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    Haizea

    4.4 (23 reviews)
    InexpensiveBasque, Spanish

    Haizea Photos

    HAIZEA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Quiet
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

    Recommended Reviews - Haizea

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    Small and cozy bar that serves pintxos. Friendly staff, good food, good prices. Our favorite pintxo was the brocheta de vieira y langostinos (scallop and prawn skewer)!

    Carlos P.

    Pinchos or "Pintxos" as the Basque say it... Impressive variety of hors d'oeuvres - prepared and on display at the bar for immediate consumption at a very reasonable price. As opposed to usual bar Tapas that are randomly brought out with alcoholic beverages ... Pintxos are gourmet style items with beautiful presentation and average 20 different varieties on display at the same time. If various exquisite foods would add joy to your trip, then you should definitely stop by here. These people are also regatta Participants in fans and that also is the decor theme on the walls with their team action photos during different competitions.

    Signature cod
    Jeff J.

    Anthony Bourdain, we solute you!! Sadly wife and I stopped by here a day before the tragic news of his untimely death. As seen on "No Reservation" this was our first stop arriving in San Sebastián. Articles on the wall described this as a favorite hangout for local and well know chefs. The bar is just as depicted, small and rustic. We arrived just as they were brining out the pintxos and the perfect way to introduce to basque pintxos. Wife and I tried variety of colorful and delicious items as well as their signature fried cod. The bartender poured us local txakoli in the traditional high arc style and pleasant and friendly, and despite having frequently served top chefs, super humble. Compare to rest of the places in old town and Gros area, at $1.90. Haizea served the cheapest the pintxos that's as good if not better. We ended up returning 2 days later and the only regret is that we will never to able to find a similar place serving such incredible food w humble atmosphere.

    not crowded at lunch
    Dillon L.

    Another stop on my pintxos crawl, I was looking forward to trying their popular brick of cod and langostine with seafood cream. The brick of cod was even better than I hoped. First of all, it's amazing how nice the presentation is for such a seemingly simple bar, as the sauce was carefully plated and the cod was wrapped in that crispy onion "bow tie." And the crispy onion was deliciously crispy. The phyllo dough coating around the cod was also amazing, since it was shatteringly crispy and light. And the creamy cod filling was great. The langostine topped with seafood cream was great, as well. The langostine is a nice size for the price. This bar is definitely worth visiting on your pintxos route in San Sebastian. That brick of cod is probably one of the city's essential pintxos.

    Lisa I.

    Anthony Bourdain's visit put this pinxto place on the map, and after striking out two nights before to stop here, we made it. Most pintxo places we had visited before this had a lot of English menus and English speaking staff, but Haizea was the first place we went to where there wasn't much Spanish being spoken and Basque was the preferred means of communication. We opted for the bocadillos - I opted for the one with shrimp and egg. These sandwiches are GIANT but oh so delicious. After a long day of traveling around Basque Country and being insanely hungry, this was perfect. Service was a little surly as we tried to order from the crabby ladies from behind the counter. Definitely be ready to provide your order if you're not picking something off the counter.

    Kim N.

    In the Parte Vieja, there are tons of Pintxos bars. So many of them that it's advisable to do the Txikito and hit as many as possible. However when Juan Mari and Elena Arzak show their preference for one, you best listen. Not only are they culinary geniuses, they are food lovers and super down to earth people. So I had to make my way here. I wish I had found it earlier but it was the last stop of the night. Even though the normal display had been ravaged, in my broken Spanish I was assured the kitchen was open for whatever I wanted. Txorizo, anchovies, pimientos, crab, bocadillos, etc. Stuff yourself or find just a few bites. It's up to you. The people were super nice and this is a totally low key almost off the beaten path kind of place. Just outside the busy part of old town to avoid the crush. Definitely worth checking if you're on a pIntxos run. 4.3 stars

    Paradise
    Liza Jane J.

