Agatha made the experience special. The food was decent, but watching her working that entire…read moreinside with perfection was amazing. She's definitely a pro. But, not all my experience was great. Fish soup was tasty after I added salt. I enjoyed the salad, but overpriced for what I got, I think cause of location. I'm soloing Spain so sometimes it can be challenging asking for a table. In this case the dude that great me said he can only seat me inside despite several open outdoor tables. I agreed as I was cold. Soon, the inside filled up, but that was a rude move. Thankfully Agatha made up for his lack of service.

Food was good but waiter lets you order way too much. Eat…read morefirst and then add later. Fresh fish cost 100 euro. Be careful

Mistral Coffee & Bakery has some very good ensaimadas and is definitely worth stopping by…read more I tried a few, but my favorite was the one with the cream filling. Soft, buttery, and perfectly balanced without being overly sweet.

We decided to try and make reservations as getting a bar table is sometimes near impossible unless…read moreyou happen to go at the right time. But I have to warn you, the menu is not the same. We actually wanted the pixtos, but you need to order at the bar for those (sad face). Interior looks really nice and looks like fine dining-ish inside. Food was still good, but quite pricey. I honestly would just stick to the pixtos because that's what we came here for and that's what they are noted for.

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.

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.

Reservations are a must for Casa Camara. I suspect that the increasing number of tourists wanting…read moreto dine there has lead them to institute a policy that they will charge a fee of 30 Euros per person for missed reservations. I received a confirmation email and a phone call the evening before the reservation to confirm. Pasaia is a lovely village and well worth a visit while staying in San Sebastian and is just a 15 minute bus ride away plus the 1 minute ferry ride. The staff at Casa Camara are amazing. They are the picture of efficiency. Everyone knows their roles and they all get the job done well. Service was really good and they have no problem answering questions in English. From the long specials list, we chose the grilled cigala. It's like a langostine. It was perfectly grilled and salted. They were so delicious. The monk fish was firm, flaky, and sweet. Our table was next to the lobster tank below the restaurant floor. As lobsters were ordered, staff would hoist the cages up to choose lobsters for the clients to confirm that it's what they want. For dessert, we shared a cheesecake. It was fluffy and light with berries inside. It was a wonderful lunch at a lovely place. Make a reservation so you don't miss out on the experience.

I had the best experience at Casa Camara. The service was excellent & the seafood was to die for…read more The restaurant is right on the water & wherever you sat you could see the water. They have a hole in the middle of the restaurant that goes straight down to the water and they keep their fresh lobster in cages. Whenever you order a lobster they wheel the cage up and you get to select which one you want. We stayed in San Sebastián & drove to the small town to eat. You do need to walk a little ways to find the restaurant but not very far. They also have an amazing view of the water in this town. I highly recommend going for a little walk/hike afterwards.

Believe all the 5-stars! Worth the 40min wait. We arrived early and they opened 15min late, all…read moreworthwhile. Staff, both front & back, were exceptional. No bad attitudes displayed considering the sheer volume of people & chaos. The four cooks churned out food like soldiers...major kudos to the young team. My only suggestion would be to redirect the line to the second door that leads to the outdoor dining. People didn't know to move forward b/c all the people waiting blocked the flow. I'd also get rid of the round tables outside and build a long skinny standing table. Favorite was the hake. I usually avoid seafood due to sensitivities but what the hey, a bite here & there on holiday won't kill, plus, if you're gonna risk it, this region is as good as it'll get for clean seafood. The scallop was my 2nd favorite. We didn't get the beef cheeks b/c we were going to have steaks later...wished we had, looked divine. If there's just 2of you, opt for the smallest so you can chomp on different pintxos.

I feel so bad writing this review because the place is crowded and there's usually a wait. But it…read morewas the best food we had in San Sebastián, better than the Michelin places. I will be dreaming about their lamb for the rest of my life. Service is cramped and chaotic, but friendly. Limited drinks list. But none of that mattered

A must-visit for made-to-order, highly seasonal pintxos while in San Sebastián. Casa Urola features…read morea downstairs primarily for pintxos enthusiasts (made-to-order and pre-made pintxos paired with txakoli) and an upstairs sit-down restaurant for a more elevated experience. Both were highly recommended to me, but given my very ambitious food itinerary for San Sebastián, I opted for just the made-to-order pintxos downstairs. I found Casa Urola lively and busy, but not claustrophobic the way some of the other famous spots in Old Town can be, which was a HUGE plus. Coming on the earlier side of the evening crawl, I was actually able to snag a seat after ordering based on staff recommendations: the mushroom tart, the pumpkin and artichoke, and of course txakoli. The made-to-order menu is offered in both English and Spanish, which was a huge plus for an English-speaking tourist like me. Both pintxos were fabulous, highly seasonal, and ended up being favorites of the entire evening's crawl. I ended up sharing a table with another solo traveler and it was so fun to compare orders and see what we each thought was best. My biggest regret is that I was honestly still too full from my lunch crawl to try more. I wish I had been able to squeeze in another visit before I left San Sebastián, but alas, I'll have to save it for next time!

