A must-visit for made-to-order, highly seasonal pintxos while in San Sebastián. Casa Urola features a 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! read more

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A highlight of downtown Donostia. Casa Urola is a classic on Fermín Calbetón with a lively pintxo bar 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. read more

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Top notch restaurant with super tasty food and a very friendly staff. Very relaxing family like atmosphere. Make a reservation well in advance and you won't regret it. read more

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Terrible service! Took forever (35 minutes) to get entrees. Inattentive unprofessional service. Not at all Michelin quality service. Unapologetic and rude. read more

Great food and nice staff. My kids loved the steak, and we had the tuna tartare and the fish special. The restaurant had a great atmosphere and it was not too noisy. Highly recommend! read more

I love this place! Amazing seafood bites if that's what you're looking for. I only had a few seafood dishes... we went there for scallop every night and the desserts! It isn't overly sweet. They were out of lobster since they were about to close for the season. Just delicious! The vibe isn't quite like the more local / tourist pintxos bars. Definitely more for mature foodie. Yes they have a bar area and they have an upstairs restaurant too! Would love to explore on another trip! I went off season so it was manageable and staff were nice. read more

Casa Urola - An amazing version of pain perdu with coffee ice cream. You won't be disappointed - Basque Near Me - Donostia / San Sebastián, SS

Currently ranked in the top 3, big thanks to the French Toast. We had it in a few other places and so far Urola's was the best! Do check the schedule though because it's not open everyday. Mushroom Tart and the Scallop with Seaweed & coffee vinegrette were also very delicious. read more

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Vale! What an incredible place to kick off your evening. Yeah, the pintxos were ridiculous, txakoli fantastic, but the best part was the conversation with the staff. Their recommendations were impeccable! Do yourself a favor and make this one of your first stops while in the city. Oh yeah, Bourdain approved, so you can't go wrong. read more

My last meal in Donostia and it did not disappoint! It's a nicer sit down restaurant compared to the surrounding pintxos bars, but it was also very touristy, as in everyone eating there seemed to be tourists. It turned out fine since the food was so good, but also meant it was a pricier meal. We started off with the octopus and grilled baby pea starters. Both were amazing, the octopus was cooked perfectly and the addition of the bacon chunks to the dish really elevated the flavors. The pea dish was also equally delicious, it was my second time having the baby peas here and they were delicious with the egg yolk. For the entrees we got a bay of Biscay lobster that was good, it was sweeter than what I'm used to in the states and they don't serve it with butter. They do serve it with a mayo/aioli but I skipped out on that, it was good on its own. We also got the hake chunks with roasted peppers, it was a good dish but I had a better hake cheek at a pintxos bar. Lastly, for dessert we got the mojito sorbet and the caramelized toasted bread with coffee ice cream. Both were good, the mojito looked like a drink rather than a scoop of sorbet but the best part was the caramelized bread. It was sooooo good, crispy exterior and soft interior, the balance of flavors were perfect. The only thing I would have changed was the ice cream flavor, coffee is a little much I would've preferred vanilla bean, but that might've just been me. read more

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Nice selection of wines listed on the chalkboard ranging from 1.50-3.00 euros a glass. The server spoke English and offered half portion racion and answered my questions. Selection of pinxtos on the bar were primarily fish without bread, which is good for anyone gluten free. The scallop was presented in a white sauce with a toasted flavor from the topping, which appeared to be toasted almonds. read more

Casa Urola - Scallop - Basque Near Me - Donostia / San Sebastián, SS

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The best pintxos in San Sebastián to me. The anchovies we had to repeat, fresh and not to salty, the dessert was out of this world and the local wine served was great. Highly recommend this place. It also has a restaurant upstairs and reservations are highly recommended. The older waiter is a bit condescending so make sure you get the younger waiter who is awesome. read more

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These pintxo places are so small. We came during a festive week, and every place was JAMMED packed, We were elbow to elbow with other patrons and had to eat quickly so others can take our place. Ordered their famous octopus skewer which was tasty. I definitely wished I had more room in my tummy to try the caramelized toasted bread with coffee ice cream! Maybe next time!! If you're vegetarian, good luck surviving on pintxos. Mostly pork and seafood! read more

