Restaurant in Amorebieta-Etxano, Spain
Classic Basque cooking, lunch only, worth the detour.
Boroa is a Michelin-starred (2024) traditional Basque restaurant in a 15th-century farmhouse near Amorebieta-Etxano, rated #408 on OAD Casual Europe 2025. At €€€, it offers significantly better value than comparable Basque starred venues. Lunch only, daily from 12 PM to 8 PM. Book well ahead — this is a hard reservation, not a walk-in option.
If you are choosing between Boroa and a €€€€ Basque tasting-menu experience like Azurmendi in Larrabetzu or Arzak in San Sebastián, Boroa is the right call when atmosphere and price-to-credential ratio matter more than avant-garde technique. A Michelin star since 2024, ranked #408 on Opinionated About Dining Casual Europe 2025, and recommended by OAD for Leading New Restaurants in Europe in 2023, this is a €€€ restaurant with a €€€€ pedigree — and that gap is exactly why it deserves a booking.
Boroa occupies a 15th-century farmhouse in Amorebieta-Etxano, Bizkaia, with a terrace and open valley and mountain views. Chef Jabi Gartzia runs a kitchen built around traditional Basque cuisine, not deconstruction. The menu architecture gives you three clear paths: the midweek Bizkargi executive menu, the more considered Mugarra option, and the Txindoki tasting format. There is also a full à la carte — a rarity at this award tier , so you are not locked into a set progression if that is not your preference.
The drinks program at Boroa is grounded in the same philosophy as the food: regional, ingredient-led, and without theatrical distraction. The Basque Country's txakoli tradition is the logical starting point here, and a serious Basque wine list is the natural companion to a kitchen focused on grilled fish, local produce, and classical technique. If you are visiting as a food and wine enthusiast, this is a venue where the wine list works in support of the food rather than competing with it for attention. Pair the Bay of Biscay hake dish , grilled, with cauliflower, peas, and white Huelva prawns, one of the few confirmed dishes from verified data , with a crisp local txakoli and you have a combination that the more cerebral menus at Mugaritz in Errenteria do not offer in the same straightforwardly satisfying register.
The setting reinforces the case for Boroa. The farmhouse interior has kept its original structure , stone, beams, the proportions of a working agricultural building repurposed with care. Arriving on a current winter afternoon, the kitchen aromas carry from the grill before you reach the terrace, which is the kind of sensory detail that no amount of modernist plating can replicate. For an explorer-type diner who wants context alongside craft, this is a venue that delivers both in a single visit.
Boroa opens every day from 12 PM to 8 PM , lunch service only, no dinner. That is an important constraint. If you are building an itinerary around an evening booking, look elsewhere. For those who can structure a day around a long Basque lunch, the format is ideal: arrive at noon, take the Txindoki tasting menu, and you have the afternoon to absorb the surrounding Bizkaia countryside. The address is San Pedro de Boroa, 11, Astepe, 48340 Boroa, Bizkaia. No public booking method or phone number is confirmed in Pearl's data , approach reservation directly through the venue's official channels. Given the Michelin star and OAD ranking, treat this as a hard booking: plan several weeks ahead, particularly for weekend lunches.
| Venue | Price | Format | Service Hours | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boroa | €€€ | À la carte + 3 menus | Lunch only (daily) | Hard |
| Azurmendi | €€€€ | Tasting menu only | Lunch + dinner | Very hard |
| Arzak | €€€€ | À la carte + tasting | Lunch + dinner | Very hard |
| Martin Berasategui | €€€€ | Tasting menu only | Lunch + dinner | Very hard |
Against Azurmendi and Arzak, Boroa is the lower-price, lower-anxiety choice. Both of those venues operate at €€€€ with mandatory tasting menus and very long booking windows. Boroa gives you a Michelin-starred Basque lunch with à la carte flexibility at a price point that makes ordering a second bottle of wine a less loaded decision. If technical innovation is your primary goal, Azurmendi or Quique Dacosta are the better fits. If setting, tradition, and value within the starred tier matter more, Boroa wins.
For the explorer diner building a Basque Country itinerary, a logical sequence is Boroa for a farmhouse lunch in Bizkaia, then Arzak for a dinner in San Sebastián , each representing a distinct register of Basque cooking without duplicating the experience. Mugaritz is a third option in the region, but its conceptual format is polarising and not comparable in comfort or accessibility. Boroa is the one to book when you want the Basque countryside to be part of the meal, not just the drive to it.
For broader context on dining in the area, see our full Amorebieta-Etxano restaurants guide. If you are planning an overnight stay, check our Amorebieta-Etxano hotels guide. For drinks before or after lunch, the local bars guide and the wineries guide are worth checking. Other traditional cuisine venues worth considering for context include Cave à Vin & à Manger in Narbonne and Coto de Quevedo Evolución in Torre de Juan Abad. For contemporary dining nearby, Jauregibarria is the local alternative worth comparing directly. See also our Amorebieta-Etxano experiences guide for what else to do in the area.
