Restaurant in Xàbia, Spain
Two Michelin stars, book 8 weeks out.
BonAmb holds two Michelin stars and 95 La Liste points, making it the strongest fine-dining option on the Costa Blanca for a special occasion. Chef Alberto Ferruz builds his menus around local seafood, garden produce, and Montgó mountain herbs across a 9- or 12-course tasting format. Book at least 6–8 weeks out for weekends; demand is near-constant and the booking window fills fast.
BonAmb is the right choice if you are planning a special occasion meal on the Costa Blanca and want two-Michelin-star cooking with a strong regional identity. Chef Alberto Ferruz has held two stars since 2016 and earned 95 points on La Liste 2026, placing this restored country house in Xàbia among the most decorated restaurants in the Valencia region. Book the 12-course El Viaje tasting menu if you want the full experience; the 9-course Recuerdos is the better entry point for first-timers. Either way, reserve as early as possible: BonAmb operates on a near-impossible booking window and fills weeks, often months, ahead.
BonAmb opened in 2011 and received its first Michelin star just two years later. The second star followed in 2016, and industry observers note Ferruz is a credible candidate for a third. That trajectory matters when you are weighing the €€€€ price point: you are paying for cooking that has improved consistently over more than a decade, not for a static reputation. The restaurant also ranks at #110 in Opinionated About Dining's 2025 European list, up from #67 in 2024 — a movement in the right direction.
The setting is a restored country house outside Xàbia, with landscaped grounds that make this a genuinely comfortable environment for a long lunch or dinner. Unlike many fine-dining rooms that prioritise visual drama over guest comfort, the space here supports a multi-course format without feeling ceremonial or stiff. For anniversary dinners, landmark birthdays, or any occasion where the meal itself is the event, the environment is well-matched to the moment.
Ferruz's cooking is grounded in the Mediterranean and the Marina Alta specifically: fish and seafood from local waters, produce from the restaurant's own vegetable gardens, and herbs gathered from the Montgó mountains nearby. This is not Mediterranean cooking as a general concept — it is cooking tied to a specific coastline and a specific season. The current Memorabilia dining concept frames each menu as a return to culinary memory, with the chef describing the experience as revisiting the food of childhood. Both tasting menus include appetisers, dessert, and optional wine pairing.
On the wine side, BonAmb's pairing programme is the practical choice rather than a luxury add-on. The Marina Alta is home to Denominación de Origen Alicante wines, and any kitchen sourcing this closely from its own region is likely to have deep relationships with local producers. A structured wine pairing here will cover bottles you are unlikely to encounter outside the region. For a special occasion where the food is already driving the decision, adding the wine pairing is the stronger call , it completes the regional story the kitchen is building. If you are a serious wine buyer, use the pairing as a discovery exercise rather than relying solely on the list.
Ferruz also runs the Michelin-starred Casa Pepa in Ondara, which gives BonAmb a broader operational context: this is not a chef coasting on a single project. The creative investment across two kitchens suggests BonAmb benefits from genuine culinary ambition rather than an operation running on its stars alone.
For comparison in the Spanish two-star bracket, El Celler de Can Roca in Girona and Azurmendi in Larrabetzu offer similar price positioning with very different geographic and culinary identities. BonAmb is the right choice if Mediterranean coastal produce and a quieter, less tourist-heavy setting appeal more than the infrastructure of a larger city restaurant. If you want the most technically adventurous cooking Spain offers, DiverXO in Madrid is the comparison; for deep Basque tradition, consider Arzak in San Sebastián. BonAmb sits between those poles: technically rigorous, regionally specific, and more intimate in scale.
BonAmb is rated near-impossible to book. For a Friday or Saturday dinner, plan at least 6–8 weeks out; for peak summer weekends on the Costa Blanca, book the moment the reservation window opens, which can mean planning 3 months ahead. Wednesday–Thursday lunch is the most accessible window if your travel dates are flexible. The restaurant is closed Monday and Tuesday.
| Address | Ctra. del Poblenou de Benitatxell, 100, 03730 Xàbia, Alicante, Spain |
|---|---|
| Cuisine | Modern Spanish, Creative |
| Price | €€€€ |
| Hours | Wed–Sun: 1–4 pm, 7:30–11 pm. Closed Monday & Tuesday. |
| Chef | Alberto Ferruz |
| Booking Difficulty | Near Impossible , book weeks to months ahead |
| Tasting Menus | 9-course Recuerdos (Memories); 12-course El Viaje (The Journey); wine pairing available on both |
Within Xàbia, BonAmb is in a category of its own on price and ambition. Tosca (€€€) is the closest in price tier and offers a polished Mediterranean experience worth booking if BonAmb is unavailable or over budget. Tula (€€) and La Perla de Jávea (€€) are both solid options for a more casual meal without the tasting-menu commitment. For the most relaxed and affordable dining in the area, Volta i Volta (€) and YERBAxabia round out the local options at the opposite end of the price range.
If the question is whether BonAmb justifies the drive and the price relative to other Spanish two-star restaurants, the answer depends on what you value. Cocina Hermanos Torres in Barcelona and Aponiente in El Puerto de Santa María both operate at comparable distinction with different regional signatures. BonAmb's advantage is specificity: the Marina Alta identity is genuinely its own, and few two-star restaurants in Spain are this tightly anchored to a single coastal microregion.
For visitors already staying on the Costa Blanca, BonAmb is the clear choice for a special occasion meal. The alternatives at this level require a full travel day. Check our full Xàbia restaurants guide for a complete picture of the local dining scene, and our Xàbia hotels guide if you are planning an overnight stay around a dinner reservation.