Really excellent spot for dinner at the restaurant or for pintxos at the bar. Dinner - Monday night: Our dinner was awesome. We started with the anchovies & tuna appetizer & grilled squid appetizer. The squid was divine - juicy and perfectly sauced. Then we had the monkfish & steak filet as main courses. Both were perfectly cooked, delicious. We were pretty full but ended our meal with the caramelized French toast & coffee ice cream dessert recommended by the waitress. It was divine. We paired our meal with a bottle of Sancerre that was the perfect combination of dry & crisp for pairing with our seafood dishes. The service was great & the ambiance was great fir a date - small dining area & attentive waitstaff. I'm so happy we made a reservation here when we were there for pintxos. Pintxos - Friday night: We had three pintxos each & two glasses of wine & left happy & full. My favorite was the Urola which was a lobster salad and my boyfriend's favorite was the foi (liver). We also tried the scallop, shrimp, and anchovies on french bread. They are so well made & you can tell they have a great reputation Bc there were no reservations available for Friday & Saturday. We're going back for dinner on Sunday. Fyi: 1) Make a reservation for dinner. Their dining room fills up several days in advance. 2) We do not speak Basque or Spanish & the servers at the bar spoke English and gave us some great recommendations. read more

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Casa Urola is tucked away in the narrow streets of La Parte Vieja, in the shadow of Monte Urgull. Although you can snack on pintxos downstairs, you can also have a more formal dinner upstairs. The staff is very friendly, and patient if your Spanish (or Basque) is not the best. We enjoyed the food as well, especially the squid with caramelizada onions. read more

We ate in the dining room, not the Pintxo bar. It was the meal of a lifetime. First the service was on par with that of any of the Michelin starred restaurants we have eaten at. Every last detail was carefully attended too. The food was amazing. From the shaved cod with runner beans and potato foam to the grilled squid, to the giant red prawns. I have never had an eating experience like this before. Superb. read more

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We went for part of our pintxos lunch today and enjoyed everything we had. Started with some red wine, white wine and lager - all were good. Then we had the scallop which was served in a cream sauce with garlic that was pan fried to a crunchy consistency. Next, was some excellent squid, very nicely plated. And finally the pulpo (octopus). All delicious. On top of the good food the service was excellent - staff was warm and friendly. Great experience. read more

Casa Urola - Squid pintxos. - Basque Near Me - Donostia / San Sebastián, SS

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So so good - make sure to hit on your pintxos stroll. Tried the scallops on recommendation from a local which were fabulous. Lively vibe, wine was great, some nice nooks with ledges where you can cozy away from the bar crowds and settle in for a bit. read more

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We had the most amazing meal here. Wonderful wine, great service and every dish was perfect. A must visit when in San Sebastián! read more

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We had a confirmed reservation here tonight for 10p, got there 5 min early, and they refused to honor it. Instead, they dismissively offered us a bar seat even when we showed them the reservation and they had tables open. They claimed that "since we made the reservation, the restaurant had become full". Try to figure that one out. Reminds me of the Seinfeld episode about *taking* a reservation vs. *holding* a reservation. They were very rude and customer unfriendly. I would avoid this place. read more

Really enjoyed the pinxtos here. The scallop with almond and garlic cream and coffee vinaigrette is a must as is the green beans with cod. The red-meat eaters also enjoyed the steak with red pepper and a cream of potatoes. Bonus points for seating and air con! :) Our hostess said that also worth trying are: * Wild mushroom tartalet with idiazabal cheese * Octopus brochette with special bacon and potato purée * Grilled fresh foie with an apricot sweet sauce read more

We had some pretty delicious pintxos here, although we had mainly hot pintxos, you can't go wrong with any of them. The ham croquetas were delicious. The squid was nicely cooked, not chewy at all. The taco de buey was a nice piece of meat so tender and tasty. The bogavante (lobster) was a cold pintxo, also delicious and so fresh. They have the pintxos bar on the ground floor with some tables, and a sit down restaurant on the upper level which reportedly serves delicious food. read more

