HUNGRY HOSS: San Sebastian – Ibai, Borda Berri, La Cuchara, Ganbara et al.

Sunday, 3 November 2024

San Sebastian – Ibai, Borda Berri, La Cuchara, Ganbara et al.

I love San Sebastian, and I hope this post will enable more people to love it the way I do. Criticisms regularly levelled at San Sebastian are that ‘it is far too touristy’ and ‘busy beyond belief’. Here, I offer some suggestions to ‘minimise’ this, whilst still staying in the popular areas of the Old Town and Centro.

That said, there are a few places you’ll likely want to visit where avoiding the melee is pretty much impossible - Bar Néstor and La Viña immediately spring to mind. Yes, their txuleta steaks, tortillas and cheesecake are exceptional, but you can find other excellent examples elsewhere in the city.

Bar Néstor

Stating the obvious, the first thing to consider when hoping to ‘reduce’ the ‘touristyness’ of a trip to San Sebastian is to not visit during the high season. Although it does have two fantastic beaches, few travel to San Sebastian for a beach holiday. As such, avoiding the summer months is the way forward for those there primarily for food.

Cafe con Leche Bar

The other equally obvious thing I’d advise is to stay longer. There are untold articles and videos online entitled ’24 hours in San Sebastian’ or ‘San Sebastian in 48 hours’. To my mind, this is simply not long enough, especially if you have created a ‘hit list’ of places you’d like to visit. Three to five nights is ideal.

La Cuchara de San Telmo

Although it’s possible to graze all day long, creatures of habit will likely want to know about where to breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Oiartzun

As an early riser, for me, the best places to eat first thing are bakeries. In the old town, the quintessentially European pastelería, Oiartzun, on the corner of Calle Mayor, is a popular haunt with locals for their early morning coffee stop and natter. For a big sugar hit, grab the bow-shaped lazo.

Galparsoro

Just up Calle Mayor, you'll find another traditional bakery, Galparsoro. For quality alone, this is my favourite. Grab what you want and stroll around the old town; head to the seafront or take back to your balcony. Get there as they open, as the chocolate in the Neapolitan (pain au chocolat) will still be perfectly hot and gooey.

Ogi Berri

Also in the old town (tucked away on Enbeltran Kalea) you'll find one of the most charmingly rustic outposts of Ogi Berri. I like their croissant Argentino.

Oiartzun

Of course, there are plenty of other bakeries dotted around, notably Barrenetxe, Aguirre, Aramendia and the tourist magnet Otaegui (despite Otaegui’s history and undeniable beauty, I don’t rate them, as I’ve often had cakes past their optimum freshness). I do however like Talo and The Loaf. The Loaf sells an excellent version of the Basque cheesecake – a good alternative to the famous one at La Viña.

Ibai

If you're up a little later (or like me, enjoy a second breakfast), there are more options from about 10ish. This can be an especially good time to get your hands on a freshly cooked tortilla.

Ibai

This brings me to Ibai. Originally operated by the legendary Alicio Garro, the first and long-running incarnation closed its doors during the pandemic.

Ibai

Fast forward to early 2024, and the multi-Michelin-starred Paulo Airaudo has reopened Ibai. A regular of the original, Paulo has not sought to put his stamp all over Ibai v2, but, with his passion for quality, has remained faithful to the original.

Ibai

Open from 10 am to 4 pm on weekdays (closed at the weekends and evenings), Ibai must be considered amongst the best places to eat tortilla and, at just €3 per portion, it's certainly not the most expensive.

Ibai

As well as their much-lauded menu in the basement restaurant, in the ground-level bar, Ibai serve a small yet typical array of cold pintxos and a high-quality selection for order, fresh from their kitchen.

Ibai

Some - due to the premium ingredients - are expensive; others are competitively priced, ensuring that they continue to appease and maintain local customers and not just attract international gourmands.

Cafe con Leche Bar

A stone’s throw away from Ibai, you'll find Cafe con Leche Bar. This tiny café, populated almost exclusively by ‘hit and run’ locals grabbing a quick refuel, is also one of my favourites off the regular tourist trail. Service is always friendly. In the evening, it's a great spot for a vermut.

Casa Vallés.

My next tip is a place that is firmly on the tourist trail, Casa Vallés. However, most tourists tend to swing by for La Gilda.

