Perched in the fishing village of Getaria on Spain's northern coast, Restaurante Elkano has earned a legendary reputation built on a single, deceptively simple idea: cooking the freshest seafood over live coals with total respect for its natural flavour. Founded generations ago and now carried forward by Mari Jose alongside the legacy of Pedro, the restaurant channels the maritime spirit of local sailors and fishermen into every dish that leaves its grill.

The kitchen's calling card is its whole grilled turbot, sourced daily from local fishermen and prepared with a technique refined over decades, but the menu extends across whatever the sea and surrounding countryside offer that day. Ingredients are chosen by season, by species, and by the relationships built with the region's fishermen and farmers, resulting in a menu that shifts constantly yet always stays true to its guiding philosophy of minimal intervention and maximum flavour.

Dining at Elkano means experiencing Basque coastal cuisine at its most honest, where technique is subtle and the ingredients themselves take centre stage. The restaurant has become a pilgrimage site for food lovers from around the world, and its influence has even reached beyond Getaria, with a sister venture, Cataria, extending the same philosophy to Spain's Sancti Petri coast. For anyone seeking a genuine taste of Basque fire-cooked seafood in an unpretentious, deeply rooted setting, Elkano is an essential stop.