Amelia by Paulo Airaudo has opened its doors at Hotel María Cristina, a Luxury Collection Hotel in San Sebastián.

Built by the San Sebastián Development Society and inaugurated in 1912, Hotel María Cristina was named in honour of Queen María Cristina of Habsburg‑Lorraine, a devoted admirer of the city who was appointed its honorary mayor in 1926. The hotel is municipally owned through the Development Society and managed by Marriott International.

With the opening of Amelia, Hotel María Cristina completes its gastronomic offering. The culinary arrival represents the meeting point between the hotel’s identity and the culinary vision of Paulo Airaudo, an Argentine chef of Italian heritage who has made San Sebastián his home since 2017. He has earned eight Michelin stars throughout his career and operated restaurants in cities such as Barcelona, Hong Kong, Florence and Bangkok.

The gastronomic proposal is based on the concept of Italian omakase. Airaudo presents a deeply personal cuisine rooted in his Italian background and shaped by a contemporary, open‑minded approach, with a strong emphasis on seafood and a carefully curated selection of ingredients aligned with his philosophy, free from geographical constraints.

The restaurant occupies a space designed by architect Javier Orduña of Biarkio Arquitectura. The layout centres around an open kitchen surrounded by a counter accommodating twelve guests, complemented by two additional tables.

Amelia forms part of the collaboration between Paulo Airaudo Group and Hotel María Cristina, with the support of the San Sebastián Development Society, within a broader strategy to promote gastronomy as a key sector for the city. The opening is among the projects selected for the Ekinn+ Gastro acceleration programme, aimed at fostering talent, generational renewal and the international projection of Donostia / San Sebastián as a global gastronomic capital.