Best pintxos in all of San Sebastián- trust me. Great place. Must have the shrimp fried in pork…read morefat! Whoop!

Gayle and I spent a nice part of a recent day in Donastia on a Pintxos crawl, let by Gartxot, our…read moreintrepid tour guide and all around great guy. Gartxot informed us that this modest restaurant is reportedly the oldest pintxos bar in San Sebastian and was on of Anthony Bourdain's favorites. The 3 of us sat against the wall opposite the bar and enjoyed the following delicious pintxos. Sorry, I forgot to take any food pictures. -Cod Brick -Grilled Scallop and Prawns - Individual glasses of the local wine (Txakoli) As a bonus, Gartxot gave us a small tutorial in Basque culture, mentioned his love for watching the NBA over La Liga, and describing his travels, including visiting the Center for Basque Studies at University of Nevada (Reno), where his ran into a couple mutual friends. Great Food, Wine, Culture, Travel, and Lively Conversation in an Iconic Pintxos Bar! What could be better?

Whoa. Just whoa. Overwhelming when you walk in- cramped and super busy (standing room only on the…read moreweekend). Gets packed around 2100. Don't go in If you're a vegetarian. There are ham legs hanging from the ceiling. But the food and drinks are best around otherwise- I am a fish person and the seafood was wonderful. Everyone around me was getting the "jamon" plates and enjoying them. Lots of places in these packed streets. This one is worth your time

We chose La Cepa for our last meal in San Sebastián before heading to Bilbao, and it was the…read moreperfect way to end our pintxos adventure. Since we arrived a little early, we were lucky enough to get a table before the lunchtime crowd arrived. La Cepa is known for its Jamón Ibérico, traditional Basque pintxos, and Txuleta (Basque rib steak). The hanging Iberian hams behind the bar immediately catch your attention and give the place a wonderfully authentic feel. I was still on an anchovy high after visiting Txepetxa, so I couldn't resist ordering another anchovy with olive pintxo. It was simple, fresh, and delicious. We also sampled a variety of jamón pintxos before finishing with the Txuleta, which was juicy, perfectly grilled, and simply seasoned with flaky sea salt. It was exactly the kind of meal we wanted before leaving the city. The counter was filled with tempting pintxos, and we also noticed specialties like foie gras, tortilla, grilled seafood, and an impressive selection of Iberian ham, giving us another reason to return. If you're planning a pintxos crawl through San Sebastián's Old Town, make sure La Cepa is one of your stops. Arrive a little early if you want a table, enjoy a few pintxos, and don't miss the Txuleta. It was a memorable way to end our stay in this incredible food city.

I'm not letting anyone reading this in on a secret here...while San Sebastián is known for all…read moretheir Michelin Star restaurants, it's the Pintxos that will be the most memorable and really what foodies come here for. It's like a high end food festival out there, and you just bar hop from place to place eating all these wonderful Pintxos and drinking cold glasses of Txakoli - a refreshing lightly carbonated wine. Everything in Basque Country is local and they have it all. Atari Gastroteka was our first stop, and we showed up right when they opened for the first Pintxos of the day. We focused on the cold Pintxos at the counter, just pointed at whatever looked good and ate it. Some of my favorites were... The marinated red Piquillo Pepper stuffed with tuna salad on a baguette. Smoked Mackerel on tomato bread Smoked Salmon with shrimp, egg, tomato, cream cheese on a raisin walnut toast. Topped with pickled veggie relish. Man this hit every flavor profile perfectly. We needed a 2nd one of those when I went back for Round 2. Jamon with Brie, honey, on dark walnut bread. I'm pretty sure they quickly hit this with a blowtorch to get the honey to caramelize on the Brie and also scorching the bread slightly. I could keep going on....but whatever bites you get here will be fantastic. Best to go with people who enjoy sharing bites, so you can try many different things so you don't get full.

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.

