A pal on twitter (@Damo_Dee) asked if I had any tips for his
upcoming trip to San Sebastian… this post is an adaptation of the email I sent
him (plus pics). Hope it’s of use to folk. Please add comments if you have any
further advice (or corrections).
“If you’re
looking for a family holiday with food as a secondary thing, then staying near
either of the beaches – La Concha or
over the river in Gros – would be ideal.
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La Concha Beach
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If your
holiday is mainly about food, then staying in the ‘Parte Vieja’ (Old Town) has gotta be the best bet.
That said, on our
previous trip we stayed a little out of town at Hotel Astoria 7 in Amara – although
further from the action, the bus services are excellent. It’s walkable too. There’s
also a fab deli nearby called Don Serapio.
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| View from our apartment steps |
This time, we
stayed at the Santa María apartment (booked through Feel Free Rentals @FeelFreeRentals
). On Calle del Treinta y
Uno de Agosto, close to the porto, la Concha beach & the fab bars of the Parte Vieja,
this was an excellent location .
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| View from our apartment steps |
‘Calle
31 Agosto’ runs along the top of the Parte Vieja. The road has some of the area's best pintxos bars. Each place has different times
opening times – some close completely in the late afternoon; others just shut their kitchens but still have cold selections available.
A good place to start any pintxos crawl from is
Atari Gastroteka – from there you can work your way along Calle 31 Agosto to end at La Viña for their famous ‘Tarta
de Queso’.
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| Atari Gastroteka - Pintxos |
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| Atari Gastroteka - Foie a la Plancha |
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| Atari Gastroteka - Carrillera |
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| Atari Gastroteka - Brocheta de Gambas |
Atari
Gastroteka (Calle Mayor, 18) With
regards to pintxos, they have an extensive selection on the bar & prepare
various hot ‘classics’. Look out for the specials boards above the bar too. Their
outside seating, if you can bag it, is a great place to ‘people watch’ – it
gets the early evening sun.
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| Atari Gastroteka - Bonito, Antxoas y Guindillas |
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| Atari Gastroteka - Tosta de Foie |
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| Atari Gastroteka - Croqueta de Jamón |
The ‘Platillo
de Bonito, Antxoas y Guindillas’ (white tuna, anchovies & guindillas
peppers) & ‘Tosta de Foie mi Cuit’ (foie with toast) &
‘Croqueta de Jamón’ are especially
good.
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| Atari Gastroteka - Espárragos Naturales |
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| Atari Gastroteka - Salmon Citrico con Espárragos |
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| Atari Gastroteka - Merzula |
On our visits, the specials
at Atari Gastroteka included
‘Espárragos Naturales con Salsa
Romescu’, ‘Salmon Citrico con Espárragos’ & ‘Merluza con Ships y Crema de Yuca’ – all
were great!
A
Fuego Negro (Calle
31 de Agosto, 31) [WiFi] A ‘contemporary-style’ place, offering ‘experimental
pintxos’, A Fuego Negro is a little more ‘hip’ than most places… think neons &
a banging soundtrack.
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| A Fuego Negro - Makobe |
They do serve a pinxtos
‘tasting menu’ (which you have to book) but I just like propping up the bar &
grazing. The miniature kobe beef burger, ‘Makcobe with txips’,
is the thing that everyone orders but I think it’s the worst thing on the menu.
For something different, get the ‘Ortiguillas Donostiarras’ (sea anemones). Also, definitely order
the ‘Platiko de encurtidos de kasa’ (home made pickles). Other than that, just order what
you like the look & sound of… it’s all
good. We ate:
‘Txangurro-aguacate-regalíz’ (king crab, avocado, liquorice)
‘Pulpo parrilla, manzana verde, patata violeta & aire gorra’
(grilled octopus, green apple, violet
potato & red air)
‘Paleta de Euskal Txerri’ (Paleta (front leg) of Euskal Txerri ham)
‘Txitxarro, oveja y menta en tosta de cereza’
(horse mackerel, sheep & mint
over cherry toast)
‘Risotto crujiente txuri-black de oveja & txipirón’ (crunchy risotto of sheep &
cuttlefish)
‘Ensalada de espinaca verde, roja, cebolla y queso feta’
(salad of green & red spinach,
onion & feta)
‘Sandwitx helado de maíz & txokolate’ (frozen sandwich of corn & chocolate).
