A must-visit for made-to-order, highly seasonal pintxos while in San Sebastián. Casa Urola features…read morea downstairs primarily for pintxos enthusiasts (made-to-order and pre-made pintxos paired with txakoli) and an upstairs sit-down restaurant for a more elevated experience. Both were highly recommended to me, but given my very ambitious food itinerary for San Sebastián, I opted for just the made-to-order pintxos downstairs. I found Casa Urola lively and busy, but not claustrophobic the way some of the other famous spots in Old Town can be, which was a HUGE plus. Coming on the earlier side of the evening crawl, I was actually able to snag a seat after ordering based on staff recommendations: the mushroom tart, the pumpkin and artichoke, and of course txakoli. The made-to-order menu is offered in both English and Spanish, which was a huge plus for an English-speaking tourist like me. Both pintxos were fabulous, highly seasonal, and ended up being favorites of the entire evening's crawl. I ended up sharing a table with another solo traveler and it was so fun to compare orders and see what we each thought was best. My biggest regret is that I was honestly still too full from my lunch crawl to try more. I wish I had been able to squeeze in another visit before I left San Sebastián, but alas, I'll have to save it for next time!

A highlight of downtown Donostia. Casa Urola is a classic on Fermín Calbetón with a lively pintxo…read morebar at street level and a calm dining room upstairs. The kitchen (long led by chef Pablo Loureiro) leans into market-fresh Basque cooking: seafood and vegetables cooked simply and precisely, often kissed by the grill. Service is warm and polished and a cold glass of Txakolina feels made for this room, or standing just outside at a high top, as we did. Dish-wise, my runaway favorite was the artichoke hearts, charred and buttery, sitting in a golden, silky sauce with little shards of jamón and nutty crumbs. I could have eaten twenty. A seared scallop arrived in a light, foamy sauce, topped with a tangle of crisp seaweed and a few toasted seeds. Sweet, briny, and rich without being heavy. Don't miss the cheese-and-pine-nut tartlets: flaky pastry, caramelized onions, and molten Basque cheese (think Idiazabal vibes) scattered with pine nuts. Everything landed perfectly seasoned and balanced. We paired it all with Txakolina and left plotting a return just for those artichokes. Classic Basque cooking here with a faint French twist that left us wanting more - but of course, it was time to continue eating our way down the street.

We celebrated our wedding anniversary in Juanito Kojua, and we had a wonderful meal here. This is…read moreactually one my favorite meals in San Sebastián. The decoration of this restaurant feels very traditional Basque to me. There are a lot of wood furnitures with carving that represent the Basque culture, which I appreciate. And although it does not look much from the outside, they have a pretty big space considering it is in the old town arena and most restaurants and bars are narrow and small. Both of us chose their seasonal set meal. They offer a few choices from each course. And we did not regret our choices. The food was simply delicious and hearty. The staffs were tentative and nice. They tried their best to understand us and helped find the wine we wanted. I highly recommend this place if you find yourself in San Sebastián and want to have a nice sit down dinner with great food and reasonable pricing.

Absolutely one of the best meals I've had at a Michelin rated restaurant. The food was…read moreoutstanding! We got the preset menu and it was the bomb. Delicious and very well prepared. Service was very pleasant and attentive. The restaurant was very beautiful with a large beautiful stained glass window and rustic beams. White linen table cloth above all we were given an amuze bouche of fish and it was divine.

Excellent pintxos and Sangria. Walk up to the counter and pick a few out. Definitely worth your…read morevisit.

The best tapas I had in all of Spain and note that I have visited Madrid, Sevilla, San Sebastian…read more(Donostía), Pamplona, Zaragoza and Barcelona. We had six or seven different tapas and I cannot decide which one was the best. They were all outstanding. We had mushroom croquetas and pan con tomate. Also excellent.

Bar Sport is an amazing spot for pintxos and one of my favorites in San Sebastián…read more The standout here is definitely the crab based pintxos. If you like crab pâté, this is absolutely the place to go. Rich, flavorful, and incredibly satisfying. The whole place has that classic lively pintxos bar energy that makes San Sebastián so special. A must stop if you are exploring the food scene here.

It was nice and I enjoyed my experience. A typical pintxo bar - very crowded and lively. A glass of…read morewine and a pitxos or two and onto the next place (usually next door) Too bad there is no experience like this in the US. It means you would have to put your phone down and actually have a conversation. Perish that thought!

