Best of the tapas bars we checked in Donostia The staff were awesome, the shrimp, wine and tomato salad were top of the list! read more

Everything is good!!!! Service is great, Ambiance, it is busy especially at night but don't let that deter you, if a place is packed that's where the good food is! read more

These mushrooms! Amazing and worth waiting for. Great fois gras. This was one of our favorite pintxos stops. Good variety, friendly service and good vibe here. Top notch. read more

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The pintxos we had at Ganbara were top notch - all of the food coming out to the tables looked amazing and we wished we had more people in our party to share more dishes with! We got the tart, a white fish pintxo (per our servers recommendation), and foie gras and all were delicious. The foie gras was divine, very rich and flavorful! My partner was a big fan of the recommended pintxo. The wait can be quite long, but the food and service is absolutely worth it! read more

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The food was good! Highly recommended. Great service. Line was long but worth the wait. read more

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need to come in the lunch time if you want to get the mushrooms and razor clams -- sold out at dinner. too popular as a Bourdain spot and Michelin guide mention. the pintxo iberico croissant (ideal), gambas ajillo (garlic in the sauce, good for the bread), sardines (on point), shrimp monkfish potato (good), tartlets: crab (like a crab butter), chorizo (ok) were all solid. execution great, flavor blend solid, entrecot also reasonable read more

Amazing food and service. Get the assorted mushrooms. Had the strawberries for dessert! read more

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Awesome spot for pintxos - loved the Steak and the mushrooms and shrimps were a great start!! Instagram: What do you call an adventurous mushroom? A fungi explorer! Seasonal mushrooms with egg Grilled Fresh Prawns Beef T Bone Steak Orange with Caramel @Ganbara.Oficial Over 25 years ago, Ganbara was created from a common vision between Jose and Amaia. San Sebastian read more

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I waited in the rain to try the mushrooms and was very disappointed. There was just one type of mushroom today, I don't know why. the flavour was just so so and I think I kept on biting into sand, which is really unfortunate. I'm not sure how mushrooms might be cleaned but it kept happening. At like 23 euros per plate, it felt tourist trappy. I also ate a big prawn that I saw from another table. It was very good but yes, cost 30 euros. The service was great. I'm gunna try to avoid the Bourdin bars from now on. I suggest that for everyone else. read more

Ganbara - Single type of mushroom. - Basque Near Me - Donostia / San Sebastián, SS

QUICKIE REVIEW You don't get a Michelin star by serving "ok" food. Come on in! FOOD This is what I tried: Tartaleta de txabgurro Hongos plancha You can't go wrong with either of these items. The mushrooms mixed with egg was salted perfectly. I could have ate a few plates of these things if I wasn't pintxos hopping. The crab was so good that I had to order another one. PARKING No such thing. SERVICE Order at counter, pick up at counter. PRICE Less than $40. TIP/OTHER THOUGHTS I got here 5 minutes after they opened and sat immediately; 15 minutes after they opened, they were packed. It's competitive for this place and for good reasons. read more

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TL;DR: One of the Basque region's most well-recognized Michelin restaurants, thanks to Bourdain's endless endorsement. Good tapas in a raucous (see: busy) environment. This was one of my favorite pintxo bars in Casco Viejo. Despite going on an odd Tuesday afternoon, there was still a line out the door. Service was, accordingly, scrappy; we got one sitting seat & my partner had to stand. I was happy to do so, however, or we'd probably wait 20 more minutes. The mushroom w yolk plate, grilled prawn, & croquettes are signature options. Here's what we ordered specifically: - Grilled mushroom plate: Nice witch-up from the meat or bread-heavy players. Really fresh, perfectly cooked, seasoned & paired with an egg, but not sure it's worth the 20 euros. -Fried Asparagus: Ok. Reminds me of fried cauliflower, which I love, but not much flavor to note here. -Ham croquette: Great value for its price. Actually the best seasoned things here--highly recommend. It gets busy at peak hours but it is worth battling the crowd for the Bourdain luster. Ultimately, I did not see the draw, but I chose "common" dishes. Perhaps things with funkier ingredients would be better. read more

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Very simple restaurant with delicious food. Specializes in dishes prepared with mushrooms.

Very good, definitely one of our favorite pinchos in the area. So so good! The foie gras was worth the wait!

