We snagged a last minute reservation at Kokotxa and were pleasantly surprised by how good it was! Even though it's Michelin-rated, the vibe was relaxed and comfortable, which made it easy to enjoy the meal. Service was quick and smooth & the value for the quality was great. Would definitely recommend if you're in San Sebastián! read more

Kokotxa - Spanish Near Me - Donostia / San Sebastián, SS

A delectable 14 dish tasting menu combines the uniqueness of Basque cuisine with contemporary flair from Japanese, Indian and Turkish culture. Daniel López in the kitchen leans heavily on the highest quality market ingredients to meticulously and masterfully craft each dish. Kokotxa ("tx" pronounced "ch" in Basque) is named after a traditional dish of the barbels, or throat, of either hake or cod. The hake kokotxa dish is included in the tasting menu. There wasn't a dish which disappointed, with the standout being the Hamachi, Korean inspired tuna tartare. For a first time Michelin star experience, Kokotxa perfectly introduced the quality of both experience (1 star Michelin star rated since 2007) and ingredients (several dishes sourced directly from the sea and river in San Sebastián). read more

See all

Amazing food and service!! I'm from NY and a 1 star Michelin in Europe has always been better than 1 star spots I've had in NY and California. The food here was just spectacular. We opted for the market menu which gave us a variety of different things to try. See pics. read more

See all

This was my first michelin star dining experience and it did not disappoint. The food was phenomenal and the service was great. I tried so many items I'd never had before and loved every bite we tried. Each dish was so innovative and intricate with exquisite attention to detail and beautiful palting. Some of our favorite dishes were the appetizer which was a spoon with tuna and some great flavor adds - I easily could've eaten 10 spoonfuls of this, the red prawn tartare , the kokotxas - an amazing fish dish, this fantastic squid dish that had noodles made from squid - truly phenomenal, and the pigeon - which almost tasted like beef. But truly, everything was amazing and I'd be happy to eat any and all of it again. I was skeptical that I'd get enough to eat going into the meal, but I was struggling to finish everything as we got to the end. The portions were wonderful and really allowed you to take a few good bites and enjoy and savor in all of the flavors. I would absolutely love to come back here, and plan to next time I'm in San Sebastian. read more

A dining experience like no other. The food was amazing with a presentation beyond our expectations. It is an expensive restaurant, but worth the money for a special treat. read more

See all

The food in San Sebastián was some of the best I've had in my lifetime whether you were at a pintxo bar or a Michelin start restaurant like Kokotxa. I had booked a reservation weeks ahead of time and was looking forward to our last meal here in San Sebastián. Hours beforehand we received an email confirming that our reservation was canceled. I called to inform them that we did not cancel our reservation. they insisted we did and that they were full. Fortunately, our travel agent worked it out and got us a new reservation at 9pm that evening. We eat early at home, but by the end of the our trip had adjusted to late dinners in Spain. However, a 2.5 hour tasting menu at 9pm can be hard to get thru. There was the option of a lighter 1.5 hour menu, but figured we were only in San Sebastián once. Each of the 12ish courses came out so fast that it didn't feel like 2.5 hours. And I loved all of them besides the pigeon (too chewy for me). My husband had pretty much given up on food by the time we were served our last 3 dessert courses, but I'm never one to see no to dessert. The food was delicious and beautiful, the service was friendly and I liked that it was pretty casual as well. As a local informed us earlier in the day you go out in San Sebastián for the food and it's not a fashion show. I always thinks these types of restaurants are a one time thing so I probably would try another Michelin restaurant if/when I make it back to San Sebastián, but would recommend this to anyone looking to splurge on a delicious meal. read more

See all

I don't even know where to start. This restaurant is wonderful. The employees are so friendly and attentive. Everything we ate was so beautiful that I teased my finance that we should print pictures of the food to use as art in our kitchen. The variety of flavors and textures was so fun. On top of it all - the price point makes it a bit more accessible than some of the other restaurants in the area. There are two menu options - Market or Tasting. The Market menu being a bit shorter. For the most part they looked similar with the Market having some exclusions. We went with the Market menu to avoid being overly stuffed, and it was the perfect amount of food. Highlights for me were the razor clams, the lamb, and the apple dessert. The clams came in a delicious sauce that never over powered the flavor of the clams. The salty pop of the fish eggs, firmer texture of whatever those black things were, with the chewy clams was perfection. Normally I try to avoid eating baby mammals (veal, lamb), but when in Spain, right? Did I almost cry? Yes. Was it because it was so good or because I felt like I was eating a baby? I'm not sure. I do know that I've never eaten any meat that tender. The crispy skin with the gentle flavor and texture of the shoulder was unbelievable. Then the apple dessert teleported me back home to the Midwest United States. It was like they puréed Thanksgiving and Halloween together to make a thick caramel apple pie filing with candy on top. I would definitively recommend this restaurant to anyone I know. read more

