If you come to San Sebastián and don't stop at Bar Néstor, you've skipped one of the city's great…read moreculinary rituals. This tiny, high‑energy bar in the Parte Vieja is famous for doing just a few things -- and doing them with absolute conviction. The lineup is legendary: the txuleta steak, the tomato salad, the Padrón peppers, and of course, the tortilla that sells out instantly. They make only two tortillas a day, and getting your name on the list feels like joining a local rite of passage. Here's the twist: although the tortilla is the most famous item, it actually wasn't our favorite version in the city. It's still fun to chase, still a cool story to tell, but the real stars of the meal were the steak -- charred, juicy, perfectly salted -- and the tomatoes, which taste like they've been engineered for maximum summer. They only make 2 tortillas a day, so you have to stand in line before they open to get a reservation for a slice. Inside, it's tiny, loud, and joyful. The staff runs the place with precision and a wink, and even when it's packed shoulder‑to‑shoulder, it feels like you're exactly where you're supposed to be. Come early, come hungry, and come ready for a meal that feels like a Basque rite of passage -- tortilla hype and all.

Bar Nestor is one of those Old Town legends that actually earns the legend. It's tiny, slammed, and…read morelaser-focused on a few things they do better than almost anyone: the once-or-twice-a-day tortilla (you put your name down before service and pray), the txuleta that comes out perfectly salted, tomatoes and padrón peppers in season, and a handful of small plates that remind you why Basque cooking is among the greatest in the world. Our favorite bite here wasn't even the gorgeous stuffed ravioli, it was a "noodle" dish where the noodles are actually spiralized squid. Silky ribbons of txipiron, barely kissed by heat so they stay tender, tossed with good olive oil, a little oniony sweetness, herbs, and a snowfall of grated cheese (Idiazabal-like in flavor). Simple, clean, and surprisingly creative at the same time. Exactly what Donostia gets right at its best. The room is a crush (in the best way), the team is friendly but no-nonsense, and the whole operation runs very predictably: show up early if you want tortilla; be ready to stand; order the classics and whatever seafood they're excited about that day.

Alright. Last morning of my summer in Europe , last breakfast with afelyn for a second. You know we…read moreeating good. You know we stay blessed. You can trust us to end up in the right place no matter the weather. Anyway enough about me myself I and her, the food at this place was fantastic, and the perfect pregame for a bus ride to Bilbao , flight to Lisbon, a 60 hour layover, and a big ol flight across Atlantico to Boston before I drive up to the Notch and see my grandma. Great service, great vibes, great sandwich toasty thing, MUST DO !!! GREAT SPECIAL CUISINE CHEAP FAST FUN COZY Thanks cheers

Incredible service and delicious sandwiches! We stopped here after a morning of shopping it was…read moredelightful!

It was around 11 am and I was surprised this place was open and serving pintxos and coffee. Seems…read morelike my clock is just in line with Spain and this was my first name of the day. The coffee wasn't as good as I've had another places, and I asked for a Caliente pitxo, which is supposed to be made fresh. He however, folded from under the bar and it was barely lukewarm. Only good part was it had nice flavoring. It's a small space with standing room only, but has a WC.

Simple, old-school, and delicious. This place excels at old-school pintxod. No elaborate…read moreMichelin-star touches. No 21st-century twists. Just beautiful peppers, amazing fresh bread, blood sausage, and other sausages. Made fresh in-house and served by a couple of older gentlemen who could not possibly have been sweeter to me and my wife. It's the sort of spot where, when you're finished with your pinchos, you toss the wrappers and napkins on the floor and head out. I absolutely loved the vibe in here. As low-key as it could possibly get. The pace is unhurried, but the food reaches you quickly, and you will be blown away by the quality of the sausages, the peppers, the olives, the cheeses, the anchovies and sardines, and all the other basics done so flawlessly that you'll want to come back again and again. A special request for blood sausage was happily honored despite it needing to be stuffed and cut fresh. A perfect place to begin your Donostia journey, because you'll get Basque food as it is, not a fusion or an elevated reinterpretation. Plenty of places in the Old Town do modern takes very well, but this is the fundamentals, executed with perfection.

