The secret’s out: where to eat in San Sebastian
A core theme of my posts is that when you come to San Sebastian, you should avoid the places you've read about and seen on TV. Not because they're no good, but that they're unjustifiably full of tourists who've all seen the same lazy YouTube clip or blog post written by someone who visited for two days and now claims insider knowledge of where to eat in San Sebastian.
We lived in this delightful town for a year and a half, until we moved down south in September 2024. We would eat out – lunch or dinner – virtually every day. We did a lot of research (well, Jess did a lot of research). You could say that we know our albondigas from our zanahorias (see here for a handy food glossary). Here is a smattering of places we chose time and time again; they will impress you easily as much as a Bar Nestor or a Gandarias. Plus, randomly picking somewhere new will likely yield unanticipated delights – so please don't take our list as gospel.
(See our interactive map of eateries in San Sebastian)
The Old Town (Parte Vieja)
Bell’s Taberna
An Englishman named Lancelot Bell and his Colombian wife Sara make some of the finest food in the city at terrifically reasonable prices. Regrettably, they’re getting noticed. Very noticed. In fact they just won a Repsol Solete. I suspect that by the time you read this Bell’s will be one of those places I would tell you to avoid because of the crowds, but hopefully you’ll get a taste of it. They’re not Spanish, you say? Trust me – they belong here.
Try: the Brighton Beach (fish and chips, big enough to share), croquetas (filled with a Colombian stew mix), alcachofas (artichokes, when in season), tortilla … and just about anything else. Sometimes there’s a specialty that’s not listed on the menu; in winter it was venison pie. Follow them on Instagram for updates.
Ssua
Really creative food in a bar that doesn’t fill up early like many others. The menu changes constantly so I can’t offer specific suggestions. We just look forward to whatever comes next.
Sirimiri
This is one of the few pintxo-only bars that you can book through Google Maps, which makes it our go-to place when we know it’s going to be busy in town, or when we want to share real pintxos with visitors who aren’t yet used to fighting for a spot. It’s owned by the same mob who runs Atari, one of the tourist traps hotspots we love to avoid.
Try: solomillo (small piece of fillet steak), magret (duck), the pork belly bao bun, whatever rice dish is on the menu.
Parilla Chuleta
A terrific steak specialty bar and a great place for a drink when it’s not busy. It’s a fun place to watch people sitting outside struggle with keeping their food and drink from sliding off the tables, as the terrace is on a bit of a slope and no one seems to have come up with a solution. You can get a huge chuleta/tomahawk steak here if you sit in the restaurant – but it’s not what this place is about for us pintxo-crawlers.
Try: solomillo, croquettas, albondigas (meatballs), lamb brocheta.
Buy two drinks. One will surely slide off the table.
Haizea
This place was made popular with tourists by Anthony Bourdain more than a decade ago, but happily the memory has faded from visitors’ minds. It is a very Basque locals’ bar; you’ll hear little Spanish. Go in if it’s not too busy!
Try: vieiras gratinado (scallops in a cheesy gratin), buńuelos (deep-fried eggy fishy puffball thingies), anything on the specials board.
Muxumartin
A Spanish friend and pintxo tour guide scratched his head when we told him we like this place. I suspect it’s corporate owned and not especially in sync with its many neighbours. But Muxumartin sees us at least a couple of times a month. In summer don’t miss the gazpacho – they don’t make it outside of the best part of tomato season. In winter watch for the paloma (hunted wood pigeon). Their pressed beef sandwich won an award and it’s incredible.
Try: costilla (rib), gazpacho, pork carpaccio, bocadillo prensada de ternera (pressed beef sandwich).
Kapadokia
From the bar at Kapadokia you can sit back and watch people queuing to get into Bar Nestor across the lane. It’s become a favourite pastime of ours in summer. The really funny thing is that one of the dishes people are lining up for at Nestor is the tortilla, blindly unaware that it was in fact Kapadokia who won the city’s most recent award for best tortilla.
Try: tortilla (it disappears instantly but there will be another one out soon), txipiguettis (a kind of fake pasta made of squid).
Itxaropena
Itxaropena is easy to miss because it’s not in the busy part of the Old Town. It’s usually easy to find space at the bar or along the bench opposite. Terrific cold and hot pintxos and very professional service.
Try: volcán (a perfectly simple meat pattie with an egg yolk on top), tortilla de ropa vieja (‘omelette of old clothes’, a messy, meaty, extremely tasty dish with no resemblance to traditional tortillas), seasonal vegetable specials (on the boards behind the bar).
Zazpi
On Friday nights and weekends, Zazpi opens its outside terrace for pintxo versions of the rather expensive restaurant menu. Expert cooking.
Try: arroz (rice dish), vieira (scallop), pork taco (though dishes change quite frequently).
Grosso
Good pizza for eat-in or take away. By the way, if you’re looking for high quality Italian food you’ll likely be disappointed (Da Filippo is the notable exception with very good food, but you will pay for the quality at this spacious restaurant).
The lovely neighbourhood of Gros
Gros has a far lower tourist-to-locals ratio. You’ll see lots of families and friends eating and drinking while their kids slam their balls against the wall and play on the swings. It’s a terrific place to wander around at dinner time. Just watch out for all the balls.
Gure Txoko
An up-and-coming chef makes great pintxos in a really cute bar. And there are oysters. Get here a little before the kitchen opens at 7.30 to grab a space.
Try: bocatita de bacalao (cod sandwich), chuletillas (tiny lamb chops), patata hongo y yema (potato, mushrooms and egg yolk), kangre (soft-shelled crab) burger.