Casa Vallés.

Not only was this perfectly strong, salty and pickly snack on a stick created at Casa Vallés in the late 1940s, La Gilda is heralded as the first-ever Basque pintxo.

Casa Vallés.

Although the doors are open all day – ideal for those seeking La Gilda and other cold pintxos and charcuterie - I like to visit Casa Vallés when the kitchen is open and order the delightfully rustic Pochas con chorizo.

Casa Vallés.

Back to the bar-top pintxos, I must mention their Boquerones ajo y pereji. They are decent-sized and very reasonably priced. You can get a pintxo-sized portion, but, trust me, at €8.50, you'll not regret ordering the media ración (half plate).

Gran Bar La Espiga

Also in Centro, Gran Bar La Espiga is another of my top tips. The must-order here are the Antxoas Getaria. These are served ever-so-slightly warmed, which makes mopping up the garlicky oil, with the accompanying crusty bread, heavenly.

Antonio Bar

One final tip for the Centro area is the original Antonio Bar. Whilst the newer Boulevard outpost, with its prime location and large outside seating, is definitely a tourist haven, the original serves the same high-quality food, albeit to a more local clientele.

Itxaropena 1910

Moving back to the old town, the more popular places tend to open for lunch between 12 pm and 4 pm. Then again, from 7 pm to about 11 pm.

Atari Gastroleku

Whilst some places remain open all day, this is often for cold, bar-top pintxos - the kitchens are typically only open for hot dishes at the times already stated. This applies to places like Atari Gastroleku, Gandarias, Itxaropena 1910 and SiriMiri.

Bar Sport

Places that serve hot food throughout the day - cocina ininterrumpida - tend to be the least popular places where quality can vary greatly. Although, as always, there are exceptions, such as La Cepa and Bar Sport.

Bar Sport

Once predominately populated by locals, Bar Sport is one place that has become increasingly touristy over the years.

Bar Sport

If you can catch them at a quiet time, their Foie a la plancha (grilled foie gras), Txangurro al Horno (baked crab) and Crema de Erizo (curried sea urchin cream) are amongst their celebrated dishes.

Txepetxa

Now let's talk about those big-named places that will likely be on every visitor’s hit list. Chiefly, Borda Berri, La Cuchara de San Telmo, Ganbara, and Txepetxa.

Paco Bueno

Then, to a lesser extent of popularity: Casa Urola, Paco Bueno, Goiz-Argi, La Mejillonera, Martinez and Tamboril.

Borda Berri

My two absolute favourites, Borda Berri and La Cuchara de San Telmo are very similar in terms of popularity, menu and vibe.

Borda Berri

Firmly on the tourist trail, most customers arrive with a favourited link on their smartphones, detailing must-have dishes. Often these dishes, whilst good, may not necessarily be the best things on the menus, which do have some seasonal variations.

La Cuchara de San Telmo

Despite often being packed, every time I eat at Borda Berri or La Cuchara (usually 2-3 times per trip), I invariably manage to secure my favoured spot at the bar. Here, and at Txepetxa, flexibility is the key (and I'm not talking about my ability to do the splits).

Borda Berri

If they look too busy, or there’s a long queue, walk on by. Head somewhere else on your list. If all are busy, pop into a less popular place and order a lighter pintxo (resisting the temptation to fill up on bread!) Then, swing back by and try again – patience usually pays off, and you’ll eventually catch them between large groups and snag that coveted spot.

Ganbara

Ganbara is a little different. Since the pandemic, they have controlled the numbers allowed in; a poor, beleaguered chap does his best to juggle the masses.

Ganbara

Again, the rule here is patience; keep swinging by, trying to catch the queue when it’s at its shortest. Once inside, the place is at least now less sardine-tin-like than in pre-pandemic days.

Casa Urola

Although still busy, the likes of Casa Urola, Paco Bueno, Goiz-Argi, Martinez, Txuleta Bar and Tamboril do not have the same queue issues as those places already mentioned. You may have to pass by once or twice to catch the optimum moment to slide on in there. Again, patience is the key.

Martinez

This may all sound like a bit of a faff, but in reality, for me, it’s part of the charm of the old town. Walking around allows a chance to people-watch, build up that appetite, browse the boutiques and generally take in the atmosphere.

On egin!