Gandarias (31 de Agosto Kalea, 23) A popular place that I’m not so keen
on. They do good ‘Jamón Ibérico de
Bellota’ but I’d skip this one if pushed for time.
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| La Txuleta - Pintxo de Txuleta |
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| La Txuleta - Txistorra |
La
Txuleta (Plaza de la Trinidad, 2) Named after the famous steaks, as well
as a restaurant, this bar serves a small selection of meaty pintxos. The local
‘Txistorra’ (sausage) & ‘Pintxo
de Txuleta’ are a good start.
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| Bar Martínez - Pintxos |
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| Bar Martínez - Brocheta de Pulpo |
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| Bar Martínez - Patxaran |
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| Bar Martínez - Champi |
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| Bar Martínez - Mejillones Rebozados |
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| Bar Martínez - Revuelto de Hongos |
Bar Martínez (Calle 31 Agosto, 13) Their ‘Brocheta de Pulpo’ & ‘Mejillones
Rebozados’ (like a mussel croquette served in it’s shell) are worth having.
So are the two mushroom dishes ‘Champi’
& ‘Revuelto de Hongos’.
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| La Cuchara de San Telmo |
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| Oreja de Cerdo - La Cuchara de San Telmo |
La Cuchara de San Telmo (Calle 31 Agosto, 28) It’s a bit of a toss up between here &
Borda Berri as to which is my
favourite (although BB probably narrowly wins). There are no counter displays
in either place – pintxos are cooked fresh to order from the chalk board menu.
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| La Cuchara de San Telmo - Cochinillo |
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| La Cuchara de San Telmo - Pulp |
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| La Cuchara de San Telmo - Pulpo "Roca" Plancha |
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| La Cuchara de San Telmo - Manita de Cerdo |
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| La Cuchara de San Telmo - Ravioli de Pato Confitado |
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| La Cuchara de San Telmo - Risotto Cremoso de Sepia |
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| La Cuchara de San Telmo - Bacalao |
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| La Cuchara de San Telmo - Foie |
It’s all
good at La Cuchara but popular dishes &
my faves include ‘Cochinillo Salamancha’
(suckling pig), the ‘Pulpo “Roca”
Plancha’, ‘Oreja de Cerdo’
(pig’s ear) & ‘Manita de Urdangarin
Asada con Romescu’ (trotter).
La
Cepa (31 de Agosto Kalea, 7) [WiFi] The ‘Jamón Ibérico de Bellota’ is a must at La Cepa,
partly due to their gorgeous serving platters. Their ‘Hongos con Yema’ (Porcini mushrooms with egg yolk is also good
here; as it is at Ganbara).
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| La Cepa - Hongos con Yema |
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| La Cepa - Pintxos |
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| La Cepa - Guindillas |
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| La Cepa - Guindillas Fritos |
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| La Cepa - Tarta de Queso |
Some prefer the ‘Tarta de Queso’ at La Cepa to
the more famous one next door at La Viña.
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| Tarta de Queso at La Viña |
La
Viña (Calle 31 de Agosto, 3) As well as the ‘Tarta de Queso’, La Viña is a good place to sample the ‘Txakoli’ wine as they pour it here with
a particular flourish.
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| Txakoli at La Viña |
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| Chorizo a la Sidra at La Viña |
There are other places on Calle 31 de Agosto
but the above selection are the most popular ones – if you try any of the
others, let me know what you had & think.
Going deeper into the Parte Vieja – it
is largely set out on a grid system. Most of streets have bars &
restaurants. There are also places on the ‘Plaza de la Constitución’ (make sure you read the tourist info on the
plaque thingy, it tells you about the history behind the numbered shutters). Bar
Astelena (in one of the
corners) has the most character but I’d swerve the food in the square
altogether.
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| Bar Nestor - Txuleta |
One of the most popular
places in the Parte Vieja is Bar Zeruko but, as mentioned,
my favourite is Borda Berri. The steaks (and tortilla) at Bar
Nestor are also “a must do”.