    I still dream of this place. It was everything I wanted it to be, can't give it the full start because I didn't try enough here. A friendly guy greeting my American self ready to engorge on an absolute feast of the sense. As usual, for pintxos, there is a decadent, inviting selection at the bar. The warm pintxos are listed on the wall and the racciones are of course a bigger portion of pintxos. For the price and the claim to Anthony Bourdain fame the place was incredible. My favourites were the Bacalao Brick and the pintxo with eggplant, jamon and some kind of delicious cheese. In San Sebastian, amazing food is Everything and everywhere. The Basque people know how to eat, even when it's cold and pissing down, people can still enjoy a Rioja and delicious Pintxo. I'd love to live in the city for a year and try every place in Parte Vieja and fulfill my Arzak dream. And I enjoyed this place the morning after La Tamborrada, the city's festival day with people banging away (on drums) for a full 24 hours hours getting soaked in the Basque rain. That evening, there wasn't a seat to be had in Bar Haizea but the next morning my boyfriend and I had this lovely, lovely pintxo bar to ourselves. I recommend San Sebastian on any serious foodies radar but honestly everything here was superb and the service was bar none. Just remember what you ordered at Bar Haizea you pay for everything at the end of your meal! Pictures to come, a definite must go!!

    Buñuelos de bacalao (cod fritters)
    Carla D.

    Reportedly one of the oldest pintxos bar in San Sebastián. We came to this low key, unpretentious restaurant like most after watching Anthony Bourdain's TV show and after hearing that it's one of Juan Mari Arzak's favorite spots. Luckily this restaurant didn't suffer from that unsolicited fame and it's a bit separated from the more touristy area of the old town so it's not as crowded. I asked the lady at the counter what the house specialty was and she said they're known for their hot pintxos so that's what we went for. We tried the buñuelos de bacalao which are delicious cod fritters, soft on the inside and not too oily. We also had the langostino con crema de mariscos, a nicely cooked langostine with a creamy seafood sauce on top. Lastly we tried the libia, which is a creamy crab paste served with bread. All were good but the fritters and the langostine were the winners.

    Pinxto de vegetales
    Xavier C.

    This little restaurant is full of surprises, and really excellent surprises. We started here our pintxos tour for the night. Yes, apparently locals go and visit different pintxos restaurants in one night to treat themselves with different styles of cooking. Of course, you would have some beer or wine at each different place and let the night carry you away since you walk there everywhere. Back to the food, the craftsmanship and presentation of the pintxos are incredible, they take so much pride in their food that you can definitely taste the difference with other restaurants around town. We tried the vegetable pintxo and some sort of cod croquet. It is very hard to describe the flavors coming out of those two pintxos. The vegetable skewers were just outstanding, cooked to perfection and crafted into something not only appealing to the eyes, but your tastebuds. The other pintxo made with cod, was like anything I have tried before. It was like having a cod croquet, very nicely done, wrapped with a very thin layer of dough and quickly deep fried and served over a bed of a drizzled balsamic vinegar reduction. Again, the detail oriented to the preparation of each of this pintxos was perfect. The service was outstanding as well and very friendly. Once I mentioned it was my first time in Dan Sebastián, I was invited to return and let them provide me a sample of different pintxos I should try before leaving. That was actually very nice, and definitely will go back before leaving this beautiful city.

    Menu
    Christina L.

    This place was one of my favorites for pintxos; granted we only got 3 dishes here that they are most famous for, but they were all delicious and reasonably priced. No fighting to get a space at the bar or a place to eat, and no wait to order. We did get here on the earlier side on a Thursday night, but this place seemed more of a local spot a little more off the main drag, and seems rather unassuming from the outside and when you step in. They have a few pre-made pintxos out on the bar, but they seem to have 3 specialities that you order at the counter and are made freshly when you order. I'd recommend these three: Brick of Bacalo - This is a piece of cod wrapped in a phyllo pastry dough, deep fried, and wrapped with a twine made of leek, served over a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Delicious, and the fish is flaky and melts in your mouth. Highly recommend this. Foie gras with apple - Decadent, and the salty-sweet is a great combination. I really liked this dish a lot, and it was served with a grilled apple, on top of some apple butter or jam. Grilled langostino with crema de mariscos - This is a large grilled shrimp, butterflied open and grilled, with a delicious seafood cream sauce. The sauce is also great with the bread. Overall, great experience here - I think we paid 12 or 13 euros for the 3 dishes. We really enjoyed this place and would come here again and eat all 3 of these dishes again. Worth a stop if you're in San Sebastian!

    Linda W.