Great modern pintxos bar with cheap alcohol and some great pintxos. I wasn't a huge fan of any of…read moretheir seafood pintxos, but the fried calamari was good. The pork bite with a crispy exterior served with baby peas, cheese crisp and an egg yolk was by far my favorite. The pork top was SO crispy and flavorful, mixed with the softness of the yolk/peas and the crispy cheese was one of my favorite dishes. Next up was their dessert, both dishes we tried were very good but the French toast dish was phenomenal. Crispy top layer with a tender interior and delicious ice cream! The parfait like dish we had was a base layer of caramelized apples, then cream and topped with cookie crumbles. It was also good but not as good as the french toast.

One of the first restaurants we went to in the area. Food was excellent. The oxtail ravioli was…read moreprobably my favorite. Pork belly was good too. We made a reservation which was a good thing considering all the people crowded around the bar and entryway.

Amazing. We stopped looking for something that wasn't all bread. Food was fabulous. I ggot…read moremonkfish....Best we've had in spain. Husband got steak. Amazing. Dessert was sorbet with cava. It's like a champagne drink. Amazing. I got the cheese plate and it was perfect. The ocotpusoctopus salad remarkable. Hubby got the iberico ham ans it was the best we've had in spain. Loved this place and service excellent. Wine was great. Well worth the stop. A MUST eat.

By far the best breakfast situation in San Sebastian. You won't find anything hot other than toast,…read moreso if you need eggs, better go find something else. But for coffee, pastries, toast (croissant or bread of your choice), etc, it can't be beat. They have gorgeous pastries and decent coffee, a beautiful setting and a great terrace looking at the park. Even in the height of the season, I didn't have trouble getting a seat for breakfast.

The best meal so far in Spain! The hot pintxos are delicious! My favorite was the pulled beef with…read moretomato sauce. It was so flavorful and warm. Second favorite item was the Iberian Fan Skewer. The meat had the perfect about of lean and fat. It was flavorful and each bite was perfect with the meat and vegetables. Another favorite was the potato omelet. This was great value and so good! The mixed salad dressing was great. The mushroom and prawn skewers were such a perfect combination. Service was awesome! There were indoor and outdoor seating available. Bar area for people to grab quick drinks and pintxos.

One of many bodegas in the Gros Area. Clean, kinda hip and a good value. I had a grilled asparagus…read moreand egg special. It was delicious. Service was good but they were pretty busy

We had the duck and the fried pork ears and they were so good!!!! the place is packed but don't let…read morethat stop you from trying this place, they have one of the best pinxtos at San Sebastian! Price is amazing with what you're gonna get!

I gave this place one star because the woman working at the front was extremely rude. She seemed…read moreannoyed that customers were ordering food and treated people with little patience or courtesy. I understand that it can get busy, but customer service is a big part of the job, and her attitude made the experience unpleasant. What stood out most was that she was so dismissive and unfriendly toward several customers. Her behavior was so off-putting that it took away from my ability to enjoy the food, which was actually good. If dealing with customers is that frustrating for her, a position with less public interaction might be a better fit.

You've seen this spot all over social media when searching for popular food destinations in San…read moreSebastian-Donostia, and I can concur that the best Tortilla Española is found here. (Yes, we've tried other pintxo bars as well) Locals and tourists line up daily for this breakfast of Champions. Only a certain number of Tortillas are made daily, and when they're gone, they're gone. We were in San Sebastian the first week of May which is kinda like their shoulder season for tourists, so we had no problem on missing out.(Best time to come is between 8:30am-11am according to one of the workers)Trust me, one portion IS NOT ENOUGH , so follow this pro tip and get yourself TWO ORDERS. Simple ingredients, big flavors of the caramelized onions, potatoes, and green peppers seasoned perfectly with salt and binded with just the right amount of eggs(30 per tortilla) just HEAVEN! Oh, but don't stop there. Get what they call their Classics. Four of their most popular pintxos. I remember the Crispy Oxtail, and the scallop pintxo, but can't remember the other two. Ambiance is noisy and vibrant, service is quick and pleasant, and this is one pintxo bar you may find yourself returning to time and time again.(We went four out of the 5 days we were here.) *see Mark Wiens San Sebastian YouTube video to see how the time consuming tortilla is made