The
battered prawns (Gamba
Gabardine) at ‘Paco Bueno’ & ‘Hojaldre
con Txistorra’ at Ganbara are widely regarded as “musts” too, but although very good, at the
end of the day, they are just a battered prawn & a sausage roll.
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| Bar Zeruko - Pintxos |
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| Bar Zeruko - La Hoguera |
Bar Zeruko (Calle Pescaderia,
10) With one of the most impressive displays of pintxos, Zeruko is one of the busiest places on the tourist trail.
Many of the dishes have ‘quirky’ presentation. Presented on a mini BBQ, the cod
dish, ‘La Hoguera’ (The Bonfire) is
the thing that everyone orders.
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| Bar Zeruko - Sashimi de Tolosa |
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| Bar Zeruko - Tempura de Langostino |
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| Bar Zeruko - Vieira a la Plancha |
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| Bar Zeruko - Hamburguesa de Txuleta |
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| Bar Zeruko - Kokotxas, Bacalao y Foie |
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| Bar Zeruko - Rollito de Primavera con Cebolleta |
Similarly presented, is the
‘Sashimi de Tolosa’ – this consists
of txuleta from the nearby town of Tolosa, served in three different ways. There
is a kind of pastrami, some seared beef & another which has been marinated
in soy & cider which, along with the shiso leaves, explains the Japanese inspired
name. On top of a black sablé biscuit, the dish is dressed with piquillo aioli & a
black garlic aioli.
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| Bar Nestor - Tortilla |
Bar Néstor (Calle Pescaderia, 11) The steaks are what most people go for
here but they are also famous for their ‘Tortilla’.
They make two a day – one is served at 1pm & the other at 8pm. You need to
arrive a good half hour plus beforehand to put your name down for a piece -
then hang around. This way, you’ll also have a seat for when the kitchen opens &
steak orders are taken.
Bar Néstor also offer a tomato salad & fried peppers, although
these are not sides (they will be cleared before your steak arrives). I’d not
bother unless you are a huge tomato & pepper fan.
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| Borda Berri menu |
Borda Berri (Fermin Calbeton Kalea, 12) My favourite place; I ate the entire menu & it’s all good!). The ‘Oreja de Cerdo con Romescu’ ‘Risotto de “Puntalete” con Queso Idiazábal’ & ‘Kebab de Costilla de Cerdo’ are probably my top 3.
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| Borda Berri - Terrina Caera de Foie con Ciruela |
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| Borda Berri - Arroz "Bomba" con Hongos |
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| Borda Berri - Gazpacho de Sandia con Mozzarella |
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| Borda Berri - Risotto de “Puntalete” con Queso Idiazábal |
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| Borda Berri - Tomate Relleno de Bonito |
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| Borda Berri - Ravioli de Txipiron en su Tinta |
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| Borda Berri - Pulpo a la Plancha con Membrillo |
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| Borda Berri - Merluza a la Plancha con Tauboule |
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| Borda Berri - Kallos de babalao con pil-pil |
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| Borda Berri - Oreja de Cerdo con Romescu |
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| Borda Berri - "Kebab" de Costilla de Cerdo |
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| Borda Berri - Magret de Pato |
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| Borda Berri - Entrecotte con Pesto de Rucula |
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| Goiz Argi - Brocheta de Riñón |
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| Goiz Argi - Callos |
Goiz Argi (Fermin
Calbeton Kalea, 4) I’ve only had a couple of nibbles in this place but they were
decent enough. The place opposite (Txalupa) looks good but I didn’t like it. At
Goiz Argi I had the ‘Callos’
(tripe stew) & ‘Brocheta de Riñón’
(skewered kidneys).
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| Bar Sport - Foie a la Plancha |
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| Bar Sport - Manitas de Cerdo con Hongos |
Bar Sport (Fermin
Calbeton Kalea, 10) [Wi-Fi] Other than the
fact that it has Wi-Fi & is open when a lot of others are shut, there is
something I find particularly charming about Bar Sport. Service is always
friendly, as are the old boys who prop up the bar.
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| Bar Sport - Txangurro al Horno |
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| Bar Sport - Crep de Hongos |
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| Bar Sport - Crep de Txangurro |
The food at Bar Sport is not mind-blowing
but the ‘Foie a la Plancha’
(Grilled foie), ‘Manitas de Cerdo con Hongos’ (pig’s feet with mushrooms), ‘Txangurro al Horno’ (baked spider crab) & ‘Crep de Txangurro’ (spider crab pancake) are all good dishes.
