The best restaurants San Sebastián

In a very minimalist decor, the NH Collection Aránzazu hotel restaurant has forged its own identity thanks to the inventive and contemporary dishes signed by chef Martín Aristondo. Located opposite the Zubimusu Park, less than 10 minutes walk from the beautiful beach of Ondarreta, this restaurant with its uncluttered setting is very popular with the locals. In addition to its excellent tapas and raciones, Kukuarri stands out for its always innovative market cuisine. Favour the tasting menu, which offers good value for money!

A Parte Vieja classic! This traditional house, founded in 1948, offers two charming atmospheres: a very nice tapas bar where you can taste various pintxos, and a restaurant run by Aitziber which offers a culinary journey around Basque cuisine, with specialities such as chuletón (prime rib), hongos a la plancha (sautéed mushrooms) or anchoas fritas (anchovies), with an excellent regional wine list. For dessert, don't miss the delicious tarta de queso (cheesecake). A good address and good value for money.

The younger brother of a bar of the same name in Melbourne, this restaurant was born out of Gerald's passion, originally from Australia, for the cuisine of northern Spain. In the heart of Le Gros, it is a singular place, with its wooded decor and jazzy music, its cuisine sometimes international, sometimes rooted. Depending on the season and the market produce, you can enjoy a steak tartare of pikaña (a very tender piece of beef), sole meunière or red mullet with leeks. The most intrepid will give the chief carte blanche. A place with a soul!

Between a canteen and a small tavern for regulars, this simple and unadorned space, whose first vocation was the traditional tapas bar, has seen the arrival of a restaurant in the back room. Here you can eat good raciones and pintxos, including the excellent Bellota ham, canutillo (a kind of flaky stick) filled with cheese and anchovies, artichokes with ham and poached egg, scrambled eggs with mushrooms... But what makes the reputation of La Viña is its excellent tarta de queso (cheesecake), simply the best in Spain!

This elegant restaurant is housed in the Hotel Arbaso, next to the Cathedral del Buen Pastor. The young chef Iñigo Peña, trained in the most prestigious kitchens of the Basque Country, offers here a refined seasonal cuisine that respects the essence of each ingredient. In the restaurant's warm, wooded dining room, you can enjoy a baked txangurro (crab), oxtail ravioli, sole a la plancha... Next door, the Original Bar offers a more informal atmosphere for sharing tapas.

Situated in a pretty 600-year-old farmhouse, Zuberoa has set itself a reference of local gastronomy thanks to its cuisine and traditional products. Here, Chief Hilario Arbelaitz updates the Basque recipes inherited from his mother, to which he breathes his more modern and contemporary vision. Lovely décor in the dining room, with stones and exposed beams, to taste this half-way cuisine between avant garde and tradition.

A great classic of the Parte Vieja, which chef Juan Mari Arzak (3 Michelin stars) recommends in all his interviews! If he loves his fried hake, the house has many other specialities: txangurro (spider crab) tarts, txistorra (sausage) crisp, and the best selection of mushrooms in the whole city! To appreciate its cuisine, prefer a meal in the restaurant area and test its seasonal wonders: truffle, elver, artichokes with foie gras, "lagrima" peas with white asparagus and soft-boiled egg...

In one of the emblematic streets of the Parte Vieja there is a restaurant dedicated to traditional Basque cuisine. Presided over by an 1820 watercolour depicting a wide panorama of San Sebastián, the restaurant room offers a pleasant setting for tasting regional recipes. A la carte, txangurro salad, fish soup a la Donostiarra, hake a la plancha, cod kokotxas (cheeks) with txakoli: these are all ancestral recipes that are embellished with a modern presentation. A nice address to get an overview of Basque cuisine.

Founded in 1956, the restaurant was taken over a decade ago by talented chef Pablo Loureiro. Here, he offers a renovated traditional cuisine, which seeks to extract the maximum flavor from each product. Depending on the season, you can enjoy Navarre asparagus with truffle mayonnaise, the traditional Kokotxa of hake grilled à la parilla, grilled artichokes and cardoons with ham cream... There are also a number of excellent pintxos on display at the counter, as well as fine à la carte tapas.

