Reviews - El Xato
Reviews
9.8of 10
Ratings and reviews can only be left by guests who have booked with TheFork.
António R. • 6 reviews
September 3, 2025
10/10The food was spectacular, the staff was awesome. Loved the restaurant.
Nadine D. • 2 reviews
September 4, 2025
10/10Truly a gem of a find only 15 minutes from Altea in a traditional small town. A wonderful dining experience with flavours and presentation paying homage to Spanish food. A celebration of its heritage but fine dining with a tasting menu of small plates. Excellent value for money at 85 euros per head considering the attention to detail and number of staff serving. If you take food and service seriously and have an appreciation of Spains traditional food and wines but with a modern twist this is the place for you. It’s been owned by the same family since 1915 and the pride and satisfaction of their work is in each and every mouthful
Henrik H. • 2 reviews
July 29, 2025
10/10Absolutely top! The food was excellent, service also top. Almost impossible to find faults, both in the service and in the food. All courses super tasty, to the point where it is impossible to find a favorite. The ambience was also really nice. Different to the places we have been before, but it was such a vibe sitting in the street by the church, with some cars and people passing by. Only added to the experience. The rest of the restaurant was also top. In summary: worth a trip and a detour. Really recommend if you stay in Alicante, Benidorm etc. We will 100% go back on our next holiday in Spain.
Lennart H. • 132 reviews
July 31, 2025
10/10An exceptional restaurant in the centre of La Nucia. This family run restaurant provides a wonderful dining experience. The food is concentrated around traditional recipes in modern interpretations and made from fresh local ingredients. Every presentation in the menu was delicious. The staff are very friendly and professional and they make sure that you have a fantastic evening. The indoor dining room is very pleasant, but try to get a table outside, if you can. Sitting in the quiet street outside the restaurant on a beautiful evening elevates the experience even further. Without hesitation I give el Xato my very best recommendation.
Lucas S. • 6 reviews
July 26, 2025
10/10
The food is excellent and great value. The stand out dishes for us were the paprika and eel rice, the red tuna and orange teriyaki.
David B. • 1 review
July 29, 2025
10/10Excellent place , staff is magic. Food is magic. Simply a place how every single one should be. We had the best time and experience , ever. Highly , highly recommended. A crime if your visiting this coast. And not passing here.
Patrick H. • 1 review
July 10, 2025
10/10Tucked away in La Nucía, El Xato is the kind of place that reminds you why you love dining out. The experience was a delightful parade of creativity, flavor, and unexpected twists—each course more inventive than the last, like a chef’s tasting menu that took a detour through imagination. The food? Inspired. Bold without being showy, refined without being fussy. Every dish seemed to come with a hidden punchline or a surprise note—whether it was a flavor pairing you didn’t see coming or a texture that made you do a double take (in the best way). Service was impeccable: attentive without hovering, friendly without crossing into overly familiar. If we had to make a wish list for next time: a few more cocktail options would be welcome, as would a selection of wines by the glass. And while the mystery of each dish was part of the fun, a written menu would help us remember exactly what that third “snack” was. We'll be back for an encore.
Beatrice G. • 1 review
April 2, 2025
10/10Like always, it was a very nice evening!
Robert M. • 1 review
February 27, 2025
10/10
+7It was unforgettable experience. All dishes was perfectly prepared with attention to the smallest detail. Charming place by the beautiful church square. The cherry on the cake was the highly qualified service, which described the dishes in a clear way. In one word excellent!
Carlos L. • 6 reviews
December 6, 2024
10/10Food was excellent. Well accomplished techniques, superb product and good rhythm (it was a tasting menu) What sets it apart from other Michelin star restaurants is definitely the human touch…the service was fantastic!
Tim M. • 1 review
October 17, 2024
10/10Excellent food , superb staff and setting of restaurant added to a wonderful night Thankyou very much
Heikki L. • 1 review
August 30, 2024
10/10
Really spesial place, best Michelin starred restaurant we have visited. Good food, good price versus quality, good service, nice authentic place. Liked a lot, and will visit again.
