While a lot of people ‘worshipped’ the little red ‘bible’, aka the Michelin Guide, sometimes there are great restaurants that this guide didn’t cover.

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Restaurante Elkano is a traditional Spanish restaurant in Getaria, Spain, with zero stars, not on the list of the world’s 50 best restaurants, but still managed to gather foodies around the world.

What’s so famous about this restaurant? The grilled turbot – simple, fresh, perfect texture. But the highlight of the meal for me was the grilled barnacles – meaty, umami packed. The kokotxas were very nice with firm texture but I thought Ibal did a better green sauce – tough choice between the two.

The spider crab was a disappointment as the crabmeat was rather bald. But the ice creams in the dessert made up for it – fabulously smooth in texture, creamy and flavorful. Although I preferred the cheese ice cream at Exterbarri, the ones here are delicious too.

Elkano
Address: Herrerieta Kalea, 2, 20808, Getaria, Guipúzcoa, Spain
Tel: +34 943 14 00 24

Visited on: 20 Sept 2014
Hours: Closed on sunday evenings, monday evenings plus seasonal closing.
Owner: Pedro Arregui