, piquillo peppers… Simple and delicious. This restaurant has also been awarded two Repsol Suns.
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Iriarte Restaurant (Berrobi)
A restaurant that pays homage to the cuisine of local and seasonal products, offering the best that can be found at the moment. The star dish is the suckling pig, raised a few meters from the restaurant, in the family farmhouse: a real delicacy. This establishment boasts a Repsol Sun.
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Asador Casa Nicolás (Tolosa)
It is another of the most legendary steakhouses in Tolosa, currently managed by the third generation of the Ruiz family. With the chop as the main reference, its main characteristic is the selection of the best products. A benchmark for the most demanding palates. This establishment boasts a Repsol Sun.
See the RestaurantPraises to the local product
You can cook top of the line using products from local producers. This is demonstrated by the cooks of these four restaurants: most of their products come from farmhouses, fairs and shops in the area. That is quality.
Javi Rivero & Gorka Rico
It’s common to meet them every Saturday morning at the Tolosa Fair: that’s when they acquire some of the key ingredients for their weekend meals. They were part of the first graduating class of the Basque Culinary Center, and together they launched the AMA Taberna project. They have grown steadily, establishing their restaurant as a benchmark. Furthermore, Javier was mentioned in the 2022 50NEXT list and in Tapas magazine’s list of the 25 most creative and innovative restaurants and gastronomic projects.
“Our dishes lead to the Tolosa terroir and to local producers, those who best understand the cycles of nature. Furthermore, as ‘Local protects us,’ we champion farm-fresh ingredients and are working to recover some native breeds, such as the Sasi Ardi sheep.” — Gorka Rico / Javier Rivero
Roberto Ruiz
His first steps in the culinary world were with Martín Berasategi. He then spent 25 years at the helm of the Frontón restaurant in Tolosa, which became a temple to beans. An admirer of local products, he has based his cuisine on them. He is a regular visitor to the Tolosa and Ordizia Fairs.
“Our cuisine is one hundred percent linked to tradition and rural life, as we want to pay homage to our roots. We promote the use of local products, relying on our own garden, nearby small producers, and local markets.” — Roberto Ruiz
Enrique Fleischmann
He is Mexican by birth. He began his career at the Txoko grill in Getaria; for six years he was head chef at the restaurant of the renowned Pedro Subijana; and now, for years, they have been creating an exclusive signature cuisine at the Iriarte Palace. He is a lover of Basque gastronomy and its variety of products.
Xabi Gorrotxategi
Casa Julián is the third generation that manages the popular steakhouse. His father, Matías Gorrotxategi, gave a great boost to the grill and now strives to add novelties to its traditional menu without losing the essence of always.
Félix Belaunzaran and Mertxe Inza
Iriarte Jatetxea opened its doors in 1999, after renovating the old family farmhouse. Félix’s cuisine is traditional yet creative, simple, and based on fire, the oven, and the grill. They raise their own piglets on a nearby farm, just a kilometer from the restaurant. With Mertxe managing the dining room, they make an exceptional team.
Xabi Ruiz
Xabi belongs to the third generation of the Ruiz family, who run Casa Nicolás. His grandfather Nicolás and grandmother Pepita founded the grill. His father, Pedro, passed the torch to him. And now Xabi has introduced new elements to the menu, making better use of the meat, always selecting the best of each product. One thing remains constant: the exceptional quality of the steak.
