My personal favorites in San Sebastián
It is only in the last 4 years that I started visiting San Sebastián, but since then I have been back every year. It’s safe to say that from the moment I laid eyes on the beatutifull concha beach it was love at first sight.
To me the city has everything from impressive design, incredible food, very friendly people and not least such a relaxed atmosphere that puts my heart at ease.
Walking around in the old part of the city hopping from one amazing pintxos place to another is heaven on earth to me. The idea is never to visit just one restaurant and set up camp there for the evening. No the idea is to visit different restaurants and have a few bites and drinks every where.
On my own Google Maps I have about 30 restaurants pinned but that long a guide would be confusing. So here I focus on the main ones that in my opinion are mandatory. These are all pintxos bars as those are my favorites. These city does however also have the highest concentration of Michelin stars pr. Capital in the World with 3 3 Michelin stars restaurant just to name a few. So if you get tired of pintxos the city has a lot more to offer.
Anthonio Bar best tortilla
Our day always starts at Anthonio Bar with the famous tortilla. It looks almost the same as anywhere else. Caramelized onions and a few green peppers and a runny center. Pure deliciousness. Once we have also tried the pintxos in the evening which naturally are of high quality, but you havn’t been to Antonio Bar if you havn’t tried the tortilla.
Anthonio Bar has been very successful in recent years so they now have two locations. I naturally prefer the smaller original one but in the summer the line can be long and therefore the other one is a great alternative.
Borda Berri my favorite pintxos bar
Borda Berri is usually the place we visit the most when we are in San Sebastián besides Anthonio Bar. Our order always includes the “risotto” and “kebab” before we order anything else and my wife will usually order an extra risotto. It is one of the busiest restaurants around but the service is very fast so don’t be alarmed by the high amount of people. Once you order you can be in and out in 20 minutes. However I would advice you to stay longer and try more seasonal dishes and soake in the atmosphere.
Ganbarra it’s worth the hype
Ganbarra is probably the most famous pintxos bar. For that reason the line to enter is usually around 1 hour. They only have counter seating where most everywhere else you stand up which naturally means longer que. It is therefore neither a fast nor cheap place compared to other places. However the higher price comes with higher quality and incredible ingredients. At Ganbarra our order actually varies a lot but they are famous for the mushrooms with egg yolk. I would also recommend croquettes with yellow chili and the crab cakes.
A strong recommendation is also to book a seat in the restaurant down stairs where larger plates are served. From here you can also go hunting in their impressive wine list that from a Danish point of view is both extensive and cheap.
Casa Urola for high end pintxos
Casa Urola is one of the more fancy pintxos places. Here I don’t go for the classic pintxos but in stead for their seasonal “dishes”. Usually pintxos places don’t served actual dishes on ceramic place but Casa Urola does. They do it well. Their seasonal dishes are incredible and of very high quality. When asking locals on where to go Casa Urola is always mentioned.
Bar sport its just a classic
From two more “fancy” places we are back to the more traditional pintxos places with Bar Sport. It’s again one of those places where we have a standard order: croquettes, sea urchin, squid, foie gras and the hamburger, but I am sure they have many more incredible dishes.
Muxumartin for modern pintxos
This place is new to us and we only just discovered it on our last trip. What I love about it is that they do both traditional pintxos are very modern ones such as scallop with a green curry or roaster rooster comb yet their croquette is one of the best I have tried. Topped with a thin slice af iberico ham always helps. A solid recommendation here is also to order the “French toast”. A local speciality that they do incredible
La Vina for Basque cheesecake
This place almost doens’t need any introduction. I know they have a bigger menu but the only thing I have ever had here is the basque cheese cake. It is also very famous for just this so be prepared to have to fight your way through the crowds for your small piece of heaven. Well worth it though.
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