See all

Extraordinary in every regard. We had the tasting menu and it was just the right amount of food. The dishes were heavy on flavorful cream sauces, and each dish had multiple flavors you could focus on. The wait staff was personable and extremely attentive. We would love to come back someday. read more

See all

This was my first experience dining at a Michelin starred restaurant. We got the tasting menu and we did not regret it. Perfect amount of food. There was nothing that I didn't like, but I'm not super picky. Everything was tasty and exquisite and the staff were, for the most part, attentive, pleasant and helpful. We did have a few times where our water glasses and wine glasses were empty for quite a spell. The Sommelier was very pleasant, and clearly educated. She knew her stuff. I asked her opinion regarding a couple Rose', which is popular in Spain. She suggested a particular one out of France where they are legally allowed to blend red and white wines (not so in Spain). It was a perfect match for our menu and paired deliciously. The Spider crab course was probably my favorite, and the soft shell was amazing mostly because I'm a sucker for good soft shelled crab. All in all, the experience was very good, a little more attention to detail like water glasses and such would have shot this to an Outstanding. I wouldn't let that keep me from going here nor will it keep me from returning. read more

See all

Fabulous experience, great food and service and beautiful restaurant. A must visit when in San Sebastián!

First item were crisp and light breadsticks with a mustard emulsion to dip them in. The appetizers were presented as these 4 little cubes of colorful and texturally complex bites. Each gave a surprising pop of unique flavor profile ranging from smokey, sweet, savory, and umami. This dish is followed by fresh sea urchin with fennel broth and tangerine mousse speckled with caviar. The dish embodies both the richness of the urchins with a light, subtle broth, and a refreshing element of the tangerine. Next up was a dish of oyster with pureed cashew and pickled artichokes. The oyster was tender and packed with flavor. This dish was followed by a venison tartare with frozen mustard. I am generally not a fan of raw red meat due to them being oftentimes texturally unpleasant but this venison tartare tasted fresh, not gamey at all, and has a smooth, yet supple consistency which I gladly devoured. There were more dishes to follow and they were all prepared in a surprisingly delightful manner. The stingray was cut into strips resembling noodles, the hake was super moist, the autumn rice, like its name, celebrated the season with exquisite wild mushrooms and shaved winter truffles. It was absolutely delicious! We were given 3 desserts and they were texturally diverse and equally delightful. Even the the bed of cocoa nibs underneath the petite fours were yummy, and I don't think I was supposed to eat them :) read more

See all

I'll opt for the wine pairing option every chance I get, especially at a Michelin starred restaurant. The pairings with the Kokotxa tasting menu overall worked better than any I have ever sampled. Many rare and creative drink options, most from Spain, and each one worked perfectly with the dish. As for the tasting dishes, the begi haundi was one of the very best plates I've ever had. The sommelier (I forget her name) exuded passion for her work as she explained why she chose each pairing and clearly has an amazing skill. read more

On our first night in San Sebastian, we decided to set the bar high and indulge in this one star Michelin restaurant. The location was central to the nightlife and various bars. We had reservations closer to 9:30 pm and were seated promptly upon arrival. The creativity and presentation of the food were second to none. The space feels open and clean with a modern, minimalist design. Service was warm given the language barrier. My guest and I both opted for the market menu, which included: - Tomato, watermelon and shrimp brioche - Txipiron, mask of pork and miso - Crispy crab, kimchi and coconut - Fish of the day, rigatoni of txangurro and saffron, marine broth - Oxtail - Chocolate-apricot, seasonal fruits, and smoked whiskey It's safe to say I had certain expectations dining here, most of which were met. The tomato soup was tasty but the shrimp brioche did not do much in its favor. The miso served with the pork belly was quite dense and took away from the body of the protein itself. My favorite was the crispy crab! My goodness, the coconut base it's served in was too good to be true. There were precious tapioca balls at the base of it as well. It was a rather fun dish to eat and I really enjoyed the blend of flavors. The fish of the day was also served with a broth that began to sit too heavy when the oxtail arrived. But, San Sebastian is notorious for their seafood and this was a beautiful and well-prepared piece of swordfish(?) if I recall correctly. The oxtail was superb, medium-rare to my liking. It was crusted and honestly the highlight of the night. Dessert was also noteworthy and they surprised us with an additional panna cotta on the house! Do not shy away from Kokotxa, there is alot of heart and soul that goes into these dishes and I'm thankful to have experienced it! read more

