We enjoyed a terrific dinner at this small restaurant in the heart of Pamplona. There's a busy bar…read moredownstairs with tapas and drinks. Upstairs is a delightful restaurant that's a favorite with locals. The service here is impeccable and the food was fabulous. We started with a grilled vegetable plate -- vegetables are hard to find in Spain in October! We also enjoyed the classic Spanish meal of grilled steak and potatoes. Our waitress recommended a very nice rioja, the wine of the region. That was superb too! We're not normally dessert eaters, but we wanted to extend this lovely experience so we ordered the waitress' suggestion of a chocolate dessert with cafe con leche.

Really delicious pulpo a la plancha. We ordered two! Good service, and yummy desserts.read more

Visited the Ordesa national park in mid June, which is not a busy time. The town was pretty quiet…read moreand a lot of the stores and restaurants were closed. El Duende was pretty busy when we arrived the only table available was all the way in the back next to the bathrooms, we just took it since we were really hungry and tired after hiking all day and trying to find a place to eat in the thunderstorm. Service was kind of slow because we were seated in such an inauspicious location. Both ordered the 3 entree daily special where you can pick each course out of 5 choices. I think that I was successful in all of the items I picked and my SO was unsuccessful. My dishes: salad with avocado and anchovies, grilled lamb and vegetables, and fruit salad SO's dishes: something like a chicken enchilada for appetizer, grilled pork (it was tough), and a flan for dessert

We had an amazing 3 course dinner in this beautiful restaurant. The entrance is decorated with…read moreheaps of gnomes but don't let that put you of. Once inside this tiny brick house you will be seated by a table with table linen and lit candles. After hiking around 20 km in the beautiful Ordesa valley i could have eaten about anything however I paced myself and set of on a culinary journey consisting of a risotto with langoustine, halibut with vegetables and a cheese platter. Oh, please do not miss out on the warm chocolate creation with ice cream for dessert, splendid! I could hardy believe that the set price of this feast was just above 20 euros including bread, water and wine. We opted for another wine than the one included in the set menu and we were so delighted with the food, drinks and service after our dinner. Reservations are recommended since it´s a small and popular restaurant.

Made the trip Donostia to Tolosa for steak. Staff are…read moreefficient but hardly friendly. Get the feeling this place is starting for believe the hype. So the veg is great. The wine list is impressive. The selection of steak is good to look at, but I left knowing I could have done better on the Braai ( look it up). All in all a very serious experience when a little mirth could have gone a long way.

This place was great! You definitely need reservations to get here and it books up fast. Great…read morelooking space with large fridge of meats hanging as soon as you walk in. The owner was there sitting on the table in front. You come here for their meat. It's hand cut and brought to your table before cooking on the fire. There's a large fat cap, which adds to the flavor. It's the perfect combination of beefy flavor and tenderness and they cook it to perfection, almost rare. It's a flavor of meat you won't find anywhere except this area. Their chanterelle mushrooms with egg yolk was delicious, as well as their asparagus with cheese sauce. I don't know how they got the asparagus to taste so good and sweet, we had to order another one. They also have a selection of wine and make delicious cocktails too. If you are in San Sebastián, this place is definitely a must try. Service was outstanding as well.

No Bueno. Came here with the wife. The special in the hotel…read moresaid spaghetti bolegnese, we heard the two tables next to us order the special in Spanish. When we tried to order it in English our waiter magically had no idea what spaghetti was. Instead we got a salad that was only ice burg lettuce and chicken that was just greasy french fries and gross ass chicken strips. Felt a bit discriminated against plus the other food was garbage. I'd look elsewhere.

Great local place near my factory in Spain. Very reasonable pricing and food is super good quality…read more Comes with dessert and wine or cider.

