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.

We went to this place, in part, for a cooking class, and to eat. Chef Alex could not have been more…read moreaccommodating despite the obvious language barrier. He taught us, among other things, the secrets of preparing white tuna and hake. We also learned from his sous chef why snapping potatoes rather than slicing them is important. One of the dishes we helped prepare was hake in EVOO and it was delicious. We also worked on Bacalao Pil Pil, a dish I will never be able to warm up to - but it is certainly important in Spanish Basque Country. Chef's wife was also accommodating - providing us with much needed espresso and demonstrating how properly to pour Txakolina. The long and the short of it is (a) the food was delicious, and (b) the overall experience could not have been better! Would we go back if we come back to this part of the world? In a New York minute!

All was delicious. Highly recommended. Began with pintxos (tapas) Bonito, Croquetas, and Squid…read more(wow) then main dish Bacalao (cod) Ajoarriero one of our best meals in Spain :) besides the view was amazing a few feet from the water overlooking another small beautiful town. It was great!

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.

Absolutely amazing food! The atmosphere was fabulous on a Sunday afternoon with all the locals it…read morefelt authentic and lively. Gustavo is the BEST! He picked out all the traditional pintxos for us, and every single one was incredible. Such a great experience!

Service is great. Food is fantastic. Ambiance is awesome. The beer is cold. Locals seem friendlyread more

Mugaritz is iconic! It is not the best meal you'll ever eat, it is not the most comfortable you'll…read moreever be in a dining setting, and it is certainly not the most enjoyable time you'll have at lunch or dinner. But we're here for art - Mugaritz is truly an expensive piece of art that you get to experience if you so decide to go! I've been to Mugaritz twice, and each time has been extremely unique. Not one repeated course, and the experience overall felt different. The attention to detail and care with which they make the meal at Mugaritz is just stunning, and the overall ability to interact with a staff that so clearly loves their job is so fun! Most recently we had everything from pig snout to roasted bees to a soup that we made a as a group of diners. Every dish was plated beautifully, had a story behind it, and felt like true performance food art. The wine pairing is such a treat because they bring you wines that are mainly collaborations, and you get to try so much during your journey. If you want a good steak go to Casa Julian, if you want to save money eat pintxos in San Sebastian, and if you want the best meal ever go to Azurmendi - but if you want an experience that is truly worth having, spend 4 hours at Mugaritz - you will not be underwhelmed.

This is one of my good friend's favorite restaurants in the world. It is also on the top 10…read morerestaurants in the world list! The expectations were high but I was still nervous to dine here given that they are off the beaten path. Service, setting were on point. The food was a hit or miss for me. The style and element of surprise were amazing but the tastes for were a little offtraditionalist. I guess I am more of a thoughttradinalist than I though.

This was our second Michelin Star restaurant in two days. Quaint old building, approximately 600…read moreyears old in a small town outside of San Sebastián. The service was excellent, not stuffy at all. Prices where normal for a Michelin Star winner. If your out in this part of Spain it's definitely worth the drive. We had choose three appetizers, two main courses and two desserts.

Are there really only 7 reviews on this place? I am honored to be able to give a review on this…read moreplace and feel lucky we were able to get reservations and have this experience. As we were seated at our table I felt like a queen. Never had I experienced service like this. I took a look at the tasting menu (which I had originally planned to do) but none of the dishes caught my fancy. I hemmed and hawed at what to order and finally ended up with....the tasting menu. When in Madrid.... This is one of my favorite meals of all time and may be one of the less wordy of the bunch ("maybe", I haven't finished yet). A dish by dish review is not necessary and cannot give justice to the umami that the night unfolded. With each tasting set before me, I kept asking myself - how can you put so much goodness in such a small little dish? For example, one of my favorites of the night was shellfish to the royal with fennel flavour. Shellfish to what? and fennel... not a fan of fennel. Have you ever had something so good that you want to close your eyes and just take it all in with only your tastebuds? This frothy little portion had layers of flavor you couldn't imagine. A few of which I was able to guess correctly as uni and lobster (pat myself on the back). I loved it all. Each dish in and of itself was uniquely astonishing in its own way. To hit on a couple other surprises - the mashed potatoes were the jam. They were a runny thick consistency and when I asked what made them so good, the waitress answered "lots of butter". The cheesecake was like no other cheesecake. So good that it called for an additional order to close out the night. The wines (recommended by the sommelier) were less expensive than any red wines sold in US restaurants (even the cheaper US brands). I was wined and dined - an experience I can't explain other than using the word amazing. Which by the way, I need to find a better word because it was actually better than amazing.

From the owner: Las mejor cocina tradicional vasca con producto fresco especialidad en menús para grupos grandes,…read moreraciones y platos combinados. También ofrecemos menú del día, hamburguesas y bocadillos excelentes. La mejor calidad precio disponemos de terraza cubierta con servicio de mesas.

Wow! Little more need be said... let the food speak for…read moreitself; you'll just have to get a table and enjoy. Instead let me wax lyrical about the incredible service... world class. Makes you feel like a king but also like family at the same time. That the world's best female chef made time for small talk says it all. Ps Shout out to the concierge at the Maria Christina for the last minute table.

just simply not that good. My party and I enjoyed maybe 40% of the meal. You're in San Sebastián…read more Save your money and have 100 more pintxos.

Great food, nice people. Local flavor, clean and very yummy. Indoor seating, cafe style.read more