The waiter who guards the door was very condenscending and rude at first, acting like he was doing us a favor by letting us in. We put him in his place and he changed his tune quickly, and turned out to be delightful in the long run. There is a younger kid who works behind the bar who is amazing, friendly and competent. Pintchos were very good, vibe is great read more

This was one of my favorite pinxto bars in casco viejo. The grilled mushroom plate was amazing. The mushrooms were really fresh, perfectly cooked, seasoned and paired with an egg. This offered a nice change of pace from many of the other meat heavy pinxtos options. The fried white asparagus, Gilda and crab tart were excellent as well. It gets busy at peak hours but it is worth battling the crowd. I will definitely visit again when I return to San Sebastián. read more

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the service was impeccable, some of the best i've ever gotten. the food was really good as well, especially the steak, the garlic prawns were good but nothing exceptional. great selection of wines locally. read more

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Do not sit downstairs, sit at the bar. We made reservations and ate downstairs and it was possibly the worst food we've ever had and frozen. We were shocked at the quality for $200 USD for two people. Avoid! read more

It can get very packed at Ganbara but finding space at the bar is not impossible. People are constantly clearing out. Service wise, the staff is super helpful and nice, you will never find yourself struggling to flag someone down. The staff speaks English as well and if you don't understand the Basque/Spanish menu, just look around and point to the pintxos that are already laid out on the bar or somebody else's food. The pintxos here were delicious, but definitely overpriced. read more

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Great tapas bar Lots of choices good prices It's usually packed, so plan accordingly You grab a plate, get what you want and then you get charged. Very Spanish ! read more

So good! Definitely worth the wait! Love the pinxtos!! Great service, too!! Perfect lunch spot

Cyndy's Bottom Line: Ganbara downstairs tranquil compared to the chaos upstairs. 3.50 stars for food. Send an e-mail for a table downstairs to have a proper sit down dinner. Nice quiet dining area. This is what we ate/drank: I ordered the crab tartlets from the pintxo bar upstairs. The crab tart were delicious. Amuse bouche: Battered fish and asparagus lightly fried. *Mushrooms in a foie gras sauce with an egg yolk. *Cod cheeks with clams - the fish tasted a tad under cooked. There were only a few clams in the dish. *Monk fish and shrimp on skewer *Peaches read more

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There was a bit of a line to get in but was well worth the wait! Tried the mushroom dish and really enjoyed it (was a little pricey though). The other pintxos were also pretty good and the English menu helped a lot. Staff were friendly. read more

I'll go 3 stars. Didn't try much here, but of course had the grilled mushrooms. It's really a delicious dish, but hard to get past 20 euros for a small plate of mushrooms when there's so much good food for half the price all around. We also had the gambas al ajillo which were not my favorite read more

Ganbara - Hongos a la plancha @davideatsdc - Basque Near Me - Donostia / San Sebastián, SS

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Another excellent choice for pintxos and other fine foods in the center of Parte Vieja. It's crazy crowded so you'll have to fight your way through during prime eating hours. Luckily we ended up right next to the bar towards the kitchen. Since they're so popular they're not as warm as most of the hospitality I've encountered in the area, but definitely the food is worth checking out. The Jamon croissants, sauteed mixed mushrooms, pimientos with anchovies, kokotxa, squid in ink and muxarra are some of the solid eats to be had. Again, crazy crowds but the food is definitely pushing through for. read more

Ganbara - Basque Near Me - Donostia / San Sebastián, SS

This was one of our favorites along the Pinxto tour. The group flipped over the asparagus dish and the crab "tattletales" were also high on the list. Most of all, I loved the Txakolí (a light and refreshing white wine from the region). Our hostess also recommended: mini croissants filled with ham 1/2 plate of Russian salad Grilled wild mushroom plate read more

Ganbara - Basque Near Me - Donostia / San Sebastián, SS

5.6.17: This was our first bar we went into to try some pintxo. Super excited and confused we stood there for a bit and not sure if there was a menu or do we just grab food in front of us or what? It was super crowded and people were kind of shoving to order and we were lucky to have a bar seating. We sat there as we just looked around at the types of food they had and wondering what is what. After a few people order n we observed we were ready to ask the guy for drinks and got 4 pintxo to try. Since San Sebastián is pretty touristy every bar we went to everyone knows a bit of English. The four tiny cute bite-sized we order were mushroom, fish , egg with ham, and last one with cheese. The way we order was pointing and they would put it on the dish for you, some dish they toasted. It was a very neat experience. I enjoyed the mushroom and the anchovy. I actually don't care for anchovy but surprisingly it was good here not too salty just deliciously marinated small fish. Yummy. We learned later on the best way to check out pintxo bars is to move to the next one if there is a crowd because eventually everyone moves on. After this first stop we were smart enough to do that. Because eventually this super crowded place was not so crowded after an hour. Yummy pintxo, they have full plate options as well. Enjoy! read more