Samantha M. • 2 reviews
August 10, 2024
10/10One of my favorite places. It is always excellent.
Lennart H. • 132 reviews
August 2, 2024
10/10An exceptional restaurant in the centre of La Nucia. This family run restaurant provides a wonderful dining experience. The food is concentrated around traditional recipes in modern interpretations and made from fresh local ingredients. Every presentation in the menu was delicious. The staff are very friendly and professional and they make sure that you have a fantastic evening. The indoor dining room is very pleasant, but try to get a table outside, if you can. Sitting in the quiet street outside the restaurant on a beautiful evening elevates the experience even further. Without hesitation I give el Xato my very best recommendation.
Marcel K. • 1 review
July 17, 2024
10/10Excellent staff, Beautiful dishes and good wines.
Ken S. • 3 reviews
July 19, 2024
10/10
Great service and food (it isn’t just food, it is an art!), details to attention. The staff are extremely friendly. They surprised us with music and an extra cake to celebrate our 21st anniversary. Thanks so much! We will be back for sure!
Nancy V. • 6 reviews
July 19, 2024
10/10
+6El Xato takes you on a yourney into stylish dishes, different kind of flavours. Every dish is prepared with a lot of patience and refined to the detail. One can see that a lot of work has been put into each creation, you easely can describe as a work of art. Service is friendly, professional and absolutely top. Winecellar is also on level .
Nacho V. • 9 reviews
July 16, 2024
10/10the food was something from another world
Michael D. • 11 reviews
March 24, 2024
10/10For a one star restaurant, the experience of el Xato is above expectations. We had the 16 items menu, every one better than the other…value for money is for sure excellent, taking into consideration that level of restaurant. Highly recommended…..must reserve well in advance..
Stuart W. • 4 reviews
January 12, 2024
10/10Absolutely incredible. We found it easy to get to and easy to find parking (we are in winter though). The service was impeccable from the time we walked in door until we left. We ordered the "Centenario" menu and it was incredible. From the first bite to the last was an amazing trip into flavors, textures and colours. A feast for the senses!! The staff were fantastic. We will be returning.
Nancy V. • 6 reviews
January 6, 2024
8.5/10
+9As usual El Xato delivers great cuisine at a very acceptable price. Service is absolutely top. The wine selection is also good. Taking into account that it s winter season, i would prefer more hot dishes instead of cold ones. If you visit El Xato often, one can compare. This time i missed the wow taste. Even presented as a work of art, i missed the taste bomb. Flavors were somehow flattened out. Good but not impressive. All in all El Xato gives you a journey into food, with always some surprises on the way.
Chris T. • 2 reviews
November 18, 2023
9/10It was the second time this same group of four friends have been together to this restaurant. We went back because our first experience was much more memorable than the majority of our meals in other "posh", Michelin one and two star restaurants. It was good this time too. The service and the welcome were absolutely splendid. Respectful yet light, fast and efficient. The place is nice too. Small, simple, light. The food and wine were good but it was also normal for this type of place. I thought that some of the dishes were poorly presented, not for the look, but for the "eatability" - sauces on flat plates so that there was no way to taste them, the meanness of some of the portions - one quarter of a bread roll per person? One tercio of beer between four. In a meal with maridaje at something around 120€ not including the coffee just seems odd and other tiny faults that tainted a generally excellent experience.
Camilla E. • 20 reviews
September 22, 2023
10/10
+7This is our fifth time at El Xato and it is a very nice experience every time. We highly recomend this beautiful little family restaurant!
Lennart H. • 132 reviews
August 5, 2023
10/10An exceptional restaurant in the centre of La Nucia. This family run restaurant provides a wonderful dining experience. The food is concentrated around traditional recipes in modern interpretations and made from fresh local ingredients. Every presentation in the menu was delicious. The staff are very friendly and professional and they make sure that you have a fantastic evening. The indoor dining room is very pleasant, but try to get a table outside, if you can. Sitting in the quiet street outside the restaurant on a beautiful evening elevates the experience even further. Without hesitation I give el Xato my very best recommendation.
