The story
On a hillside overlooking the village of Axpe, at the foot of Mount Anboto, a 400-year-old Basque farmhouse known as Mendi Goikoa—"the summit of the mountain"—has been reborn. This is Txispa, the restaurant where Chef Tetsuro Maeda brings a singular vision to life. The name comes from the Spanish word chispa, meaning "spark," given a Basque twist. It refers both to the wood fire at the heart of the kitchen and to the elusive quality Chef Maeda was taught to pursue: a dish that is not just delicious, but unforgettable.
Chef Maeda arrived in Spain from Japan in 2010. He spent a decade as sous-chef at the legendary Asador Etxebarri before opening Txispa in May 2023. Within six months, the restaurant earned a Michelin star, a testament to the precision and depth of his contemporary cuisine.
The experience begins in the kitchen, where guests gather around the grill for the first appetizer. The tasting menu is a sequence built around seasonal produce—much of it from the restaurant’s own garden—and the elemental flavors of wood fire. Dishes like txuleta, fish, and prawns appear alongside vegetables at their peak, each one carrying that essential chispa.
The setting is as memorable as the food. The old caserio has long been known as a place "where silence can be heard," and that quiet, contemplative atmosphere remains. Chef Maeda describes his work as an attempt to capture the fleeting moments of beauty in the valley—the morning light on dew, the last glow of sunset—and express them in a small dish.
Txispa is contemporary dining rooted in a deep sense of place. It is a restaurant that asks you to slow down, pay attention, and taste the spark.
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