Abiaga Jatetxea, a gastronomic dream in Amurrio.

Meet one of the best restaurants in Amurrio, know Abiaga Jatetxea.

We went to the Abiaga restaurant after a gray but peaceful morning of hiking along the Greenway of the Nervión Linear Park. A low profile route, simple and with little elevation gain, linking the towns of Laudio and Amurrio in Alava under the watchful eye of Sierra Salvada and the Nervión River.

We entered Abiaga without planning, without any recommendation, as if it were just another restaurant, but their dishes, attention, aesthetics and price, made us leave with a smile on our face, our stomachs full and the feeling that the price of our menu was one of the fairest we had paid so far. Sensations that rarely occur together, a luxury. Abiaga Jatetxea is thus added to our list of unexpected discoveries, a small jewel, with which we enjoyed a high-flying culinary experience.

Abiaga Jatetxea has all the qualities to become one of the great restaurants of our land, an establishment to which we make a pilgrimage every time we visit places of great charm in Araba such as the Salto del Nervión or the Gujuli waterfall.

If you are looking for a restaurant in the vicinity of Orduña, Amurrio or Laudio, we recommend you to visit Restaurante Abiaga, an establishment that as of today, has our exclusive “TurismoVasco Tiketa” accreditation.

Aiaraldea: The Ayala Valley and Alto Nervión are represented by the tourism association Aiaratur. A non-profit tourism association that shows us the charms of the villages of Artziniega, Ayala-Aiara, Laudio-LLodio, Amurrio and Okondo on the Alava side and Orduña, in the Alto Nervión, on the Bizkaia side. An environment where nature takes over to show us the beauty of the corners shaped by wind and rain. Spaces of great value, captained by the Salto del Nervión, the highest waterfall in the Iberian Peninsula.

Thanks to its proximity to two of the Basque provincial capitals (Vitoria-Gasteiz and Bilbao), this place is one of the most peaceful destinations in the Basque Country, a perfect option to combine nature, villages and gastronomy. The town of Amurrio, in Alava, is surrounded by large rural areas, places of great ecological value where some of the best natural products of the Basque Country are produced. And it is here, on the outskirts of the town of Amurrio, where we find the protagonist of this article, Abiaga Jatetxea.

History: The adventure of Abiaga Jatetxea began 5 years ago, in 2012, when the management of the current establishment, took the reins and broke with the lines set by its predecessor, the Baserri restaurant. The restaurant has undergone a small facelift, thus adapting to the new needs and tastes of those responsible, resulting in a pleasant, spacious, quiet and rural space. In the kitchen team of Abiaga Jatetxea we find experienced chefs in the kitchens of “El Celler de Can Roca” and Mugartiz Restaurant, the home of Andoni Luis Aduriz, two great references of international gastronomy.

Dining room: Although the Abiaga restaurant has several dining rooms, in this article we will only talk about the dining room that welcomed us. A space that occupies the second floor of the main building, spacious, elegant, bright, with large spaces between tables and green views. Our table was in one of the 4 corners of the dining room, next to the bathroom and the windows, a small txoko set by the warmth of the fireplace where everything was at hand. A gastronomic experience is not only summarized in the verb to eat, the environment and the atmosphere are essential for everything to be perfect and in Abiaga they are aware of it.

Tasting menu: Although we had the opportunity to opt for several items from the menu, Abiaga’s tasting menu seduced us on paper with its price and variety, characteristics, to which were added the great taste and textures that we found in each of the creations of this menu. The dishes, elaborated but without great follies, paraded in the order of snacks, appetizer, rice with cod, half portion of rooster with tangerine hollandaise and walnuts, half portion of cheeks terrine with ratafia sauce and torrija with ice cream as a final colophon.

All of them were a success, but the rooster with mandarin hollandaise and walnuts stood out above the rest, a simple dish in appearance, but representing a perfect fusion of flavors and textures. A collection of dishes to take your hat off to. As they say in Abiaga, a clear commitment to a cuisine with great aspirations. The only small drawback of this menu is that it must be served to a full table, a fact, which may be a small drawback for some.

Price: 27 € VAT included, without drink, a price that with wine can amount to around 35 – 40 euros per diner, depending on the choice. A fair price, with a good value for money to which little or nothing can be reproached.

Attention: Both Aitor and the rest of the team of Abiaga Jatetxea welcomed us to the thousand wonders. Personalized attention, brief but explanatory explanations about each dish and concern for our condition at all times resulted in fabulous times between courses and the feeling of being in good hands at all times, even though we were not the best customers! We called to make a reservation around 2:15 pm the same day, “on the horn” as basketball lovers say. In 5 minutes we were in the parking lot of the establishment and in another 5 minutes we were seated and perfectly attended, that’s how it’s nice! Although in our case it was not like that, we recommend booking in advance, we are not always lucky.

BasqueTourism TiketaAbiaga joins today the collection of points of interest of the Basque territory accredited with TurismoVasco Tiketa, our tourist accreditation.

Abiaga Jatetxea sneaks directly into our list of best restaurants to eat in Amurrio and surroundings, a restaurant that we have fallen in love with and that we will definitely return to, will you?