BonAmb can work for solo dining at €€€€, but the tasting menu format is designed around a shared experience across multiple courses. Solo diners are leading served by booking a counter or single seat if available , check when reserving. The experience is immersive enough that dining alone is entirely viable, but the social dynamic of the meal leans toward pairs or small groups. If solo dining with wine pairing is the plan, this is one of the better-structured formats for it in the region.
Bar seating details are not confirmed in available data. Contact the restaurant directly when booking to ask about counter or bar options , it is worth asking, particularly if you are a solo diner or have a group of two wanting a more informal seat.
For weekends and peak summer dates on the Costa Blanca, book 2–3 months out. For midweek lunch slots (Wednesday–Sunday), 4–6 weeks may be sufficient in quieter seasons. BonAmb's booking difficulty is rated near-impossible, which reflects genuine demand rather than a small room , plan accordingly or risk missing the window entirely.
Tosca (€€€) is the leading local alternative if you want a strong dining experience without the tasting-menu commitment or two-star price. Tula and La Perla de Jávea (both €€) are sound choices for a relaxed, affordable meal. See our full Xàbia restaurants guide for more options across all price points.
Yes, if tasting menus are a format you enjoy. Both the 9-course Recuerdos and 12-course El Viaje include appetisers, dessert, and optional wine pairing. The wine pairing adds meaningful value given the regional sourcing and the difficulty of accessing Marina Alta wines elsewhere. The 9-course menu is the better choice for first visits; return diners should move to the full 12-course format. At €€€€, you are paying for two-star cooking from a chef with a consistent upward trajectory , the credentials support the price.
Yes , BonAmb is well-suited for anniversaries, milestone birthdays, and significant celebrations. The restored country house setting, multi-course tasting format, and wine pairing programme all support a long, unhurried meal. The La Liste 95-point score and two Michelin stars mean the kitchen is performing at a level that matches the occasion. Book well in advance and consider adding the wine pairing to complete the experience.
At €€€€ with two Michelin stars and a 95-point La Liste score, BonAmb is priced in line with its peers in Spain's top tier. The value case is strongest if you add the wine pairing , the regional sourcing and the kitchen's relationship with local producers make this a genuine discovery exercise, not a generic list. Compared to other two-star restaurants in Spain, BonAmb is not an outlier on price, and the setting outside Xàbia adds an environmental quality that city-based equivalents cannot match.
Both tasting menus are built around Mediterranean fish, seafood, and produce from the restaurant's own gardens , the kitchen does not offer a conventional à la carte alongside the menus in the way some fine-dining rooms do. Choose the 12-course El Viaje for the full range of Ferruz's cooking; the 9-course Recuerdos if you prefer a slightly shorter format. Add the wine pairing on either menu for the strongest regional context. Specific dishes are not listed in advance and vary by season and the current Memorabilia theme.
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| BonAmb | €€€€ | Near Impossible | — |
| Tula | €€ | Unknown | — |
| La Perla de Jávea | €€ | Unknown | — |
| Tosca | €€€ | Unknown | — |
| Volta i Volta | € | Unknown | — |
| YERBAxabia | Unknown | — |
Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.
Solo dining at a two-Michelin-star tasting menu restaurant is entirely workable here, since both the 9-course Recuerdos and 12-course El Viaje formats are structured around the chef's progression rather than table conversation. The experience is chef-led and immersive, which suits solo diners who want to focus on the food. That said, confirm seating options when you book — counter or bar seats, if available, tend to suit solo diners better than a full table for one.
Bar or counter seating is not confirmed in the available venue data for BonAmb. The restaurant occupies a restored country house, which typically means table-only service in a formal setting. check the venue's official channels to ask about seating configurations, especially if you're dining solo or want a less formal position.
Book 6–8 weeks out for a Friday or Saturday dinner; for peak summer weekends on the Costa Blanca, go further — 10–12 weeks is safer. Midweek lunch slots (Wednesday through Sunday, 1–4 pm) are easier to secure and often the better value window. BonAmb is rated near-impossible to book on short notice given its two-Michelin-star status and limited opening hours.
Within Xàbia, Tosca (€€€) is the closest in price tier with polished Mediterranean cooking, though it operates at a different ambition level. La Perla de Jávea and Volta i Volta are more casual options if you want seafood without the tasting menu format or the €€€€ price point. YERBAxabia offers a more relaxed, produce-led approach. None of these carry Michelin recognition, so if a starred experience is the goal, BonAmb has no local equivalent.
Yes, for the right diner. The 9-course Recuerdos and 12-course El Viaje menus are built around Mediterranean and Marina Alta produce, with fish, seafood, and vegetables from Ferruz's own gardens forming the backbone. At €€€€ pricing with wine pairing available, this is a serious commitment — but BonAmb holds two Michelin stars, scored 95 points in La Liste 2026, and ranked #110 in OAD Europe 2025. That credential set justifies the format if tasting menus are what you're after.
Yes — it's one of the stronger arguments for a special occasion meal on the Costa Blanca. Two Michelin stars, a restored country house setting with landscaped surroundings, and a chef-driven narrative format (the Memorabilia concept is explicitly designed around emotional and childhood food memories) all suit a celebratory booking. Book well in advance; a Friday or Saturday evening slot will require 6–8 weeks minimum.
At €€€€, BonAmb is priced at the top of the Costa Blanca market — but the credentials back it up: two Michelin stars held since 2016, 95 points from La Liste in 2026, and a ranking of #110 in OAD Europe 2025. Ferruz also runs the Michelin-starred Casa Pepa in Ondara, so the kitchen has a proven track record. If you're comparing value against other two-star experiences in Spain, BonAmb competes on substance rather than just setting.
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