This hole-in-the-wall joint was already full of locals when we arrived around 8 pm. The cozy, warm…read moreatmosphere drew us in, and the prompt service made us glad we stayed. Despite the crowds we were approached almost immediately and our food, once ordered, came out promptly. We were presented with an order of firm, fleshy and well-seasoned octopus, excellently cooked calamari, French fries cooked in olive oil, and a large salad. There was plenty of food, and it was all good, but the calamari and pulpo were the best. The price was very reasonable - we were both too full to try the flan!

This legendary tavern has a cult following in Zarautz, and has a wide selection of combination…read moreplates, pintxos, sandwiches, etc. accompanied by local refreshments. Very friendly staff, and affordable to boot.

One of the best "menú del día" deals I've seen in a long time - 11 euros for two courses plus wine…read more(or even better, local cider) and dessert on the beach. The menu board claims "fresh fish", and I have to admit, I had forgotten how good fresh hake can be, especially if it hasn't been overcooked. So far I've had paella, ensaladilla rusa, beef ribs and that hake, and so far all my meals have been superb.

Kale, Nagusia Kalea 34 Getaria Spain…read more Established in 1840! Getaria in Basque Country is a small, charming coastal town. Famous for its grilled seafood. We chose this place because the grill was right outside the front door and everything looked and smelled delicious! Fresh, whole turbot, sea bream, octopus, truly thick cut beef steaks and shrimp were being grilled over a wood fire. Simply seasoned with sea salt, grilled and plated. Nothing was added to hide the freshness of the whole Sea bass I truly enjoyed. I love fish prepared this way-simply and with pride. I wished I had a second stomach so I could have had everything I saw walking by my table! Reservations recommended, or get lucky as a walk in.

Must be crazy to have two highly rated Asador just across town square main drag from each other…read more As Getaria goes, pescado y mariscos a la brasa is the goto. Rodaballo and other things are of equal quality as the other well known Asador, but slightly cheaper as they dont have the same world fame and Michelin star. Delicious is still key!

After trying to get a table for lunch without reservations at Elkano and Kaia-Kaipe, we were…read morefortunately about to get into the Mayflower. The service was prompt and not overbearing and friendly. We had a lovely lunch of octopus a la gallega and the turbot for two. It was a lot of food and came with bread to soak up some warm olive oil and garlic coming off the fish. Be sure to order a glass of Txakoli to go with your meal! We ended off with a piece of cheesecake which was light and delicious.

Fills up very quickly, we had to do an early dinner (20:00) and after that all tables were taken…read more We had a monkfish and a "dorada" roasted with some salad as starter. An awesome homemade cheesecake as dessert. Very nice views directly to the sea and with ambient music from the square next to the restaurant. Good service.

We booked the hotel and dinner package. The receptionist was a bit terse and befuddled, but we were…read moreable to check in without too much hassle. We received room 108, which is probably the best the hotel has to offer. There were two rather uncomfortable twin beds and no desk or place to work. But the private terrace was amazing and we took in the amazing expanse of the Zarautz bay before us. The restaurant served a "tasting menu". It wasn't a Michelin format so there were no matched wines. Three of the five dishes were world class or near. The starter salad and the dessert disappointed and were your average cafeteria fare. Service during dinner was excellent. All in all worth a try. A room refresh and better start and end to the meal would have earned a fifth star.

Very hard to find traditional Basque food restaurant. Seafood here is very good as is the meat. The…read morecharcoal grill in the back is where they cook the seafood and the meat. This is not a tourist restaurant so don't expect English menus. Food and wine here is very good but not inexpensive. Quality is top notch and all of the food is extremely fresh, seasonal, and simply prepared. This restaurant is not to be missed if you can find it!

Elkano is ranked among the world's top restaurants so I was thrilled to secure a reservation! It's…read morea bit out of the way located in Getaria but getting there by public bus was surprisingly easy! The views along the journey are absolutely gorgeous! The must-order dish is the monkfish, which was beautifully prepared and quite good! The service was phenomenal from start to finish. Overall, Elkano is well worth the trek. Getaria itself is an incredibly charming town with stunning scenery, making the entire experience feel special beyond just the meal.

Amazing dinner at Elkano. The restaurant is a short drive from San Sebastian along the coast…read more There's a parking lot just past the restaurant down by the sea. The wine list is long - the sommelier unfortunately wasn't there (on a Saturday night?), so we ended up having to choose without guidance which was unfortunate. The service was very lovely, although they did seem to be understaffed which led to issues later on in the meal...will get to those. For the food, we opted for the tasting menu with a supplement from the a la carte. Perfect amount of food, maybe a touch more than we needed and we didn't stay for dessert. The preparations are so simple, you get to experience the purity of the fresh caught ingredients. I loved learning about everything we were eating as we progressed. The turbot really is special, but other standouts were tuna dishes, lobster, grilled squid, red mullet - ok basically all of it. We were looking forward to dessert as we'd heard so much about it, but service really slowed up during the savory courses (understandably, as they spent so much time preparing the turbot at the table). We were seated in the back of the restaurant in the upstairs area, and it was very very warm to the point where myself and other diners were fanning ourselves with the menus. We ran out of water which didn't help. After an extended period of time without water, we just asked for the desserts to go (which they couldn't accommodate as they both had ice cream), but they didn't charge us for everything on the bill so we were ok with it. Even with this unfortunate ending to our meal, we left very full and happy, and look forward to returning (and requesting to sit somewhere where they have air circulation).

I imagined Getaria to be a sleepy quiet town. Wrong. The Txikiteo action-is strong here. Many…read moreplaces are packed on this strip. Getaka was one of the few to fit our large group. Part tiend, part bar, part pintxos joint. Good for sidra and snacks or bottles, quesos and jamon to go. Or just a quiet stop on the pintxos crawl

I wish like Jason we lived above this restaurant. As it is we have to make do with four visits a…read moreyear as we travel to and from Portugal. So first - for all the others that are anxious about Basque menus, don't worry. Literally everything is good so even if you can't get the Castilian subtitles friendly staff or locals will join in your selection process. Or pick at random!! Racism's rather than tapas but they're sensible size - 2 rations per person works for lunch. Fish straight off the boat- you're eating on the quayside, and everything else fresh and local. Nice town, nice people, nice place. 10 minutes off the AP1 max and worth the detour.