    Incredible opening hours from 6:30 am to 11 pm. The Brick de Bacalao was excellent so was the Shrimp and Cod fritter. They don't make the fried bacalao wrapped in caramelized onion bow with reduced balsamic anymore, did not try the Fresh foie with Apple, looked enticing.

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    food was fresh. server was friendly. menu all in spanish. we tried our best ordering with the help of the server

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    Review Highlights - Haizea

    We arrived just as they were brining out the pintxos and the perfect way to introduce to basque pintxos.

    Mentioned in 8 reviews

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    Atari Gastroteka - Foie gras with sweet corn and white chocolate

    Atari Gastroteka

    4.5(156 reviews)
    0.3 km
    €€

    not too long to move from standing bar to a table. pintxos blood sausage and shrimp done so well…read more the texture and flavor is approachable for all palates. pork belly with amazing citrus hummus was unique, also the hake with pea emulsion was tasty, pulpo was a large portion and worth it, beef cheek and mashed potato perfect

    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.

    Photos
    Atari Gastroteka
    Atari Gastroteka
    Atari Gastroteka

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    La Madame - Asparagus

    La Madame

    4.5(44 reviews)
    1.0 km
    €€

    You must eat here. The food is outstanding. An eclectic menu with traditional Basque meeting…read moreinfluences from Asia, India, Latin America. All prepared with care and attention to detail. Portions are generous. Flavors are big and balanced. Just delicious, whether seafood or meat or vegetables. We had scallops in a deep seafood stock, grilled hake with Thai infused coconut milk and lobster oil, and classic Indian butter chicken. Each dish outstanding on its own, all from one kitchen is wow. Presentation is thoughtful and beautiful. Vibe is cool without trying to be cool. Feels relaxed. Fun music playing without being loud or intrusive. Staff are fun and friendly and precise in their care. And to take it all to the next level was our host, Cesar. Not just thoughtful and welcoming but his passion for each dish and the care and thought that goes into them was obvious. His joy is genuine and we appreciated him sharing details with us so we could be part of the fun. In a city with so much wonderful food, La Madame stands out because it is a sit down restaurant, serving fresh and inspired and delicious food, with care and creativity and obsessive detail and pure happiness. Make a reservation, it's worth it. And take in the joy Cesar shares with you through every dish.

    Good Many people had…read moresaid this place was amazing. The service was really good. The Scallops and Hamburger were really good from what the people in our group ordered. The scallops were a main course but only had 5 scallops not starch or vegetables, great flavor. So both that ordered the scallops thought they should be more to the dish. The large prawns from Ecuador influence was delicious with basil and peanut sauce. Everyone said the Indian influenced butter chicken was best dish of the night. The pork potsticker from Vietnam Was really nice. The waiter we had took us on a great food journey during the description. The cocktails were great with a nice variety. The Bad: My group had a 4 star experience I had a 3 star experience. To start we were a party of 6 and they only brought 3 menus and they asked me for my order before I was even able to look at the menu. So having to wait on looking at the menu was rather rude in my opinion each customer should get a menu. So started off with a negative. Especially since they were asking us to order when 2-3 people hadn't even looked at the menu. The waiter should let everyone know to share the menus when they only bring three menus for a party of 6. I ordered the Wellington 2.0 It should be called .5 For me it wasn't an improvement on a beef Wellington it was not even half a beef Wellington. It was a take on Beef Wellington. But the puff pastry was an after thought that didn't even cover the top of my steak. They said the steak would be medium and recommended that. It was just below medium rare very blood. The broccoli was cooked okay but not really seasoned. I had never had parsnips but figured I would try something new it had foie Gras, also so I now know this combination is not for me. See photos So I don't recommend Wellington 2.0 Unless you just very rare medium rare, with parsnip purées and foie Gras.

    Photos
    La Madame - Chocolate lava cake

    Chocolate lava cake

    La Madame - Wellington 2.0 With some puff pastry, purée of parsnip with foie gras.

    Wellington 2.0 With some puff pastry, purée of parsnip with foie gras.