I LOVE this place! Sadly, it's closed until 1 July. This is the third time I've been in San Sebastián and it was closed. I'll have to come back! read more

Continuing w our food tour in Spain, Ganbara was 4th on our San Sebastián hit list. This is a husband and wife team restaurant tucked in heart of old town. Like most places in old town, The bar/pintxos area is small and jammed packed. Pintxo offerings had some unique items like fish roe. Formal dining is in the basement and reservations are must. In addition to eating the pintxos I'd recommend trying their dinner items. Mixed seasonal mushroom: blend of local exotic mushrooms. Grilled perfectly seasoned and served w a poached egg told on top. Absolutely delicious!! Codcheek w clams: the codcheek was like butter. Decadently rich and soft and for us this was heaven!! but beware it is bit gelatinous so for my American compatriots who's fuzzy about texture this might not be for you. Grilled wild turbot whole: eat it!!!!!!!!!! You will not find this in the US sand Ganbara is know for its whole grilled fish! Grilled wild sea bream: eat it!!!!!! Also.. keep eyes on what the locals are ordering and ask about the items not on the menu. I.e. By spying on our neighboring table We were able to get a plate of grilled white asparagus which was better than any asparagus I've ever had. read more

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Before you read my review, please read how to do pintxos: 1. Grab a plate. They can usually be found to the side of or under the display. If not, ask someone behind the bar (puedo tener un plato) 2. Start (slowly) grabbing pintxos- you don't have to ask them for it unless you're asking them what it is or to heat it up 3. You don't have to save your sticks to prove how many pintxos you've had, this works on the honor system so don't be an as*hole and tell them how many pintxos you had at the end (puedo pagar?.....tuve cinco pintxos) 4. For non-Spanish speakers, the hardest part is figuring out how pintxos work and businesses often receive bad reviews for service when in fact its due to a lack of knowledge of how this process works. But, now you know! On to the review... Great place to start your pintxo exploration, especially for a Gilda. This is a couple of olives, a pepper, and a sardine drenched in olive oil on a stick. If you eat it all at once you'll be rewarded by a refreshing, salty, palette cleansing bite. We came back the next day to try the Surtida de setas, which is a giant mushroom sautéed and topped with an egg yolk (it's on the chalkboard menu and the menu's floating around the bar, not on display). He said it was the best thing he'd eaten on our trip! read more

If you're a mushroom lover, come in here!! I forgot what my plate was called,but it was grilled wild mushroom. DELICIOUS! I am sad I didn't get a chance to try the croissants, but will have to try some next time!! read more

I had the two greatest dishes I have ever eaten in my life here. 1. Mushrooms, simply seared, with an egg yolk and two slices of foie gras. To be honest... the foie gras isn't necessary and isn't the star of the plate. Skip it and get the cheaper version with just mushrooms. I have never appreciated mushrooms so much. It was great to be there during mushroom season. 2. A whole grilled sole. It was cooked over charcoal. Very simply. Just grilled. IT was served for two, table side. The waitress did an exceptional job de-boning and serving. There wasn't much too it besides being grilled. Maybe a little salt and olive oil and a lemon wedge on the plate? After serving she whisked the juices and possible olive oil into a light emulsion and drizzled it over the fish. It was very simple, but the best thing I have ever eaten in my life. You must go, and must eat in the dining room, the mushrooms are available there as well as the pintxo bar. read more

Ganbara - Basque Near Me - Donostia / San Sebastián, SS

I burst through the already open doors, looked past pile after pile of appetizing cold pintxos, stared down a not-so-friendly bartender, who avoided eye contact until it was getting awkward (for her but not for me,) and ordered in my nonexistent Spanish, the famous setas. The few locals sensed my determination, politely making room for me on the near empty bar (more like how we avoid a babbling homeless person on the streets,) and first looked at me with amusement, then in awe as the well ballyhooed plate of umami to the infinity was delivered to me. Apparently paying 20 euros for a small plate of mushrooms isn't something the locals are accustomed of doing. The fact I didn't get the approving nod from the waiter like I did when I ordered the shrimp skewers at Gandarias should've been the first clue. Indeed it was a major letdown. Short of a bucket of Hen of the Woods mushroom, no plate of mushroom was going to justify 20 euros. I mean, I've had plenty of good mushroom dishes, at L'Artusi, Lincoln, Craft, Upland, Gato....so I know how wonderful expertly prepared mushroom can taste. This was not it. The rest of the pintxos, both hot and cold, were actually fine. I just wouldn't recommend shelling out 20 euros for the mushroom here. read more