Yes, with conditions. The Michelin star, 15th-century farmhouse setting, and three-menu structure make it a strong choice for a celebratory lunch. It is not a candlelit dinner venue , service ends at 8 PM and there is no evening sitting , so if dinner is the expectation, look at Arzak instead. For a daytime occasion where atmosphere and food quality do the work, Boroa is hard to fault at €€€.
No confirmed group booking policy or seat count is available in Pearl's data. Given the farmhouse format and Michelin-starred service, this is likely a venue where groups of more than six should contact the restaurant directly before assuming availability. For a special-occasion group in Bizkaia, enquire early and confirm your preferred menu format in advance.
Practically, yes. The à la carte option means solo diners are not committed to a full tasting menu unless they choose the Txindoki. The setting is relaxed rather than formal, and the OAD Casual ranking confirms this is not a high-ceremony environment. Solo diners with a genuine interest in Basque cooking will get more from Boroa than from a larger, noisier venue in Bilbao.
Book well ahead , the Michelin star and OAD ranking make this a sought-after lunch destination, not a walk-in option. It is lunch only, every day from 12 PM to 8 PM. The three menus (Bizkargi, Mugarra, Txindoki) give you clear entry points, but the à la carte is also a serious option. The farmhouse is in Astepe, a rural location outside Amorebieta-Etxano , you will need a car or taxi. No dress code is confirmed, but a Michelin-starred setting warrants smart casual at minimum.
The Txindoki tasting menu is the way to get the fullest picture of what chef Jabi Gartzia's kitchen can do. At €€€ pricing in a Michelin-starred house, it is considerably better value than the tasting menus at Azurmendi or El Celler de Can Roca. If you are visiting once, take the tasting menu. If you are a return visitor or prefer flexibility, the à la carte is a genuine alternative rather than a fallback.
Boroa serves lunch only. There is no dinner service , the kitchen closes at 8 PM daily. Plan accordingly. A midweek lunch lets you access the Bizkargi executive menu, which is worth knowing if budget or pacing is a factor.
The most direct local alternative is Jauregibarria, which takes a contemporary approach in the same area. For the full Basque fine-dining spectrum, Azurmendi (progressive, €€€€, nearby in Larrabetzu) and Arzak (San Sebastián, €€€€) are the obvious next tier. See our full Amorebieta-Etxano restaurants guide for a wider view.
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boroa | €€€ | Hard | — |
| Quique Dacosta | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| El Celler de Can Roca | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Arzak | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Azurmendi | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Aponiente | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
Yes, with caveats. The 15th-century farmhouse setting and Michelin-starred kitchen give it genuine occasion weight at €€€ rather than €€€€. The Txindoki tasting menu is the format to book for a celebration. If you want a grander, more theatrical experience, Azurmendi in Larrabetzu operates at a higher price point and production level — but Boroa delivers substance without that pressure.
The farmhouse format and terrace suggest capacity for groups, and the à la carte menu alongside three fixed-format options gives a table flexibility in ordering style. That said, phone and booking details are not publicly listed, so check the venue's official channels before bringing a party of six or more to confirm availability and seating arrangements.
Manageable but not optimised for it. The à la carte option means a solo diner can order without committing to a full tasting menu, which helps. The farmhouse setting is relaxed rather than counter-style, so it won't feel awkward. A solo visit works best at lunch on a weekday, when the Bizkargi executive menu is available and the room is less likely to be full.
Boroa is lunch-only, every day, 12 PM to 8 PM — there is no dinner service, so build your day accordingly. Three menus are on offer: Bizkargi (executive, midweek only), Mugarra (gourmet), and Txindoki (tasting-style). The à la carte is also available and showcases traditional Basque dishes. Boroa is ranked #408 in Opinionated About Dining's Casual Europe list (2025) and holds a Michelin star, so it is a credentialed kitchen operating at a price point well below the region's most demanding tasting-menu destinations.
The Txindoki menu is the strongest case for booking here over a casual Basque lunch elsewhere. At €€€, it delivers Michelin-level cooking grounded in recognisable Basque flavours rather than abstract modernism. If you prefer to eat at your own pace or sample specific dishes, the à la carte gives you that freedom. The tasting menu is worth it if structured progression matters to you; the à la carte is the better pick if you have a specific dish in mind.
Lunch is the only option — Boroa does not serve dinner. The kitchen runs 12 PM to 8 PM daily, which means your window is roughly a midday to late-afternoon sitting. Plan arrival between 1 PM and 2 PM if you want the full experience without feeling rushed toward closing.
There are no directly comparable Michelin-level restaurants documented within Amorebieta-Etxano itself. The practical alternatives are nearby: Azurmendi in Larrabetzu is a multi-Michelin-star operation at €€€€ with a mandatory tasting menu; Arzak in San Sebastián is a long-established three-star at a similar price tier. Both require more commitment in budget and format. Boroa is the choice if you want Michelin credibility at €€€ with à la carte flexibility and a setting you won't find in a city restaurant.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
