The restaurant is part of the Luze Boutique Hotel San Sebastián and is run by Gipuzkoa-born chef Iñigo Lavado. “This achievement reinforces our belief in a model that integrates hospitality, local ingredients, and gastronomy as pillars of a unique experience,” the Navarre-based group emphasized.
Itzuli, the restaurant located in the Hotel Luze Boutique San Sebastián and owned by the Navarre-based Luze group, is celebrating. With Iñigo Lavado at the helm, the establishment has earned its first Michelin star. This award of “enormous value” comes just a few months after the hotel’s opening. “This recognition highlights the talent, rigor, and culinary vision that Iñigo, his family, and the entire team have built with dedication and excellence,” emphasized the Navarre-based group, led by Jesús Berisa.
The chef from Gipuzkoa trained first with Luis Irizar; then for five years with Martín Berasategui; another five years with Pedro Subijana at Akelarre; and finally with Ferran Adrià at El Bulli and Alain Ducasse in Paris. Thanks to all that experience, in 2005 he opened a restaurant bearing his own name in Irun, an establishment with a Repsol Sun that was his home for the last twenty years and where he was able to share his vision of gastronomy.
“At Grupo Luze, we want to express our sincerest congratulations to the entire team, as well as our gratitude for their commitment and for exemplifying the values we share: a job well done, attention to detail, and a firm commitment to quality. This achievement reinforces our belief in a model that integrates hospitality, local produce, and gastronomy as the pillars of a unique experience,” the group emphasized.
The restaurant, which has ten tables, is open every weekday for lunch. Lavado and his team offer two tasting menus: “Cuisine of Emotions,” with signature touches and “more personality,” and “Luis Irizar,” in honor of his mentor, through which he aims to represent his homeland with “market-fresh cuisine and traditional Basque recipes.” However, à la carte dining is also available.
Along these lines, the hotel features a wine cellar where guests can enter and select their own wine. This extends from the hotel lobby to the cocktail area, the lounge, and the dining room: “For example, a guest reading a book mid-morning might glance up and see a wine cellar where they can stop, while nearby there’s a cheese or dessert cart. In other words, gastronomy will permeate the entire hotel,” Lavado explained.
The hotel boasts over 40 rooms, a wellness area (spa, gym, infinity pool overlooking the Cantabrian Sea), 9,000 square meters of gardens… all decorated in a Belle Époque style.