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Wow! What an amazing restaurant! I'm surprised from the lack of reviews as this restaurant was recommended to us by Chef Victor of La Cabrera in Madrid! And true to his word this was one of the best restaurants that we have gone to so far! Here is what we had by pictures: 1. Smoked and pickled sardines on toasted bread 2. Lobster and salmon roe salad 3. Scallops with fried seaweed 4. Foie gras with side salad and caramelized pearl onion 5. Grilled octopus with Panko break crumbs and a Japanese style sauce 6. Jambon and cheese croquettes 7. Seared cod with sundries tomatoes and potato scallop 8. Salted cod in a tomato stew 9. Beef cheek with roasted vegetables and leek foam 10. White asparagus with pink salt 11. French toast with cocoa ice cream! (Amazing dessert) read more

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Wow, the best way to describe my experience here! We made a reservation for upstairs and were greeted with smiles and a friendly welcome. We were given the wine list and the menu, both carefully selected by the family run restaurant. We chose of bottle of delicious Rioja to have with dinner and started with the cod and runner beans and a portion of roasted peppers. We could not have chosen better, the food was phenomenal. The peppers were so simple but perfectly prepared and the runner beans were cooked perfectly. For the main course, we both ordered the fillet of beef which was out of this world. It was served with a sea salt crust and accompanied with some fried vegetables. It was so deliciously that I'm still thinking about it! We shared the dessert which was bread pudding and coffee ice cream - absolutely amazing. I cannot recommend here enough, if it were up to me I would have eaten here every night. read more

Casa Urola - Get a bottle of this delicious wine!! - Basque Near Me - Donostia / San Sebastián, SS

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Nothing on the menu disappointed! Stick with the seasonal selection and you won't go wrong... The presentation is as spectacular as the dishes themselves. And don't shy away from a local Basque wine selection.... read more

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Best tapas in Old Town -- Anthony Bourdain wasn't lying about this place. I came back to this place a second time just to order the amazing green beans, so tender and fresh, booked in a cream sauce with hake and an olive tapenade. Pairs amazingly with some ice cold txakoli, which they pour from a great height for some theater and aeration. Everything on the bar also tastes great, but definitely try their cooked to order menu. Worth squeezing in despite the crowds! read more

Crazy, crazy, crazy! Elbowing our way up to the bar, we just had two pinxtos, but both were amazing! The energy of this place is awesome! It was cool to see the servers bustle around. Would love to come here for a meal one day. But hey, there are so many places to try every which way, we were happy with two little bites of goodness! read more

All pintxos places will now be compared to this one. We tried all the cold ones on the counter and many of the hot ones. Cold highlights are the mackerel and the shrimp with hard boiled egg. For the hot ones, the foil gras was out of this world, but also loved the mushroom tart, croquetas de jamon, the artichoke, and the scallop. Fun place for lunch time with a good mix of locals and tourists. read more

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Of all of the eating and drinking I did in San Sebastian, Casa Urola was by far my favorite pintxos bar in the area. The crowd is a little bit older and more refined than the clientele at some of the other bars in the area. But at this point on my trip, I was sick of dodging 17 year olds drinking kalimotxo and Mahou beer in paper bags. This is not to say that Casa Urola lacked life; the bar was positively buzzing and apparently got that way fairly early in the evening, at around 8pm or so. The waitstaff at the bar politely made small talk with me; at this point I was accustomed to rather gruff barkeeps, so I was happy to feel welcome. The by-the-glass wine list is impressive and covers many of the wine-producing areas of Spain. I felt that drinking anything other than a glass of txakoli (the effervescent white wine that is ubiquitous in this area of Spain) would be a serious error. (The wines here are so nice that to water them down to make a tinto de verano would be a sin.) The pintxos deviate slightly from tradition and are much more gastronomic and upscale than what one normally finds at a pintxos bar at this price point. I ordered a bacalao confit pil pil in a gernika (the green pepper typical of the Basque region) sauce. The bacalao was delicate and flaky and the sauce turned out to be so good that the waiter brought me extra bread to sop up the remnants in my dish, which was quickly empty. I also had a slice of tortilla, which I watched the cook make (I told him that the first slice was mine!). I subsisted on tortilla pintxos on this portion of my trip, some good and mostly bad, and Casa Urola had one of the best: moist without tasting raw and perfectly salted. I probably won't get to be a San Sebastian beach-bum for many months, but when the opportunity presents itself, my first dinner and drinks upon my return will be at Casa Urola. read more

