
Gorka Txapartegi
Gorka is the chef at Alameda. He was born in Hondarribia on August 12, 1969, and is the oldest of the three brothers. Mikel and Kepa command our second home, Sutan.
Gorka’s first steps, in the kitchen, were in Alameda. From a very young age he was imbued with respect for the product and the love that our hostess, Julia Ruiz de Arbulo, put into her stews. At 14 years old, he was already helping out in the tavern.
Gorka’s desire was to study Cooking, but since there were no places at the School, he opted to enroll in Business Administration and Marketing at the Higher School of Hospitality of Gipuzkoa. This setback did not end his determination to train in cooking and, at the age of 17, he began to do an internship at the Jaizubia restaurant in Irun, combining them with his studies. In his kitchen he internalized the importance of management and organization, something that represented important personal growth for Gorka.
After spending a year and a half in this restaurant, he joined the team at the Zuberoa restaurant in Oiartzun (2 Michelin stars), where he worked for two and a half years. Hilario Arbelaitz changed the way he saw cooking, through respect for the product, with an updated recipe book, and a philosophy based on family. Gorka considers Hilario his main teacher, and there are many voices that point to Gorka as his main disciple.
The last stop before taking charge of the Alameda kitchen was the Martín Berasategui restaurant (3 Michelin stars) in Lasarte, where he spent 4 months. Martín’s capacity for work and knowledge were the main learnings that Gorka took away from this stage.
After this enriching trip, in 1991 Gorka took charge of the Alameda kitchen with his brothers Mikel and Kepa, his amatxo Kontxi, and his aunt Maribi. With everything learned, a cuisine that was based on traditional recipes evolved little by little. And the recognitions arrived:
- In 1997 Gorka was Spanish Champion of Young Chefs. That same year, Alameda obtained a Michelin star and 2 Repsol soles.
- In 2010 he was named Chef of the Year by the Basque Academy of Gastronomy.
- In 2013 he was awarded the Chef Millesime award.
We celebrate these awards responsibly, and with our eyes always focused on the main recognition for which we work every day: the satisfaction of the diners who visit our house.


more than 80 years of bidasoa cuisine
Alameda continues to be a family restaurant in Hondarribia, on the banks of the Bidasoa. It was our teacher Julia who taught us that the shorter the distance between the earth and the stove, the better. This way of understanding cooking has been in force in our house since 1942, and in all this time, it has given us a lot of satisfaction.
Julia Ruiz de Arbulo together with Tomás Lizaso (1st generation of the family, the Aitonas) take charge of the restaurant, located in an 18th century building.
Gorka Txapartegi, grandson of Julia and Tomás, takes the reins of the Alameda kitchen.
Alameda obtains the Michelin star, and two Repsol soles.
We carried out a major renovation, improving and expanding the restaurant facilities.
New renovation, modernizing the decoration and bringing warmth to the dining room.
We reopened the Alameda tavern, that cord that unites us to popular cuisine and Hondarribi.
We opened Sutan, a new space, in the Hiruzta winery in Hondarribia, which becomes our event space.