See all

If you've never been to a Michelin star restaurant, Kokotxa is an amazing place to start. We went for lunch in November '18 - since autumn was just starting, we had the opportunity to try their updated degustation menu. The service was impeccable from the moment we walked in until we left. The staff was friendly and the sommelier was very knowledgeable. The prices were slightly lower than other similar 'stared' restaurants. The best part was the food... it showcased the northern Spain ingredients, taking the traditional dishes (mostly based upon seafood) and elevating them to a completely different level of well balanced flavors and textures. It's hard to point our favorites: maybe the ray, or the oysters with artichokes, or the deer carpaccio, or the lamb, or... you get the point. Kokotxa has become one of our favorite restaurants in Spain, and we can't wait going back to it again. read more

See all

First class service and food! I've been to San Sebastian's old town many times but never enjoyed this lovely spot. If you're going to eat here definitely make reservations ahead of time! Food is a little different with a twist, we loved everything except the fish intestines. We chose the market menu which with €85 per person. Definitely a fun experience! read more

See all

We had lunch here on a Sunday and really enjoyed the experience. The decor is minimalistic- white and clean, but not too stuffy, and in an intimate area of the city. We decided to have the Market Menu and a bottle of cava. The food was absolutely beautiful, and pretty tasty as well. I really enjoyed the gazpacho, duck course, and innovative lemon cake desert. Service was very good- the courses may have come a little too quickly though. Overall, a good pick if you want to experience a Michelin rated restaurant in San Sebastián. read more

Our second Michelin star restaurant in almost the same number of days. We were horribly late as I couldn't find parking, but the staff was very very accommodating. Thank you Ana and Julian for your patience and superb service. Now to the food, absolutely amazing. We were not disappointed at all like some reviews mentioned. We ordered the chef's menu and everything was flavourful and delicious. I tried the pigeon for the first time and will need to get used to it. The octopus bursted with flavor in my mouth. The rest of the items including the deserts were absolutely amazing! read more

I'm Sorry, this was not Michelin standard. We chose the Market menu, because I didn't want squid as in their Tasting menu. Without saying they served squid instead of the chicken dish. We had to ask twice for the wine. The beef with ashes, was spesial and exciting, but unfortunately not tasteful at all, without any fresh or juicy stuff. The other dishes were delicious, and so was the wine when it finally was served. read more

Kokotxa - Beef in ashes - Spanish Near Me - Donostia / San Sebastián, SS

Pains me to write this as we were looking forward to this meal, but it struck out on all facets and is completely undeserving of its star or even any mention in the guide. Don't go. 1) The younger hostess was INCREDIBLY DISRESPECTFUL. We arrived 2 minutes early for a 8:30 reservation and instead of feeling welcomed and being asked to wait at the bar or accommodate us being literally 2 minutes early, we were told they were not open yet and to come back. Literally. 2 minutes early. Any other restaurant would have welcomed us with open arms and if not seated us, at least offer us an opportunity to drink at the bar. But this was not the case. 2) When we arrived back after circling around the block, we were seated at the nearest table to the front door. We promptly asked to see if we could be seated further in the restaurant and were strictly told "No" by the younger hostess, who explained that they give the inside seats priority by when they booked the table. I was a bit astonished by this as my reservation was made in December 2018 nearly nine months ago. I asked the other hostess (older lady) about this and she said the younger one is correct, that they seat table location by priority and that the evening before, someone even booked all the way back in February! I reminded her that I booked in December, which she then felt embarrassed about, and allowed us to sit at any table we chose as we had clearly booked well in advance. The younger hostess clearly did not even bother checking us and judged us likely because of age (we are in our early thirties, but look younger), or our ethnicity, Asian. Later - after being seated, the younger hostess came by. I let her know I had booked in December and she said sorry and that the only reason we received the table of choice is because another couple canceled their reservation last minute. Really?! Clearly she was lying and I let her know very sternly that I felt VERY DISRESPECTED and offended. 2) The food - we had the market menu was very much a miss. I didn't want to let my mood affect my palate - but my wife agreed. Wrong utensils served with meals, lack of salt, and really just overall unimpressive food altogether. I'm shocked this place has a star as I would have rather had some pintxos. Service was very much lackluster -- after having untouched bread crumbs on a plate sit at the edge of the table for three courses, we told the waitress we were done with it and it could be taken away while she was clearing another course. Her reply: "I don't have any hands". What a joke in terms of service. 3) Save yourself the torture and disrespect and go elsewhere. I have dined at top restaurants all around the world and have never felt as disrespected as I did tonight. The owner should be absolutely ashamed at the service. Please don't go here unless you what poor service and food that is not worthy of any representation whatsoever in the Michelin guide, much less a star. Save your self the pain (and your wallet). read more