Best of the tapas bars we checked in Donostia The staff…read morewere awesome, the shrimp, wine and tomato salad were top of the list!

These mushrooms! Amazing and worth waiting for. Great fois gras. This was one of our favorite…read morepintxos stops. Good variety, friendly service and good vibe here. Top notch.

Was super excited for the restaurant but left quite underwhelming…read more Menu is very small so we tried quite a few. Honestly the best thing was the additional €6 PP welcome bites, bread, and fries. The Turbot and Scorpion Fish was simply grilled but they are already fatty and soaked in oil, wasn't served hot so the oil became pretty thick already. Everything else was also underwhelming. Like- okay! Best thing might be the Kokotxas it did tasted better than Ganbara but nothing mind blowing. Service was extremely slow as there's only one somm, one server to take order, the rest just serve for the entire restaurant. The dessert was also kinda a joke €20 for so-called souffle but it's more like a lava center brownie.

Elkano is ranked among the world's top restaurants so I was thrilled to secure a reservation! It's…read morea bit out of the way located in Getaria but getting there by public bus was surprisingly easy! The views along the journey are absolutely gorgeous! The must-order dish is the monkfish, which was beautifully prepared and quite good! The service was phenomenal from start to finish. Overall, Elkano is well worth the trek. Getaria itself is an incredibly charming town with stunning scenery, making the entire experience feel special beyond just the meal.

Believe all the 5-stars! Worth the 40min wait. We arrived early and they opened 15min late, all…read moreworthwhile. Staff, both front & back, were exceptional. No bad attitudes displayed considering the sheer volume of people & chaos. The four cooks churned out food like soldiers...major kudos to the young team. My only suggestion would be to redirect the line to the second door that leads to the outdoor dining. People didn't know to move forward b/c all the people waiting blocked the flow. I'd also get rid of the round tables outside and build a long skinny standing table. Favorite was the hake. I usually avoid seafood due to sensitivities but what the hey, a bite here & there on holiday won't kill, plus, if you're gonna risk it, this region is as good as it'll get for clean seafood. The scallop was my 2nd favorite. We didn't get the beef cheeks b/c we were going to have steaks later...wished we had, looked divine. If there's just 2of you, opt for the smallest so you can chomp on different pintxos.

I feel so bad writing this review because the place is crowded and there's usually a wait. But it…read morewas the best food we had in San Sebastián, better than the Michelin places. I will be dreaming about their lamb for the rest of my life. Service is cramped and chaotic, but friendly. Limited drinks list. But none of that mattered

This was our first dinner in San Sebastián, made reservations ahead of time, because I heard so…read moremuch about their Txuleta steak. It lived up to expectations in every way. This steak is a much older cow (8 to 18 years old) than your normal US cow (1-2 years old). It's literally aged beef all those years while grazing, working, and milking. Such an amazing flavor. This is what we came here for. 40 oz of bone in ribeye for the table. Tabla de Iberico (half portion). This was the best charcuterie we had while in Spain. 4 amazing meats, definitely start your meal with this. Jamon Iberico de Bellota - stole the show, due to eating nothing but acorns, has such a nutty taste to it. But loved the other 3 as well. Chilled Spider Crab - this is another don't miss dish, although you can get it on Pintxos here and other places, this presentation in the crab shell is great. And it was the best crab salad we had anywhere. Txuleta 44 oz Bone-in Ribeye. They don't ask how you want it, it comes beautifully rare, nice crust on the outside, only topped with some course salt. It's not the most tender steak you've eaten, but the flavor makes up for it. You actually want each bite to last a bit. The fat has truly rendered into the meat here, delicious. Had to try both cheese cakes side by side Cheesecake #1 - House made Basque cheesecake with hazelnut ice cream. This was the winner of the two for me. Maybe not as fancy as the 2nd one. Cheesecake #2 - Rafa Gorrotxategi "Gandarias" Cheesecake with butter ice cream. This had an interesting top that was an apricot caramel glaze and an almond crust. It wasn't as sweet as the first one. Pretty though. We did return a few days later for their Pintxos and everything was delicious at the bar side as well. Can't see myself coming back to San Sebastián without eating here.

Mistral Coffee & Bakery has some very good ensaimadas and is definitely worth stopping by…read more I tried a few, but my favorite was the one with the cream filling. Soft, buttery, and perfectly balanced without being overly sweet.