On a food tour with Culinary Backstreets in San Sebastian, we are headed to Bar Antonio near the…read morebeach for an absolute gem. The local guides words. We sat outside near the square under the umbrellas and watching people. Our guide prepped us on the history and story of this stop. The city and setting are beautiful. We are excited to explore this idyllic town in the northwestern corner of Spain. One dish, one stop on an evening of many favorite pintxos in the area. Luckily, we are walking from stop to stop so we don't develop the pintxos pooch. To our table is delivered a wedge of what looks like an omelet or pie. The guide explains this is no ordinary omelet but a world renowned "best Spanish omelet". He was absolutely correct. The light, juicy, savory and fluffy Spanish omelet is delicious. There is a sweetness from the peppers and carmelized onions, yet a perfect marriage of flavors. It have great moistness, yet not soupy. If you are entertaining for brunch or breakfast, go to Google and watch the video on how this is done at this spot and in this city. I have said in the past that I could easily skip breakfast, but if this was on the menu, I would have to rescind that statement. To the chefs at Antonio, great job and thanks for showing me what a great omelet is.

Service was good and restaurant was nice not too crowded and lots of options to choose from on the…read moremenu. They also had the menu in english which is helpful. We opted for a few pintxos for lunch while we were visiting town. We also had a couple of drinks my husband got whiskey with coke and I asked for a local cocktail since I'm not much of a wine drinker. I was handed a cup of pacharán which was a bit strong but was nice to try something different. The pintxos came out one at a time which was nice we were able to fully enjoy each on their own. The bao was the only one I didn't really like mostly the bun part. It didn't taste like it was cooked all the way and was a bit gummy and there was not a lot of meat filling. Next was the lamb which was really tender and flavorful. The couscous was ok nothing special and not much seasoning to it. Then the beef cheek and mashed potatoes came out which was the star of the pintxos that we had. It was also very tender and the mash was also cooked perfectly. All of this was shared between the two of us and was very filling. The waiter let us know that some of the pinxtos could also be ordered in a full size if we wanted. We enjoyed sampling the pinxtos and would definitely recommend coming here to get a taste of local cuisine.

This was our introduction to the ultra-clean and simple flavors of basque cuisine, served with an…read morealmost impossible degree of finesse and precision with some of the freshest ingredients imaginable. We were pressed for time, but the beef cheek here fell apart in our mouths and was married with a perfect red wine sauce over pillowy smooth mashed potatoes, and the shrimp were unbelievably delicate and cooked perfectly, with just the right amount of gremolata to compliment but not overwhelm. Delicious.

When we got into the restaurant, we were seated right away. My parents got the tasting menu and…read moreBeing a kid, I got the kids plate. Within 10 minutes, we got the food. Even the smell made me hungry. The kids menu has soup, fried rice and really good chicken with sweet sauce. (I would recommend after eating the chicken, pour the sweet sauce on the fried rice.) my parents said everything they got was good. The desserts that came with the kids menu was fried banana with chocolate ice cream. The atmosphere was very good and in total, we would come back anytime and recommend it to anyone. --a review written by a 13 year old.

One of the very few Asian restaurants in San Sebastián, but by far the best! The menu options are…read morevast spanning various Asian cultures such as Japanese, Chinese,Thai and Vietnamese. I tried the sushi, dim sum, the duck noodles and a chicken dish and everything was off the charts! The atmosphere is a little upscale so dress to impress and the service is superb! I highly recommend Tsi Tao if you're in the mood for some Asian delights and even if you're not you'll leave feeling completely satisfied and probably planning your next trip back!