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| Casa Urola - Espárragos Frescos con Mahonesa y Ajetes |
Casa Urola (Fermin Calbeton Kalea, 20) [Wi-Fi] Ramping
up the quality a little, Casa Urola is another popular
place (although not as popular as some on the tourist trail). I had their ‘Espárragos Frescos con Mahonesa’ (white
asparagus with mayo) & their excellent ‘Cazuelita de Ajoarriero’ (‘Mule driver’s casserole’ made with cod &
garlic).
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| Casa Urola - Cazuelita de Ajoarriero |
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| Casa Urola - Ensalada de Primavera con vinagreta de café |
The best dish at Casa Urola was
the ‘Ensalada de Primavera con vinagreta de café’ (spring
salad with coffee vinaigrette).
The coffee vinaigrette is genius (I
have the recipe if you want it) – salad ingredients included habitas
(baby broad beans), zizas (St George’s mushrooms), foie, langostino &
mesclun (small salad leaves).
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| Ganbara - Hojaldre con Txistorra |
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| Ganbara - Croissant con Bacalao Ahumado |
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| Ganbara - Tartaleta de Txangurro |
Ganbara
(San Jeronimo
Kalea, 19) [Wi-Fi] Go for the ‘Hojaldre con Txistorra’ & ‘Tartaleta de Txangurro’ (spider crab
tartlet). They also do good mushroom dishes, good foie dishes & a lovely
smoked cod croissant.
Paco
Bueno (Calle
Mayor, 6) Go for the ‘Gamba
Gabardine’ (battered prawns).
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| Sirimiri - Pulpo a Baja Temeratura |
Sirimiri Gastroleku (Calle
Mayor, 18) This place belongs to the neighbouring Atari Gastroteka.
It’s a cocktail bar that also serves food. Although the menu showed promise,
the dishes I ate didn’t deliver on flavour. Could still be worth a go. The best
of them was ‘Pulpo a Baja Temeratura con Verduras de Temporada’ (slow
cooked octopus with seasonal vegetables). At Sirimiri I also ate:
‘Pan
Bao con Pato y Pepino’ (steamed bao with duck & cucumber)
‘Paella
Thai con Langostinos y Cacahuetas’ (Thai style paella with prawns &
peanuts)
‘Conejo
Confitado con su Jugo’ (confit rabbit in it’s own sauce).
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| Casa Vergara - Caracoles al Estilo de Fitero |
Casa Vergara (Calle Mayor, 21) An old school kinda place, the ‘Habanito’ is the most famous pintxo
here. Although I didn’t have it after cocking up & ordering a ‘ración’ (full sized portion) of ‘Caracoles al Estilo de Fitero’ (snails with marjoram & leek).
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| La Mejillonera - Patatas Bravas |
La Mejillonera (Portu Kalea, 15) With it’s stainless steel counter &
backlit picture menu, this place looks like a chippy. Serving predominantly
mussel dishes, patatas bravas (with a particularly fiery sauce) & Padrón
peppers, I suppose this is San Sebastián’s answer to England’s finest.
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| La Mejillonera - Mejillones a la Vinagreta Refrescantes |
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| La Mejillonera - Padrón Peppers |
The ‘Mejillones a la Vinagreta Refrescantes’
was a beaut!
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| Santa Lucía - Churros con Chocolate |
If you want ‘Churros con Chocolate’, the best place is Santa Lucía
Chocolateria (Portu Kalea, 6) [Wi-Fi]. The place itself & the rest of
the menu is a bit dodgy but the churros are ¡Muy bien!
South of the
Old Town (parallel to Calle 31 Agosto) runs ‘Alameda
del Boulevard’. Aside from getting busses, the only other reasons to go
along here are to visit the Information Centre or access La Bretxa. Upstairs in the old market hall, there is now a shitty mall but head down
to the basement for the market area (& Lidl). It’s good to have a mooch
about the fish & butchers stalls & you can get decent fruits, pastries,
bread, olives, hams & alike.