Kbzón Haundi and El Kbzón
Run by the same team, these restaurants are at opposite ends of Gros. There’s a definite South American theme here – Antony, the boss, is Ecuadorian – but a heap of other influences too. They’re not afraid of using all parts of the animal here! And you can book online.
Kbzón Haundi: ravioli, croqueta de pulpo (octopus), Filipino sisig (a ball of head meat).
El Kbzón: the menu changes a lot, but please try the morcilla (blood sausage).
Bar Desy
This place is full of locals but the staff are always happy to see you. The hamburger is famous – but anything you find on the menu will be a fantastic experience.
Eguzki
A San Sebastian locals’ institution. We call it the Unicorn Bar because, while we’ve eaten here quite a bit, four times out of five when we walk past it has apparently ceased to exist. If you find it open, go in – but you’ll need to be quick. I think that the moment their roller door twitches, locals watching from nearby rush the place. These guys don’t have a kitchen. Rather, they prepare the food elsewhere and simply heat it up when you order.
Try: whatever looks good. It’ll likely be blue, for some reason.
Bar Manojo
Probably one of the most creative places in the city, the menu here changes all the time. So too does the mix between pintxos and ración-sized dishes (in our opinion sometimes a minor negative because we seek mainly pintxos). Amazing salads (think peach and tomato with a bit of anchovy on top), incredible pastas and perfect seafood.
Try: something different.
Vermuteria Restaurante Max
The chef here is so proud of his menu that he’ll explain each dish to you, even if you don’t understand Spanish very well. You can tell this is a serious food venue the moment you see the dedicated prep station, complete with whole fish ready to be stripped for cooking. Tourists do not know about this place. They participate in pintxo pote on Thursdays so on that night the menu is limited to a few cheaper/simpler pintxo-and-drink offerings, which are still wonderful.
Try: vieiras gratinado (scallop baked in its shell), champinones y gambas (mushroom and prawn on a stick), mini hamburger, jamon tostas, any of the cold pintxos.
Centro
Tierramar
A Galician guy runs this place with his wife. Amazing sandwiches and hot and cold pintxos. It’s also where we discovered the Galician delight, liqor de hierbas, a bright yellow spirit. We now keep a bottle in the house.
Try: hamburger (it’s big but delicious, made with Galician beef), creole salchicha (a sausage pintxo that you’ll see in the display cabinet), mejillones (mussels), ensalada de mariscos (seafood salad).
Casa Valles
A bar for locals but done up not long ago for wider appeal in the Reyes Catolicos (Catholic Kings street near the Buen Pastor cathedral). Locals call it 'Alcoholicos' on account of all the bars in the area.
Casa Valles has a nice outside covered area with table service. The inventor of the gilda (olives and fish on a stick), Valles abounds with traditional poor people's food as well as restaurant-quality cold and hot pintxos.
Try: albondigas (meatballs), pochas (bean stew with a lump of chorizo on top); both these dishes are traditional simple fare that your grandparents would adore, txipirones (squid fried simply, arguably the best in town according to multiple sources including us), a plate of jamón (ham) that won’t break the bank.
Bar Prontxio
Run by a lovely guy, Prontxio is our local. It's not a tourist place, but somewhere to visit if you want a real taste of the local scene. It has a small space inside and two tiny tables outside, so if you're set on eating here arrive at opening time. He's real proud of his vermouth selection.
Try: tortilla con cebolla (omelette with onions), matrimonio (two types of anchovy on a small piece of toast).
Bar Belarra
A tiny locals’ bar near the beach with a small selection of perfect pintxos. The pistacho croquetas are splendid.
Iturrioz
Another favourite with locals looking for anything from a quick coffee to a full sit-down meal, right across from the Buen Pastor cathedral and with a good selection of wines by the glass.
Try: magret (duck), risotto de quesos (cheese).
Altuna
High-end pinxtos and raciones. As far as pintxos go it’s at the top of the price continuum, but when you see the quality and creativity on offer you’ll understand why. The menu changes quite frequently but do try the bonbon (like a ravioli).
Rojo y Negro
Recently refurbished and with a menu to match. A great and underrated place to grab a quick bite.
Bar Ciaboga
A tiny bar good mainly for a quick drink – were it not for one famous pintxo. Their pride and joy is a simple dish of confit potatoes in a garlic sauce that you eat with a toothpick.
Da Filippo
This is a full sit-down restaurant, bordering on silver service, but it rates a mention because it’s near-Michelin standard but at mid-range prices. If you’re looking for the best that San Sebastian has to offer but don’t want to spend €300 each, go here.
A little out of town
La Cervecería del Antiguo
A beautiful 30-minute walk along the beach to Antiguo. Get there by midday for lunch to ensure you get a spot at an outside table (and maybe avoid weekends). It has table service. It’s one of our favourites.
Try: bacalao con pistacho (cod with pistachio sauce, pictured at top), coulant de pulpo (a chef's version of a tortilla with sublime pieces of octopus and a surprise inside).
Basoa Taberna
Another place a bit out of town but well worth the walk. A southerner who's a wizard with rice runs this place. The shared rice dishes are to die for. They are not paellas! Sometimes the offerings are paella-like (dry style), while other times you'll find more traditional rice dishes with a bit more liquid.
Try: arroz con conejo (rice with rabbit), any fish dish if he has it – if you're lucky you'll get rodaballo (turbot) or lenguado (sole).