Very good food, service and ambience. highly recommend. Don't be fooled by the bar up front the…read moredining room is lovely in the back

Excellent place. Tapas are really good, not too crowded and fast service. Definitely recommendedread more

I'm not letting anyone reading this in on a secret here...while San Sebastián is known for all…read moretheir Michelin Star restaurants, it's the Pintxos that will be the most memorable and really what foodies come here for. It's like a high end food festival out there, and you just bar hop from place to place eating all these wonderful Pintxos and drinking cold glasses of Txakoli - a refreshing lightly carbonated wine. Everything in Basque Country is local and they have it all. Atari Gastroteka was our first stop, and we showed up right when they opened for the first Pintxos of the day. We focused on the cold Pintxos at the counter, just pointed at whatever looked good and ate it. Some of my favorites were... The marinated red Piquillo Pepper stuffed with tuna salad on a baguette. Smoked Mackerel on tomato bread Smoked Salmon with shrimp, egg, tomato, cream cheese on a raisin walnut toast. Topped with pickled veggie relish. Man this hit every flavor profile perfectly. We needed a 2nd one of those when I went back for Round 2. Jamon with Brie, honey, on dark walnut bread. I'm pretty sure they quickly hit this with a blowtorch to get the honey to caramelize on the Brie and also scorching the bread slightly. I could keep going on....but whatever bites you get here will be fantastic. Best to go with people who enjoy sharing bites, so you can try many different things so you don't get full.

Atari was one of our favorite pintxos stops in San Sebastián. We sat outside in the open-air…read moreseating directly across from the beautiful Basilica of Saint Mary of the Chorus, and the setting couldn't have been better. Watching the square come alive in the evening while dining beneath the illuminated basilica made for a memorable experience. We ordered several pintxos to share, and every dish was excellent. The standout was the Carrillera (slow-braised beef cheek with mashed potatoes), which was incredibly tender, rich, and comforting. The Platillo de Bonito with tuna, anchovies, green peppers, and olives was fresh and full of classic Basque flavors. The Panceta (pork belly) was another highlight, perfectly crisp on the outside and meltingly tender inside. We also loved the creamy Croqueta de Jamón Ibérico, and the Bacalao Confitado con Pil Pil de Piquillos was beautifully cooked, with delicate cod and a silky piquillo pepper pil pil sauce. We couldn't resist trying the Pintxo Especial as well, and it was a great addition to the meal. The staff were warm and accommodating, helping us get a table outside and making us feel welcome throughout the evening. Inside, the restaurant has a lively, authentic Basque atmosphere, but the outdoor seating overlooking one of San Sebastián's most iconic churches makes the experience even more special. If you're looking for traditional Basque pintxos in a fantastic location, Atari is an easy recommendation. We'd happily come back on our next visit.

The challenge: start looking for somewhere to eat on the French side of the border at 1 PM…read more Typically this would not be a problem on the Spanish side in the Basque Country, or in more urban parts of the French side. We figured 1 PM would be a good time to start looking in Baigorri, more than mere hamlet but less than a city. The one establishment open for business had absolutely no food, would not even make us a sandwich. So we forged ahead toward Banka. The lone bar there was abandoned - it was wide open, the TV was blaring, but not a soul in sight, even after ringing the bell on the bar. At that point we simply resigned ourselves to the fact that we and our two hungry kids were not going to find anything to eat until we would arrive in Iruñea some hours later, and started up the grade towards the border. On the right side of the highway, we came across Auberge Bidartea, which turned out to be our oasis. Run by two older ladies, they informed us that normally they had stopped serving by that time, but they'd whip something up for us. The brought out a tureen of lentils, followed by steak and chips. Nothing out of the ordinary for everyday Basque fare, but it was prepared to perfection, and saved the day for this hungry family. Very affordable as well.

Proceed here directly…read more Finding a place to eat pinxtos is overwhelming in San Sebastien because there are so many. Some cater to late night drunks and offer mostly sandwiches, this one is casual and yet memorable. I believe it is family run, and the feeling is that they take great care and pride in their offerings - their bar is not overladen which curiously makes it inviting. There is little English spoken here, but it doesn't feel awkward to be a foreigner who is new to the ways of pinxtos. Summon up all your bad Spanish and nerve, and ask for the beef cheeks or the foie gras, as they make it to order. They are rightly proud of those dishes and will bring them to you but you have to ask. The house rosado or cider is a perfect accompaniment to all.

Worth a visit. Don't limit yourself to the cold pinxos, the warm small dishes are absolutely…read moreexcellent and worth finding this fine establishment. The service is very smart and friendly. Put this place on your list and ask for the small pork and beef dishes.... and s glass of Rioja!