Kabia

Verdict

Kabia is worth booking if you want honest, locally sourced Basque cooking at a price that doesn't require a special occasion to justify. At the €€ price point, with a Michelin Plate in both 2024 and 2025 and a Google rating of 4.7 across 354 reviews, this family-run restaurant in central Zumarraga delivers consistent quality that outperforms its modest price tier. The tasting menu is the better call over the daily menu if you have time — and the braised veal cheek with port wine, specifically recommended in Michelin's own notes, is reason enough to choose it. See our full Zumarraga restaurants guide for the wider picture.

Portrait

Walk into Kabia and you're looking at over 25 years of the same family running the same kitchen on Legazpi Kalea in the centre of Zumarraga. That kind of continuity is visible in a dining room that reads as lived-in rather than styled: a space where the visual cues are about longevity and routine rather than design investment. For a food explorer visiting the Gipuzkoa interior, that's actually a useful signal — this is a place where the cooking has had time to settle into something reliable.

The menu structure is direct. There's a daily menu, which rotates with market availability, and a tasting option that gives you more depth and, importantly, some choice over your main course. That flexibility on the tasting menu is a practical advantage over the more locked-in formats you'll find at higher-budget Basque destinations. If you're travelling with someone who has dietary preferences, the ability to select a main from a list is worth knowing about.

Michelin's recommendation of the braised veal cheek with port wine is the one dish that has explicit, sourced backing , and it fits the kitchen's identity well. Slow-cooked, locally sourced meat preparations are the kind of food that rewards a restaurant with 25 years of practice. This isn't a venue trying to reinvent Basque technique; it's a venue that has refined a specific, honest approach to traditional cuisine and applies it consistently.

The connection to local producers and seasonal ingredients is central to what Kabia does, and it shows in the daily menu's reliance on what's available rather than a fixed, year-round offering. If you're visiting Zumarraga in autumn or winter, when the Basque interior's meat and game produce is at its strongest, the daily menu may be as compelling as the tasting option. In spring and summer, lean toward the tasting menu for more structural depth.

On the question of bar or counter seating: the venue data doesn't confirm a dedicated chef's counter at Kabia, which is consistent with the family-run, traditional-dining format. The experience here is table-based. That's a relevant distinction if you're drawn to Kabia by the same impulse that pulls diners to open-kitchen counter seats at more theatrical venues. Kabia's value is in the room as a whole , the consistency of a family operation that knows its regulars , rather than in any particular interaction with the kitchen. If a counter experience is the priority, Arzak in San Sebastián operates at a different scale and price tier but offers a more immersive kitchen connection.

At €€, Kabia sits well below the price band of the Michelin-starred Basque names in the region. That gap is real and it matters for trip planning. You are not getting the technical complexity or the service architecture of a starred kitchen, but you are getting a Michelin-recognised traditional restaurant that has earned a 4.7 rating over hundreds of reviews without any of the marketing infrastructure of a destination venue. For a traveller moving through the Gipuzkoa interior rather than making San Sebastián the centrepiece of a food trip, Kabia is a practical and satisfying stop.

Booking is assessed as easy. Given the central Zumarraga location and the scale of a family-run operation, reserving a few days ahead is sensible, but this is not a venue with months-long waitlists. Walk-in availability may be possible mid-week at lunch, though calling ahead is the safer approach. Note that no phone number or website is currently listed in the public record, so asking your hotel concierge or using local booking channels is the most reliable route. For more on what else the area offers, see our Zumarraga hotels guide, bars guide, and experiences guide.

Ratings at a Glance

• Google: 4.7 / 5 (354 reviews)
• Michelin: Plate 2024, Plate 2025
• Price: €€
• Cuisine: Traditional, locally sourced, seasonal

Know Before You Go

Alternatives Worth Knowing

If Kabia is your base-level benchmark for honest Basque cooking in the region, two other traditional cuisine venues are worth keeping in mind for broader Iberian comparison: Cave à Vin & à Manger - Maison Saint-Crescent in Narbonne operates a similar traditional-with-seasonal-sourcing model just across the French border, and Coto de Quevedo Evolución in Torre de Juan Abad offers a Spanish traditional cuisine parallel in a different regional context. Neither is a direct substitute for Kabia's Basque identity, but both are useful data points if you're building a multi-stop Iberian food itinerary.

FAQ

• What are alternatives to Kabia in Zumarraga? Kabia is among the most consistently reviewed traditional restaurants in Zumarraga at this price tier. For alternatives with more technical ambition in the broader Basque Country, Arzak in San Sebastián and Azurmendi in Larrabetzu operate at €€€€ with Michelin stars, but they require significantly more budget and advance planning. Within Zumarraga itself, see our full restaurants guide for the current options.
• Can Kabia accommodate groups? The venue is a family-run restaurant in a central Zumarraga location, which typically suggests a modest dining room suited to small groups. There is no confirmed private dining room in the current data. For groups of more than four, calling ahead is strongly advised , though no phone number is currently listed publicly. Your hotel concierge is the most practical point of contact for group reservations.
• Is Kabia worth the price? At €€ with two consecutive Michelin Plates and a 4.7 Google rating from 354 reviewers, yes , the price-to-quality ratio is solid. You're paying for consistent, locally sourced traditional Basque cooking with 25 years of practice behind it, not for theatrics or tasting-menu length. If you want to spend more and get starred-kitchen complexity, Martin Berasategui in Lasarte-Oria is the regional benchmark at €€€€.
• What should a first-timer know about Kabia? Order the tasting menu rather than the daily menu , it gives you more depth and a choice of main course, which makes it the better value for someone visiting once. The braised veal cheek with port wine has explicit Michelin backing and is the dish to order if it's available. Dress casually; this is a family restaurant, not a formal dining room. Arrive knowing that booking channels are limited , no website or phone is currently listed publicly, so arrange your reservation through your accommodation.
• Can I eat at the bar at Kabia? No confirmed bar or counter seating is listed for Kabia in the current data. The format is a traditional family-run dining room. If bar seating or a counter experience is a priority for your visit to the Basque Country, that format is better served at destination venues in San Sebastián such as Arzak or Mugaritz in Errenteria, both of which operate at a different scale.
• Is Kabia good for a special occasion? It works well for a low-key celebration where the emphasis is on good food rather than spectacle. The Michelin Plate recognition gives it credibility, the 25-year track record suggests reliability, and the €€ price means the evening doesn't carry the financial weight of a starred-kitchen dinner. If the occasion calls for more formal service or a longer tasting experience, Azurmendi or Arzak are better fits , but expect to pay significantly more and book well in advance.