    La Madame - Shrimp ceviche

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    Shrimp ceviche

    Bar Néstor - Spanish Tortilla de Patata

    Bar Néstor

    4.7(159 reviews)
    0.1 km
    €€

    One of the best steaks I've ever had! To get a reservation you must show up at a designated time…read morefor same day reservations. For lunch get there around 11am. I think the lunch reservations are 1,2,3pm. For dinner get there at 5:30 pm for 8,9,10 pm seatings. They don't come out until 6-6:15 to take your name. They only take about 20 people per seating. Fixed menu. Torta, tomatoes, peppers and steak. They bring out raw bone in ribeyes and let you choose your steak. The steak comes out seared and raw on the inside on a sizzling cast-iron skillet. You are able to cook it to your liking on the skillet as you eat this incredible steak. No frills not totally worth the experience.

    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.

    Photos
    Bar Néstor
    Bar Néstor - Fresh tomatoes with olive oil and salt

    Fresh tomatoes with olive oil and salt

    Bar Néstor - Outside Façade

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    Outside Façade

    Desy

    Desy

    4.7(9 reviews)
    0.5 km

    Desy is one of those places you stumble into once and then immediately start planning your return…read more It has that unmistakable San Sebastián charm -- relaxed, warm, and quietly confident about the food it puts out. The menu is tight, thoughtful, and full of little surprises, but the best bites are the burger and the anchovy pintxo. The burger is everything you want it to be: juicy, perfectly seasoned, and balanced in a way that makes you wonder why more places can't get it right. I think it's the secret cheese sauce that brings it all together. And the anchovy? A tiny masterpiece. Salty, silky, and packed with flavor -- the kind of bite that reminds you you're in a city that takes its food seriously. Service is friendly without hovering, prices are fair, and the whole experience feels like a local secret you're lucky to know about. Whether you're grabbing a casual lunch or easing into a slow afternoon, Desy delivers every time.

    Came here for the hamburgers and it did not disappoint!! The burgers were so juicy and flavorful…read more The meatball sandwich was really good too. Come early if you can because they do run out of items on their menu. The basque cheesecake was cheesy and perfect amount of sweetness. There were indoor and outdoor seating areas. The indoor area is small and narrow. Luckily we got a table, but we saw many people standing on the side drinking and having a burger. Quick service like all places in Spain.

    Photos
    Desy - Love this place!

    Love this place!

    Desy
    Desy - Cantillon on tap!

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    Cantillon on tap!

    Topa Sukalderia

    Topa Sukalderia

    4.4(13 reviews)
    0.3 km

    What a wonderful find! MUST VISIT ON YOUR TRIP!! We were wandering by when we looked through the…read morewindow and saw how modern this place looked. We glanced at the menu and decided to give it a try. They have a wide variety of food. We got several dishes to share. Beginning with table guacamole, they give you the components to mix for yourself with a mortar and pestle. I hate onions and cilantro, so I was able to get my share before my friends mixed them in! Served with crispy chips, it was a nice change from regular pintxos in the area. Next was the ceviche, tuna and sweet potato (with a lot of onions), onions aside the tuna was delicious with a well balanced spice of peppers that were included in the dish. Next up was the Iberian ham cheese quesadillas: perfection! The simplicity of the dish was what made it taste so good. Exactly what it sounds like, but the cheese was delicious. But the BEST part of the meal was the al Pastor tacos! They were better than some of the tacos I had in Mexico City! Perfectly seasoned meat, with just the right amount of guacamole. MUST HAVE!!! Lastly, the desserts! The churro dessert was AMAZING! And the rice pudding was also delicious, light and flavorful! We were all amazed by this meal. Everything was delicious. The most consistent meal we have had by far during our stay in San Sebastián.

    What a treat! This place is barely visible on the street, but it's worth finding the signless door…read more The wood paneled walls draw you into a bustling restaurant. I came for lunch on a Monday. The menu is an inventive blend of Peruvian, Mexican, and Spanish. They have menus in English if you ask for it. The atmosphere is casual, but we ended up spending $50 for a two person lunch. The service is friendly. They bring plates out in courses, so it's easy to have a relaxed drawn out meal here. You don't feel rushed. The abodaba tacos were the highlight. The slightly crispy texture of the meat was heaven. The Sweet Potato Causa was a table favorite too!

    Photos
    Topa Sukalderia - Ceviche comes in an this sculpture...

    Ceviche comes in an this sculpture...

    Topa Sukalderia - Mole

    Mole

    Topa Sukalderia - Inside

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    Inside

    Haizea - basque - Updated May 2026

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