Just a stone's throw from the Victoria Eugenia Theatre, this almost century-old establishment is an emblematic venue for the Film Festival, with its walls covered with photos of stars. The memory of its prestigious visitors - Ava Gardner, Liz Taylor and Luis Mariano, among others - brings much to the magic of the place. Here you come to enjoy pintxos around the bar or a good menu in the restaurant area. Every day, depending on the market, we will test, for example, Navarrese bean soup, beef simmered in red wine, and sheep's curd for dessert.

A sure value of the Parte Vieja to enjoy pintxos at the counter (usually crowded!) or a good txuleta (prime rib) in the restaurant area. Don't hesitate to try the pintxos à la carte, such as the risotto with mushrooms and Idiazábal cheese, and the different brochettes with lamb, chipirons, scallops or shrimps. In the restaurant, the menu gives pride of place to the classics of Basque gastronomy. Good to know: you will find a selection of vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free dishes.

A popular bar in the Parte Vieja offering a wide range of pintxos. As in most of the bars in the area, you will have to elbow your way to the bar and discover its specialities: foie gras fried a la plancha (reputed to be one of the best in the area), baked txangurro (spider crab), pancakes with mushrooms, txangurro, etc., or the surprising sea urchin cream. Practical for beginners: labels indicate the composition of each pintxo! Note that there are a few tables to sit at.

Downstairs, the tapas bar. In the basement, two rooms in a simple rustic style. La Casa Vallés serves a clientele of regulars who appreciate its good and generous cuisine: vegetables, beans, chorizos, grilled prawns, fish, suckling lamb... Among its pintxos, try the gilda, the house speciality based on Ibarra peppers and anchovies. It is even said that the famous skewer was invented here by grandfather Blas Vallés, and that it owes its name to the film played by Rita Hayworth, released on Spanish screens in 1946. A classic!

The Barkaiztegi cider house is a benchmark in the world of traditional Basque cuisine. In fact, the same family - Irizar - has been running the place since 1930! In this vast comedor, where dark wood predominates, just a five-minute drive from the town center, you can sample the finest seasonal produce: from steak to grilled fish, from stuffed asparagus to roasted mushrooms, from Tudela artichokes to tuna breast. Barkaiztegi is also one of the few remaining traditional, family-run cider factories in San Sebastian.

Tilia Deli & Café is a rather informal concept where you can come at any time of day to enjoy dishes made exclusively from seasonal ingredients. From breakfast to weekend brunch, from the daily menu to the varied bistro menu, you're sure to find what you're looking for. What's more, the restaurant's location is not lacking in charm, with its bright dining room and wide-open terrace overlooking the Miramón forest. A fresh, gourmet, local stopover!

In the charming little port of San Sebastián, this "Basque fishermen's house" offers a space dedicated to Basque fish. Both gastronomic and educational, this place aims to make known the species fished in the waters of the Bay of Biscay, while offering delicious tastings and a grocery corner. The fish is obviously ultra fresh, and the menu changes according to the seasons. Note also that various experiences are offered on site: visits to the Pasaia fish market, excursions on board a fishing boat...

Already well known in the local gastronomic scene, Paul Arrillaga and Maite Mujika have moved their "Zazpi" from Calle San Marcial to their new location in the San Telmo Museoa. In the tavern area, the pintxos offer a festival of flavors in a mini version, such as cod with pil-pil sauce or rice with mushrooms, truffle and liver, accompanied by an excellent selection of wines. The restaurant, with only seven tables, offers refined Basque cuisine. To be noted: its large terrace, very popular on sunny days!

In the Zenit Convento San Martín hotel, this elegant restaurant is run by the young Aitor Santamaría, who trained in the kitchens of Arzak before launching his concept of Euskal-sushi cuisine that combines Basque and Asian flavors. Very fashionable, this modern table in a decor of old convent seduces the palates in search of new flavors. On the menu, meat and fish à la parilla are served alongside txuleta nigiri or hake and piquillo maki. Original!

San Sebastian's newest gastronomic sensation, Argentinean Paulo Airaudo's restaurant earned its^second Michelin star at the end of 2021. Housed in the beautiful Villa Favorita hotel on the La Concha promenade, this restaurant offers Italian-inspired cuisine, with influences from Argentina and Japan, and a remarkable selection of champagnes. A little more informal than its competitors, the restaurant has a large bar where the cooks serve the dishes themselves to the customers. A superb address for gourmets!