From the owner: En el centro de Astigarraga, corazón de las sidrerias, contrasta y destaca la comida tradicional…read morevasca que sale de los experimentados fogones de Maixol Zabalegui Anabitarte, cocinera y motor del restaurante Goikoitturri donde se aunan el mimo en el hacer con la calidad de las materias primas, pescados y carnes. En un ambiente agradable para que tu y los tuyos os sintais como en casa. Prepárate a abrir los sentidos. Pescados frescos del día como los rodaballos salvajes, la reconocida sopa de pescado de obligada degustación, la clásica pero tan especial tortilla de bacalao, almejas, chuletónes, solomillos, etc.

A very unique experience…read more If you have never been to a cider house in Basque Country and do not have an experience or local friend with you, it will take a you a few minutes (or even longer!) to figure out what to do when you walk into one! You are given a glass, walked over to a long wooden table, left with a plate full of delicious chorizo, which usually arrives within the first minutes, and left there to figure the rest out for yourselves! We were fortunate to have a good friend who was born and raised in the area, so he coached us when we visited Petritegi. Our group got a table next to the rows of cider barrels, so all we had to do was get up, take three steps, and fill up our glasses with cider right out of a barrel. Just as we were sitting down, someone in the hall behind us yelled out "txotx!" (pronounced "CHOACH") and a whole bunch people around the hall jumped up and started walking towards him! Our friend told us that "txotx" means the person is about to open the tap on one of the huge barrels. All interested parties are supposed to stand up from their meals, get in line, and hold their glass at just the right angle to catch a couple of fingers of cider from that hissing stream. A lady who was standing behind me on the line saw me filling up my glass, and said, "No, no! pour just a little and keep coming back for more!" Apparently, the idea is to drink your cider while it is still bubbly from the pour. See, you are supposed to hold your glass as far away from the tab as possible so the one inch or so that your pour has as much air bubbles in it as possible! Needless to say that we all got cider all over our hands until we finally got a hang of it and stated txotxing left and right!! Meanwhile at the table the food kept coming! Salt cod omelette, Fried salt cod with peppers, bone-in ribeye steak and for Dessert (cheese, quince jelly, walnuts, almond 'tiles' and 'cigarettes'). Cider and bread were included of course! This meal at Petritegi was one of the most memorable parts of our group of six. We laughed, we drank, we laughed, we talked, we laughed, we ate and we laughed some more and in between we yelled out txotx as often as we could!

This is can't-miss if you're in the San Sebastián area. We were staying in San Sebastián, got a…read moretaxi to drive us to Petritegi. We had a reservation for a tour at 11am. Fascinating to see the apple orchards and see how they make cider. So much fun trying to catch cider with a cup as they open the spigot from the giant barrel and cider comes streaming. The traditional Basque meal we had was incredible: sausage, cod omelet, fried cod with bell peppers, huge steak, finished with walnuts, cheese and butter cookies. AND all you can drink cider, ofc. Afterwards we walked to town and caught a bus back to San Sebastián. Perfect outing.

This is a great local Basque sagardotegi, or restaurant specializing in cider. We came with a…read moreBasque friend on a recent evening and tried the three types of ciders made here. Then we ducked into the restaurant for an outstanding dinner. For starters, we enjoyed plates of fresh sliced tomatoes garnished with extra virgin olive oil and salt, as well as local Guernika peppers, sautéed in olive oil and sprinkled with salt. We then had an egg and mushroom soufflé that was amazing! Then we enjoyed a bowl of fish soup, also outstanding. Our main dish was a grilled Hake. The waiter brought out the fresh fish for us to inspect before grilling it in butter-olive oil sauce with sliced garlic. It was soft and very tasty. We washed it all down with a couple bottles of house cider! Desert was an apple cheesecake and a Basque cream covered with honey called "mamia." All in all, an outstanding experience!

When the national drink of the Basque Country, Txakolí (chalk-oh-lee), is served, one and all pause…read moreto admire the performance. The seemingly flat sparkling white wine explodes with carbonation when decanted, using an enthusiastic overhand technique. Leave the champagne flutes and coupes on the bar as this rustic, straw-colored beverage refuses anything but an oversized tumbler. Txomin Etxaniz Winery's version excels at cleansing the palate between bites of flash-fried or salty foods.

If you're in San Sebastian and have a car, I recommend stopping by Txomin Extaniz…read more Once you arrive, you might be greeted by one of the owner's sons Mikel who is charged with many duties, among them giving the English speakers a tour of the winery and also a tasting of housemade anchovies, bread, Txakoli and rose. I much preferred the Txakoli as it was more fragrant and went home with two bottles. Note: You need to make an appointment before you visit. Also, if you're like me you will get lost so pay attention to the signs while you're driving. The winery is located down a steep hill with captivating views of the sea.