Martin ISABAL

Chef : 1 restaurant Trained under Arnaud Lallement and Nicolas Masse, Martin Isabal took over the family restaurant in Aïnhoa from his uncle Xavier. Named a “Grand de Demain 2026,” he retained his three-star rating in his very first year.

Presentation

That’s what you call a successful handover. After a quarter-century at the helm of the family restaurant in Aïnhoa, Xavier Isabal has handed the reins to his nephew Martin, quite naturally. Deeply steeped in the culture of his region and his family’s history, the young man views his uncle’s gift as a mission. “What’s important in this kitchen today is that the older generation can feel at home here while discovering a modern vision, one that’s even more focused on the ingredients.”

From the Prince Noir to the Assiette Champenoise, a journey alongside the best

Trained in the region, Martin Isabal very quickly had the opportunity to work at prestigious establishments and alongside influential figures: at Vivien Durand’s Prince Noir in Lormont, then Les Sources de Caudalie with Nicolas Masse, before spending two years with Arnaud Lallement atL’Assiette Champenoise—a clearly formative experience that allowed him to test his skills at the very highest level, that of the Champagne chef’s five-toque establishment.

Returning to the Basque Country, between the kitchen and the deli

But the desire to return to the Basque heartland was already too strong. “ I first came back to Saint-Jean-de-Luz, to Kaïkuwith Nicolas Borrombo for a year and a half, and then Covid hit. I took the opportunity to learn other techniques and went to work in a butcher shop to gain knowledge and earn a diploma.” An experience that serves him well today in selecting and purchasing whole animals and butchering them according to his own vision and ideas.

Aïnhoa, a fabulous region and a heritage worth defending

“As Covid was winding down, things were really busy, and my uncle called me to give him a hand. And I never left! When you’re lucky enough to be from the Basque Country, you realize just how fabulous this region is. A veritable open-air cold storage where you can find everything: fantastic livestock, ideal fishing with the Saint-Jean-de-Luz fish market, and vegetables that I watch grow in our 2,000-square-meter garden.” Yet Martin keeps a cool head and understands just how important it is to preserve this heritage. “The restaurant remains the star. We’re just trying to adapt it while preserving the whole spirit—the old beams, the old terracotta tiles—and adding just the right touch of modernity. In the kitchen, it’s the same thing: we strive to be ever more precise, to innovate with flavor pairings, and to highlight these magnificent ingredients— the veal bought on the bone or those exceptionalKriaxeraducks , which we bring in whole and carve in the dining room.”

Grand de Demain 2026: the story continues for Martin in Aïnhoa, in this restaurant that received its third toque in 2001. “We’re here simply to carry on the tradition, leaving our mark in our own way, just as our grandparents did.”