What a beautiful way to spend a morning. A leisurely meal eaten in the company of the ones you love…read morethe most while watching the light glitter off the bay and people stroll down the boardwalk. It's one of the sweet, tender joys of life. The burger section of the menu is hilarious. They have three or four different classes of burgers culminating in the extra, double supremo. And what makes this specimen the pinnacle of burger creation?? Lettuce, tomato and dressing. That's right Baby, the items that in the US are considered the normal toppings for a burger are, at this establishment, considered extra, double supremo. The burger was good, the Cuban sandwich was delicious, the cafe con leche was amazing!! The pasta was bad but my daughter loved it and they serve it with a fried egg on top so at least it's high on the oddball-o-meter. The food was closer to a three but the location and friendly service bump 'em up to a solid four.

My wife, niece and I had hiked from Donostia for nearly six miles along the scenic Mt. Ulia…read moretrailhead on a warm August day and were in desperate need of a good reward meal as we strolled the waterfront plaza in Pasai Donibane. We came across Yola Berri and grabbed an outdoor table with a stunning view of the water. The food was excellent! We started with a plate of fried calamari. The calamari rings were tender with a crispy crust. Just what we needed. Next up were the patatas bravas, or fried potatoes. They were the best we had during our monthlong stay in Donostia. The potatoes were sliced into small cubes and fried to a golden crisp perfection--warm and perfect for dipping into the hot sauce and aioli sauce that came with the order. In need of some fresh vegetables, we devoured two plates of sliced tomatoes and onions, smothered with extra virgin olive oil and seasoned with salt--a classic Basque dish. In between bites, I enjoyed a glass of cold 18/70 lager as I watched the boats glide along the inlet that abuts this historic port town. We left tired from the hike but satisfied by a great meal!

Hondarribia is an extraordinary town with a gastronomic explosion…read more Few tourists (contrast with Saint Jean de Luz). Little urban blight (contrast with Donastia) Picturesque everywhere. (The ugly stuff was foisted off on the neighboring town of Irun.) And magnificent restaurants everywhere. Ironically - Cafe Exteberria is NOT one of the famous restaurants. If you want the places the New York Times or the food critics love - go down to the waterfront. The critics say - probably correctly - you will eat like a king. Cafe Exteberria is a neighborhood joint. It is in the old city within the ancient city walls. An unusual (and highly desirable) feature of the old city is that there is VERY LITTLE COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT anywhere in the old city. There are not only few tourist stores. There are no stores period stop the end. In the Middle Ages, walled cities had the houses people lived in, a castle and nothing else. If you did business, you did it in the streets. Hondarribia has kept things exactly that way. Not a single house has been knocked down or cleared out for modern business. The houses have been upgraded for modern comforts. (They now have flush toilets instead of people dumping their bedpans in the street.) Everything else has been maintained. So if you want to eat, there are only two choices. There are some tavernas off of the central square. In the southern part of the old city far from the central square, there is Cafe Exteberria. It pretty much only takes care of the locals. It is a wonderful establishment. It carries a small but wonderful assortments of global microbrews. (None from the U.S.. but intriguing examples of Mexican, Danish and Scotch artisanal beers.) There is plenty of Spanish/Basque food and drink. They keep a local red vermouth in a barrel and serve it with fruit and ice. That is a fine fine beverage and I endorse it heartily. They have a nice little menu of sandwiches and pinxtos. We went with the omelet with tuna and the deep fried hot peppers. Fine dishes both. Two additional marks of class. a) The television was set to the Mainland Chinese channel (with Spanish subtitles.) While we ate we watched Chinese telenovelas. The middle aged owner of a business was scheming against his brothers and being morally corrected by the rest of his family. b) The owner has a first rate jazz collection - mostly in vinyl - which she plays as the background music. Great vermouth, fine basque food, Chinese telenovelas, and late fifties jazz vocals. What's not to like?

A pleasant lunch. We ordered from the menu de jour. The paella and the ragou du mouton were good…read more After running from St. Jean de Luz on the coastal trail and walking into the old town, this was the perfect place to have some wine and lunch! The server was very helpful with our limited French. There is seating inside or on a beautiful street outside, with the Courthouse and church in view.

The original bar Desy is cool but it is the size of a fucking broom closet. I mean it rivals some…read moreplaces in Japan that I've been stuffed into. But luckily down the block the owners opened a new shiny large location! and Belgian beers on tap? Like Cantillon? Crazy right? yes but soooo good. THe Burguer de Txuleta is epic and so is the pastrami sandwich. But dont miss the Matrimonio which is quite clasic. the owners are super nice and unfortunately the tourists have kind of caught on. but it's much roomier and more pleasant when you have more than 1 person to join you

Our host, Jen, at Les Almadies Hotel 3 (St. Jean de Lux) recommended we catch a water taxi in…read more Hendaye, FR to Hondarribia, SP for her favorite pintxos in the area. Yes, yes & yes! We met some very nice locals in line who guided us through the menu. The food pics speak for themselves.

This was a very popular restaurant with a giant patio in Hondarribia Spain. Service was good but…read morethey were busy and you had to flag a waiter down. We had an octopus dish and a scallop dish which were fantastic along with a glass of wine and water for about 45 euros. We were going to get more but my daughter had an allergic reaction to pine nuts and we had to race back to the hotel. We were clear that she was allergic to pine nuts before we ordered and they assured us they were not in the dishes but they were. Overall I recommend them but they were more expensive than many of the other nearby excellent restaurants.