No trip to San Sebastián is complete without a pintxos crawl, and after seeing Borda Berri…read morerecommended over and over again, we knew we had to include it on ours. We actually stopped by the day before, but it was already closed, so we made sure to come back the following evening. It was definitely worth it. Unlike many pintxos bars where the food is already displayed on the counter, everything here is cooked to order. The place is small, lively, and always packed, with people spilling out onto the narrow streets of the Old Town while waiting for their dishes. It has that energetic atmosphere that makes San Sebastián's food scene so much fun. We ordered the dishes the bar is best known for, starting with the Carrillera de Ternera (beef cheek). It was unbelievably tender, rich, and practically melted with every bite. We also tried the famous Idiazabal "risotto," which isn't actually risotto but creamy orzo pasta cooked with smoked Idiazabal cheese. It was comforting, creamy, and completely different from anything we'd had before. One surprise of the evening was the tomato salad. It sounds simple, but the tomatoes were incredibly sweet and juicy, finished with excellent olive oil and flaky sea salt. Sometimes the simplest dishes leave the biggest impression. I noticed almost every table ordering the Pork Rib "Kebab," one of the restaurant's signature dishes, so that's definitely on my list for next time. If you're planning a pintxos crawl through San Sebastián's Old Town, Borda Berri deserves a stop. Come early if you can, expect to stand, order a few of the house specialties, and enjoy the lively atmosphere. It's easy to see why this little bar has become such a favorite among both locals and visitors.

Delicious and highly recommend! This spot lives up to the hype. Highly recommend the beef cheek and…read morerisotto. The place does get packed but we got lucky and went right when they open and was able to get a spot at the bar.

After an hour and a half wait, we still thought it was worth it. The waiting is very fair…read more Mushrooms were a must. We tried the Gilda at every place we hit. And the strawberries macerated in pepper were a nice close to our bar crawl. It was a buzzy and fun atmosphere EXCEPT for the obnoxious East Coast Americans who thought that everyone wanted to hear their whole drunken English conversation. We were embarrassed for them.

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

Yelp hours not kept up to date, can't trust them. Walked a ways to find it closed…read more Respect your potential patrons time please.

I miss the gambas a la plancha and the menu of the day I used to get there. Now it's been purchased…read moreby new owners who cater more to tourists so some of the previous vibe is missing. The food is basic and they are willing to put foil on to go.

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.

This was our first dinner in San Sebastián, made reservations ahead of time, because I heard so…read moremuch about their Txuleta steak. It lived up to expectations in every way. This steak is a much older cow (8 to 18 years old) than your normal US cow (1-2 years old). It's literally aged beef all those years while grazing, working, and milking. Such an amazing flavor. This is what we came here for. 40 oz of bone in ribeye for the table. Tabla de Iberico (half portion). This was the best charcuterie we had while in Spain. 4 amazing meats, definitely start your meal with this. Jamon Iberico de Bellota - stole the show, due to eating nothing but acorns, has such a nutty taste to it. But loved the other 3 as well. Chilled Spider Crab - this is another don't miss dish, although you can get it on Pintxos here and other places, this presentation in the crab shell is great. And it was the best crab salad we had anywhere. Txuleta 44 oz Bone-in Ribeye. They don't ask how you want it, it comes beautifully rare, nice crust on the outside, only topped with some course salt. It's not the most tender steak you've eaten, but the flavor makes up for it. You actually want each bite to last a bit. The fat has truly rendered into the meat here, delicious. Had to try both cheese cakes side by side Cheesecake #1 - House made Basque cheesecake with hazelnut ice cream. This was the winner of the two for me. Maybe not as fancy as the 2nd one. Cheesecake #2 - Rafa Gorrotxategi "Gandarias" Cheesecake with butter ice cream. This had an interesting top that was an apricot caramel glaze and an almond crust. It wasn't as sweet as the first one. Pretty though. We did return a few days later for their Pintxos and everything was delicious at the bar side as well. Can't see myself coming back to San Sebastián without eating here.

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.