Nancy V. • 6 reviews
July 21, 2023
9.5/10
+8EL XATO turns food into art. Excepional cuisine where every dish is refined and perfectly balanced. EL XATO gives you a stunning experience and a yourney into tastes.
Yolanda S. • 2 reviews
May 18, 2023
10/10The ingenuity expressed by the combination of contrasting flavors created many wow moments throughout the entire meal. Owner Francisco and the staff were a pleasure.
kurt V. • 1 review
April 25, 2023
9.5/10this was our first visit to El Xato. everything you can wish for a 1 star restaurant. Extraordinary food pairing (accompanying wine choice). about 30 couverts of foodloving guests make a cosy restaurant.
Mikael E. • 3 reviews
February 28, 2023
10/10
Extremely good local food and wine. they are worth their Michelin star! Tasting menu with pairing wines is exceptionally good. We had seven courses, and they also have a ten courses. We had this for lunch, and we will come back next time we visit the area. For sure! Many new tastes and wine you did imagine could come from Alicante area. If you do not appreciate fine dining, extreme craftmanship and good wine, don't come!
Karl G. • 6 reviews
February 2, 2023
9/10Great creative food, interesting and educational wine pairing with local wine. The wine serving was though a little bit late compared with the food serving……
Richard W. • 1 review
January 19, 2023
10/10Absolutely beautiful food and exceptional service. Each stage of the dining experience had a story. Highly highly recommend exceeded all our expectations a diamond find.
marie christine v. • 1 review
December 29, 2022
9.5/10
+2Exellent food and service.Second visit.Only negative point a little bit noisy when restaurant is full
Valerie v. • 6 reviews
December 23, 2022
9.5/10
+4Restaurant with delicious food, great service and an amazing price-quality relation of the food. We had the temptations tasting menu which was fantastic. We loved the creativity and the interpretation of traditional dishes from the area into new ones, served as very interesting bites. There were some dishes we didn't love, but that might have been because of the no meat option which is adapted. The service was great and the quality was very good. For a Michelin star restaurant the ambiance could be more chic, but otherwise would very much recommend.
johannes h. • 8 reviews
November 9, 2022
10/10
We have visisted this gem in La Nucia before. As always it is a joy eating here and be entertained by the friendly and attentive staff. We enjoyed the innovative creations on our plate. The atmosphere here is relaxed and the wine pairings with the menu's recommended. We will certainly be back to enjoy the new menu's for the next season.
Laura Valatkeviciute V. • 1 review
November 3, 2022
10/10Amazing experience. Delicious food, excellent staff. 10 stars ⭐️
David M. • 46 reviews
October 29, 2022
10/10So pleased El Xato was able to accommodate our food preferences. Such a treat to meet Chef Cristina Figueira and have Francisco Cano play Happy Birthday on his trumpet to celebrate our special occasion. A picturesque setting in La Nucia with exemplary service. We'll return time and time again.
Bobbie B. • 2 reviews
September 21, 2022
10/10Its a perfect night out. Menu with wine pairing was amazing. 10 courses ended up with 14 plates of different types of food (starters, mains and dessert)
Lennart H. • 132 reviews
July 26, 2022
10/10Excellent restaurant in the centre of charming La Nucía. This is a true gem with delicious food, beautifully presented, and carefully prepared using local fresh ingredients. Service is very professional and friendly and the team has great knowledge of the food and its history. We were able to dine outside, in a very pleasant quiet setting in the warm evening of the Spanish summer and all six of us had a wonderful time. I give this restaurant my best recommendation.
John E. • 1 review
July 23, 2022
10/10An Excellent evening to celebrate our wedding anniversary. I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who is looking for a special night out.
Philip B. • 8 reviews
July 19, 2022
9.5/10Stunning restaurant that offers a selection of tasting menus, with or without accompanying wines. The reviews that we had read created an expectation of something special and El Xato did not disappoint. The food was sublime, service was courteous but relaxed, warm and friendly. The restaurant takes pride in local ingredients and wines, we discovered some wonderful wines from Alicante that we had never tasted before. Thanks for a special birthday dinner!
Igor D. • 1 review
July 20, 2022
10/10Thank you. That was a great dinner.
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