Exceptional. Recommend the red prawns and the barnacles (percebes). Salty, good. Pintxos are really nice and a def place to stop. Great in old Town. read more

Ganbara - Percebes - Basque Near Me - Donostia / San Sebastián, SS

Busy pintxos bar during lunchtime, it was hard to maneuver with our group of 6 but we managed. They have a wide variety of options sitting on the bar and the only ones we tried on the bar was the crab tart which was delicious. My other favorite here was the hake cheeks, they were SO buttery and melted in your mouth. It was my first time trying hake and it did not disappoint. Their peppers were also very good. read more

Absolutely get the mushrooms with egg yolk - a close your eyes and grunt kinda good. Also fantastic were the little croissant sandwiches - we got the cod and ham. A must-stop on your pintxos stroll! read more

Ganbara - Basque Near Me - Donostia / San Sebastián, SS

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My first and favorite pinxtos stop. Smaller and more comfy feel than the others. 4.75 stars Food: 5, Service: 4, Atmosphere: 4 Cost to worth it rating: 4 (believe was a bit less expensive than others) Return worthiness: yes Highlights: - Ham and cheese croquettes: my fave pinxtos and this place had the best ones. Crispy on the outside and substatial ham and cheese fillling that was delightfully melty on the inside. 5 stars - Croissant jamon sandwich: another favorite--the soft buttery croissant added to the deliciousness of the cured ham that was busting out on the sides and the cheese to compliment it. A big step up from the standard plain piece of bread. Small size so you could enjoy this as well as other dishes. 5 stars - Shrimp, scallop, and monkfish skewers: fresh grilled seafood combo. Heavenly. 5 stars - Crab tart: a specialty of this spot was a pasty tart crust filled with shredded crab in a reddish sauce. Lovely eaten right after it was warmed. 4.5 stars - Sausage pastry: felt almost English except the pastry was extra flaky. 3 stars - Seating: scored a small circular table outside and it was lovely on a nice afternoon - Wine: got a refreshing bottle of local white wine for 15 euros Midlights: - Calamari: fried in french fry looking strips. Not much seasoning so they were just ok. 3 stars Lowlights: - Russian salad: too greasy. 2 stars I could enjoy this every Saturday afternoon and would love to come back. :-) read more

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Delicious amazing, exquisite, wonderful experience. Love... taste buds are having a organism. Unforgettable evening for two. Gratitude.

We loved Ganbara so much, we made it our first stop for pintxos every day! Their tiny bacalao sandwiches were the best - the succulence of the oily fish pairs so beautifully with the flakey, rich croissant - I can still taste them now! We asked one of the servers (the tall fellow with glasses) for advice on ordering and he pointed us to the following: Seared man-steak - I forget what this was called, but it was juicy and delicious (according to my dining partner) and the half portion was enough to feed two, but he managed to down it all. Fois gras - a plateful of savory, plump bites, plopped down into their lovely brown juices mixed with a bit of olive oil. I didn't want to share this. Grilled calamar - yes, just yes. And ask for wine suggestions to pair with your food. Oh, I almost forgot - order the mushrooms with the egg. Sauteed fresh mushrooms are served with a golden yolk in the center. read more

Certainly among the best in Donostia. Good place to kill time before going to Arzak at 10 p.m. for dinner. I appreciate their mushroom selection. read more

They do real good stuff here. Do try the setas (mushrooms) a la plancha with egg yolk and add some foie gras, it isn't necessary but you will be glad you did. The chuleton is a big chunk of medium raw meat that is good to try since it's a staple from the region but it isn't my favorite. Also do try the many little buttery croissant bocadillos, with ibérico, with cheese head and anchovy, etc. The staff isn't the most helpful, patient or attentive but it's easy to forgive their short comings when the place delivers such good food. read more

Ganbara - Setas (mushrooms), egg yolk and foie on the side - Basque Near Me - Donostia / San Sebastián, SS