One immediately senses a real stiffness and formality as one arrives and heads to one seat in Kokotxa. The waiting staff are austere and formal. This place takes itself very seriously. Located in the old part of town this restaurant is handsomely laid out with the tables being sufficiently separated to provide a sense of intimacy and privacy. The food is good....we started with the squid and the roasted Octopus and for mains we had both had fish. For desert one of us enjoyed the liquorice ice cream. The dishes are all good however some are so crafted that the base food was overwhelmed. It is almost that the artist took over from the chef! This place is expensive, and in a location where there is so much choice we would probably opt not to return. read more

Lobster bisque and kokoxtas were very fishy and not good at all. Overall the service was rude, the food was terrible, and the price was still high. No idea how they earned a Michelin star. Location is convenient though because it's the center of Old Town San Sebastián but nothing else good to say this restaurant. read more

I have just visited the restaurant Kokotxa. It's becoming our favorite routine to visit Madrid from the East Coast of the United States once every two months for the past five years. Recently I learned about how great San Sebastian is through one of Japanese TV show and visited for the first time. It was a tight short trip of one night/two day trip but I really wanted to do this because I wanted to visit Kokotxa which became my main event at San Sebastian this time. Despite my excitement and huge expectations, it resulted in pitty event due to poor food quality and bad service which ended up as a disappointing dinner time. I usually don't do comment write ups, but I felt I must do so for this one. My first big question was that the Chef was a Non-Japanese Cuisine Chef (explained by the waitress) who was cooking that night menu of Japanese-fusion food which was not executed correctly and cooked under inappropriate manner e.g. using mismatching ingredients, instant-bonito dashi powders which are super cheap (on Amazon etc), black sesami sauce which was explained as black miso (misos are usually Red or white, no such miso in black) etc. Other issue was on Allergic ingredients treatment... I called in advance and confirmed there should be no Onion, Scallion or Chives (whole Onion family) but food came with many of these for example, our fish appetizer came with Chives on top, and waitress shockingly said to us "Are you sure Chives really are an Onion family?"...waitress took the dish with an insulting smerk on facdd, went back into kitchen, came out with a new one but we've noticed there were some Chives still left on the dish....yes, they just wiped off Chives and brought us back the same one. (Restaurant may not care about the cross contamination for allegies) All these attitude and service were very shocking for us. After all that, we decided to leave before we even got to the half way on our course, but we were charged in FULL amount. Again, the price, quality, service, nothing came close to that price we've paid that night. We regretted our choice to go Kokotxa that night, we could've had better food, experience and service even at the nearby Bars.... I also strongly doubt that Restaurant have Michelin star... I wonder if it was assessed properly....One star for the immatured Restaurant...So hard and Sad to believe. 先日伺いました。 私達は5年間2ヶ月に1度マドリードにアメリカ東海岸から遊びに行ってます。日本のテレビでサンセバスチャンを知り今回初めて来ました。メインはマドリードな為2泊3日と短い旅ですが今回このレストランを目的にサンセバスチャンに来ました。結果凄く残念で酷い時間を過ごす事になりました。基本SNSを利用しないので普段は読んで参考にする事はあっても自らネット上に書き込む事は皆無なのですが今回ら余りに酷い内容対応だったので書かせて頂きます。 このレストラン シェフは韓国人ですが基本日本食主体を売りにしています。アレルギー...散々事前に直接遣り取りをし当日（本日）も対面で確認しましたが1品名からアレルギーのある食物がきました（ネギ類）。訴えたところチィイブも駄目だと名指しで最初に言ったにも関わらず【チャイブがネギ類だか確認します】との対応...ネギ類ネギ類じゃなく最初に【チャイブ】と名指しし彼女も【チャイブ】と口にしたにも関わらず1品目から...結果謝罪されましたが好き嫌いでは無くアレルギーなので凄く残念でした。ネギ類じゃなければ【チャイブ】を抜いて欲しいと言う【ネギ類アレルギー)は無視なんでしょうか？正直怖かったです。ダシ...日本のレトルトの粉末カツオダシを大量にお湯に溶いた味です。カツオダシを知らない人はAmazonで調べ購入したら同じ味だと納得すると思います。因みに今回のカツオダシ1人前の値段は日本園5円～10円以下だと思います。勿論オーガニックやNO MGNではありまん。味噌...ブラック味噌と最初説明されましたが【味噌の味はしない。ピーナッツバターのような味がする】と言うと苦笑いされましたが結果黒胡麻ペーストでした。ブラック味噌は日本には存在しません。赤味噌、白味噌が基本です。途中でチェックしました...余りにも酷い味と説明の為に途中でチェックしました。ほぼ残しその都度感想を聞かれ返答しお皿を下げてもらいましたが結果全額請求されました。多分コースの半分も来ていません。私達の予想では全額は請求は出来ないと思ったので【私達は内容には納得できないが払う気持ち】で来たので全額は払う意思を伝える気持ちでいましたが無駄に終わりました。値段は立地からしたら安いですが味を踏まえると到底見合ってはいません。味やサービスを考えると旅行という限られた時間内で行くのであれは尚更絶対にオススメできません。近くのバルに行けばフレンドリーでナイスな対応と凄く安い値段で充分楽しめます。とにかく色々旅行している中で美味しい楽しい時間を大切にしている私達の中でなかなか無い酷い体験をしました。この書き込みを参考にして頂いて損は絶対無いと思います。ミシュラン...正当評価が本当にされてるのか疑問です。喫茶店レベルで一つ星...悲しくなりました。 read more