South of ‘Boulevard’
is Centro. Here you’ll find more shops than bars. There is a Cathedral if you like that kind of
thing & a nice little park with swans called the Gipuzkoa Plaza. You’ll also find the San Martín Shopping
Centre. There are
decent grocers, more fish & meat stalls to mooch around as well as a handy Super Amara supermarket.
Food wise, the best Centro
has to offer, includes:
San Marcial (c/ San Marcial 50) Go for their ‘especialidad de la casa’, cheese
& ham filled ‘Gavilla’.
Bar Rojo y
Negro
(San Marcial
Kalea, 52)
Go for their ‘Brick de Veduras al Curry’.
Open early, they also do an excellent ‘Tortilla’
at breakfast.
Bar La Espiga (San Marcial Kalea, 48) Comes highly recommended for their
anchovies.
Bar Vallés (Calle de los Reyes Católicos, 10) Go for
their Jamón Ibérico de Bellota’.
The ‘Gilda’ is alleged to have
been invented here.
Ibai (Calle de Getaria, 15)
Open Monday to Friday 12:00 to :15:30, Ibai is a
small bar with a highly regarded restaurant below. I’m going to write a
separate post about the meal I had there. It’s supposed to be tough to get a
reservation but I just went on the Monday & asked (in my bad Spanish) &
managed to get a table for the next day. If you’re not planning on visiting the
restaurant, the bar is worth visiting for their ‘Tortilla’ alone.
Bar Antonio (Bergara Kalea, 3) [WiFi] One of my favourites in the central area, there
is a restaurant downstairs but I’ve only eaten at the bar. Another plus is that
they are open Mondays & have WI-FI.
Bar
Antonio do a great selection of cured fish & have a menu of
hot dishes. We had:
‘Antxoa ahumada con cebolla y melocotón’ (smoked anchovy with onion &
peach)
‘Ensalada de Tomate con Ventreseca’ (tomato salad with white tuna)
‘Espárragos Frescos con Mahonesa’ (white asparagus with mayo)
‘Hongos con Yema y Foie’ (Porcini mushrooms with egg yolk &
foie).
‘Foie a la plancha’ (pintxo of foie cooked on the plancha)
Kata 4 Oyster
Bar
(Santa
Katalina Kalea, 4) This is one place in the central area
(further towards the river) that I didn’t get to but looks worth checking out.
Kata 4 is just around the corner from San Sebastián Food’s ‘Gourmet Shop’ (@sansebfood) – a good place to get advice and goodies to bring
back.
Heading over the river
to Gros.
Gros is not an area where I’ve done much
exploration. On my last visit we went to Hidalgo
56 & Bergara Bar. This time we only went to Hidalgo 56.
There are a lot of bars & restaurants on that side Zinema Korner & Ramuntxo Berri are two that have caught my
eye.
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| Hidalgo 56 - Volcán de Morcilla con Pasas, Yema y Manzana |
Hidalgo 56 (Kolon Pasealekua, 15) Hidalgo
56 is another of my favourites.
The ‘Volcán de Morcilla con pasas, yema y manzana’ (Volcano of black
pudding, raisins, egg & apple) is their signature dish. They also serve particularly
good coffee. Highlights of this visit to Hidalgo
56 included:
‘Escalope
de Foie-Gras con Torrija de Melón’ (foie gras with French toast &
melon)
‘Salmorejo con Centollo y Olivada’ (salmorejo soup with crab & olives)
‘Manitas
de Cerdo con Setas y Manzana’ (pig’s feet with mushrooms & apple sace)
‘Tartar Tomate y Antxoas Marinadas’ (tomato
tartare & marinated anchovies).
Bergara Bar (Calle del General
Artetxe, 8) This place has won several awards for its pintxos.
Zinema Corner (De Pinares Plaza, 1)
The mini hamburgers with funky coloured buns are the thing to have & their 'Pastel de Verduras' looks the biz too!
Ramuntxo Berri (Peña y Goñi Kalea, 10)
The ‘Carrillera Ibérica Confitada comn
Salsa de Perdo Ximinez’ looks like the one to have.
Drop me an
email if you need any more help… with practicalities or where to get the best
bread, pastries or breakfasts!
Enjoy
your trip & “On egin” (Basque for “enjoy
your meal”)”