A highlight of downtown Donostia. Casa Urola is a classic on Fermín Calbetón with a lively pintxo…read morebar at street level and a calm dining room upstairs. The kitchen (long led by chef Pablo Loureiro) leans into market-fresh Basque cooking: seafood and vegetables cooked simply and precisely, often kissed by the grill. Service is warm and polished and a cold glass of Txakolina feels made for this room, or standing just outside at a high top, as we did. Dish-wise, my runaway favorite was the artichoke hearts, charred and buttery, sitting in a golden, silky sauce with little shards of jamón and nutty crumbs. I could have eaten twenty. A seared scallop arrived in a light, foamy sauce, topped with a tangle of crisp seaweed and a few toasted seeds. Sweet, briny, and rich without being heavy. Don't miss the cheese-and-pine-nut tartlets: flaky pastry, caramelized onions, and molten Basque cheese (think Idiazabal vibes) scattered with pine nuts. Everything landed perfectly seasoned and balanced. We paired it all with Txakolina and left plotting a return just for those artichokes. Classic Basque cooking here with a faint French twist that left us wanting more - but of course, it was time to continue eating our way down the street.

I was in search of a Michelin starred restaurant where I could order off of the menu rather than a…read moretasting menu with things I would rather not eat. The complimentary ratatouille was made from vegetables from the garden, and was perfect with the best bread I'd had in Spain. The lobster salad was not only delicious, but a work of art. Veal cannelloni and fois with truffle was offered as a special, and it was delicious. My only regret was that I did not have room for dessert. The service and the room were perfection. I had high expectations, and Zelai Txiki did not disappoint.

Zelai Txiki was the 'fanciest' of the restaurants we visited, but also the most disappointing. The…read moreamuse bouche was a dull mushroom velouté that required salt, though the crispy (deep fried, wrapped in something like wonton skin) boletus/porcini was delicious. Most of the food needed a little bit of salt, which someone at my table requested. We tried a type of foie ravioli with shaved black truffle. The scent of truffle was weak and the taste quite dull. The large red prawn on a bed of creamy rice (risotto) was fine. The fish soup, like most of the food here, was pretty to look at, but it had a thudding 'fish' punch rather than tasting 'of the sea.' (I understand this sounds like an unsophisticated opinion, but the flavor just didn't appeal to a party that enjoys bouillabaisse very much.) Well-prepared lamb chops tasted well prepared. The suckling pig was chopped and stuffed and rolled in its own skin, presented as a thick cylinder approximately 4 inches long. The skin reminded me of crispy chicken skin, and it was the best pig skin I ever tried. The pork was excellent but other than the preparation required to present it, it was not exciting to eat. The roasted pigeon was allegedly good, but it also went unfinished. The 'artisan bread' baked onsite was shockingly mediocre. The French fries were floppy and lukewarm. The desserts - a strawberry shortcake and a reimagined 'French toast' - were both good. Service, excellent. Ambiance, also excellent.

One of many bodegas in the Gros Area. Clean, kinda hip and a good value. I had a grilled asparagus…read moreand egg special. It was delicious. Service was good but they were pretty busy

Good hearty rice with squid if you want something that isn't on the ubiquitous baguette bread. My…read morelunch compatriots all were craving salad and opted for a big salad with tuna. Glad I got something harder to get but it worked for them. A little chaotic when a big conference is going on a block away at the convention center but the tables on the street are covered and were always full when I walked by twice a day for five days.

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

Food tasted great! Young lady was great but the young man was not. All 3 of us got sick later with…read morevomitting all night. We had the fish special (Rodaballo)

I had dinner there last night with some very good friends while visiting San Sebastián…read more The ambience was lovely, the menu was good but the dinner that I ordered was just okay. I had the rice with lobster. The lobster was NOT cracked properly and the shells were so hard that you couldn't crack the shells with the devices provided. The lobster tails were inedible and difficult to remove from the shells. The young lady that served us was wonderful. The young man that originally waited on us was nice but somewhat curt. Our friends loved their meals, so perhaps this was just a "one off" bad meal? While my friends would return, I would not.