This is an incredible restaurant. Be sure to sit upstairs and order the seafood salad, peas appetizer and the t bone steak. The waitresses are so nice and helpful and this is a 10/10 experience read more

We ate downstairs for tapas and Ribera de Duero. Came here based on recommendations from acquaintances, but unfortunately had a bad experience with super chewy octopus skewer. Mine was delicious and tender with what tasted like a bed of creamy mashed potatoes. But my friend's was inedible and had been chewing for several minutes. Service was a bit stoic. Not bad, but not very friendly, either. Seems like other reviews of this restaurant are glowing. Perhaps an off day for them and for us. read more

Casa Urola - Octopus skewer - Basque Near Me - Donostia / San Sebastián, SS

This was a particularly friendly pintxo bar where we tried some excellent pulpo (octopus) and beef cheeks (although we preferred Borda Berri's version, if you like a darker, richer taste these are recommended). Unfortunately our ordering was a bit confused so we didn't get to try the vainas (green beans) but these were highly recommended by our hotel manager and two guys eating them at the bar! We came fairly late on a Friday so perhaps the rush had died down but I think this place overall has a more relaxed feel. read more

Recommended by an excellent chef at La Cabrera in Madrid, Urola exceeded our expectations with incredible langosta, chuleta, and many other pintxos that warmed our bellies. We arrived relatively early in the evening and somehow stayed three hours just ordering more and more food, assisted by great company and a lively atmosphere that made our first night in Donostia a magical experience. read more

Their seasonal vegetable pintxo (it's written on the board) is always a winner. The last few times I've gone, it's been white asparagus with ham. Their fresh seafood specials (often times, large, beautiful shrimp) are also delicious, albiet a little pricier. They also make a mean octopus brochette. Bonus points for being one of the few pintxo bars open late on Mondays. read more

Great food and attentive service. The restaurant is on the second floor and the main floor was busy. Tapas on the counter, people drinking wine and others waiting for a table or a space to stand. Would love to return for the tapas! The attached photos are of the following in the restaurant. - gazpacho and bread with olive oil - red wine as per pix of bottle - anchovies, Tina and roasted red pepper (appetizer) - black monkfish (main entree) - mille feville cream, apple compote pastry with hazelnut ice cream Also saw other diners with the grouper fish, plate full of some type of Serrano/iberico ham. Everyone looked like they were enjoying themselves. Mucho gracias Casa Urola! read more

Casa Urola - Basque Near Me - Donostia / San Sebastián, SS

We stopped in for three pintxos from the kitchen and WOW! We had the calamari, scallop, and beef and every dish was amazing. Highly recommend. read more

Highlights: scallop with white garlic, lobster solpicon, foie plancha with white beans. Friendly service, especially considering it was our first pintxos stop in San Seb and we were apprehensive! You won't be disappointed. read more

Stopped in for lunch (the upstairs restaurant, not the bar area) and it was fantastic. Lots of locals, and I think that says something.

Good food no doubt about it. Disappointed that a couple of fish courses were not available and that no everyone got their meals at the same time but overall very good. Not cheap. read more

Veal cheek wow. Roasted scallop beautiful. Octopus orgasmic. It's a bit mental when you arrive, but find a perch and you'll figure it out pretty quickly. read more

From all the bars at San Sebastián that we tried during two days of visiting, this one was our favorite by far. Excellent food, wine and service. read more