Best meal I've ever had. Thank you My partner and I had the pleasure of dining here last May. The squid noodles and broth and the stingray dish, we still dream about read more

A great Michelin Star restaurant in San Sebastian. The food was delicious, the presentation and service were great. The ambiance is upscale, but not too stuffy. There's a certain casualness to it that I enjoyed. read more

We had the tasting menu and were happy we chose it. Almost every dish tickled our pallets. Excellent wines at reasonable prices. Warm wait staff that is unobtrusive. Quiet dining in a peaceful surround. Book early! read more

Fantastic 12 course meal and a fantastic menu! The service was perfection. Don't miss out!

I wish I could give them 3.5 stars as they do deserve better than 3. I think The problem is that I had some really high expectations after eating at Bodegon Alejandro. We decided to try the market menu since the tasting menu looked like too much. I will post pictures when I get home. I would like to echo what another reviewer said about this place in regards to the stuffiness. The waiter and waitress were polite, but a little stiff. The food was presented beautifully and tasted great. The appetizer was an onion soup with feta and a cod/patata sandwich. Unfortunately I did not get much of the feta flavor, but the soup and cod crisp was tasty. Next came the prawn salad which was probably my favorite dish. All the ingredients mixed perfectly. After the salad they brought the Merluza which was cooked perfectly and again mixed perfectly with the ingredients on the plate (runner up dish). Finally came the duck breast, which I was looking forward to. It did taste good, but was too tough. For desert, they brought out their version of the lemon cake which was pretty darn good! Overall a great meal, but not the best I have had in San Sebastián. read more

Everything you would expect from a Michelin star restaurant and more. It was a beautiful experience. We enjoyed the tasting menu of the day including the best tuna tartare I've had in my life, other shellfish, crab, pigeon and banana ice cream. The service was on point and perfectly timed dishes made for an amazing evening. read more

Was really looking forward to this meal and left feeling just ok about it. The food and creativity were both slightly above average - just barely bordering on the 1 star experience. The service was pretty good overall, but we did have a small piece of glass in one of the dishes that the staff seemed to handle pretty nonchalantly. I certainly didn't expect a free meal, but once the dish was taken away there was no mention of it again. If I were to come back, I'd likely order off the a la carte menu. read more

Had lunch here today and it was memorable experience. Everything was great. We split the roasted octopus starter then I had the lamb and my wife had the pork. Everything was absolutely first class. read more