Tough decisions…
San Sebastian is considered a foodie mecca by many. A small town nestled around two golden bays in northern Spain, it boasts of having close to the most Michelin stars per capita in the world. However, if like me your budget doesn’t quite stretch that far (yet!), don’t despair. It’s also home to streets upon streets of pintxos bars, where you can munch to your heart’s content for just a few euros. Now that is music to my ears!
We hired an amazing Air BnB apartment right in the middle of the Old Town and settled in for our long weekend. First tip: if you’re flying from London it is much cheaper (and more convenient flight times) to fly to Bilbao and take the hour-long coach ride to San Sebastian.
Looking down the street of Calle Mayor from the doorstep of Santa Maria to the tower of Buen Pastor
I’ll be posting more about non-culinary based activities soon, but the big attraction for us in San Sebastian was the food. Pintxos are more-or-less the Basque version of tapas, in that they are small nibbly bites that you can consume rather a lot of, especially with wine! Originally they were a piece of baguette-type bread with a topping, held in place with a cocktail stick, but now they run the gamut from tortilla to prawns to meatballs to wings, and there doesn’t need to even be bread involved. Although no-one was complaining when there was! Each pintxos bar has their own speciality and it’s worth trying to figure these out beforehand. They are often ordered hot and from the menu, rather than laid on the counter – although you generally can’t go wrong with letting your eyes guide you.
In what was possibly the most research I did for a trip so far this year (tells you a lot about my foodie priorities) I compiled a map with all the best recommendations I found before we went, plus a couple of activities and sights for when we needed to walk off some of the pintxos. We stuck mostly to the Old Town, both because it was where we stayed and because it was renowned for the best concentration of top-notch pintxos bars. I’ve now added my own comments to the ones we went to – click here to go straight to the map. Otherwise, be prepared to drool… these are my favourite places we visited!
A Fuego Negro
I just had to start with A Fuego Negro as it was the gastronomic star of our time in San Sebastian. So packed on the Saturday night (with mostly locals) that we couldn’t even squeeze into a table, it was worth the wait for these goodies. We went for the quail wings with apple mustard after spotting them being devoured next to us, and we were not disappointed, they were delicious. The quail melted in my mouth, and was perfectly paired with the sweet tang of the mustard. Slightly flouting convention by ordering a couple of dishes, our other choice was squid mousse rings. Like an upper-class version of my pub favourite, onion rings, these were also very tasty. Address: Calle 31 de Agosto, 31
Gandarias
Gandarias was our first pintxos bar in San Sebastian and it was a fairly overwhelming experience. There were huge numbers of tempting plates to choose from and hungry crowds clamouring for service. In addition, unlike the guides we read we were required to pay first – not at all a problem, but it did throw us. Another thing which could have been an issue, had I not already read about it, was the custom that we encountered almost everywhere of throwing napkins and pintxos sticks on the floor when they were used. It looked like the bar was covered in rubbish, but actually they were swept very regularly. It still took a little while to get used to! The food here was yummy, although we never did figure out whether those were a type of anchovy, fishy pasta, or something else entirely. It didn’t matter! (Update: Big thanks to reader Michael who confirmed these are gulas (fake baby eels/elvers) as opposed to angulas (real baby eels/elvers) which are way more expensive. Mystery solved!) Calle 31 de Agosto, 23.
Casa Vergara
Disclaimer: the cheesy goodness at Casa Vergara was obviously not for me and my lactose-intolerant system (sadly). But it was highly rated by my friends, while I considered seconds on the white fish with caramelised onions – genius combination. The dairy deliciousness wasn’t the only good thing about Casa Vergara – located right next to beautiful Santa Maria Church, it was ideal for admiring the incredible architecture and also people-watching as the throngs passed by. Mayor 21.
Txondorra
Txondorra was not only home to one of my favourite combinations of salmon and prawn – double win! But it was also where I tried my first sample of the local cider. Also known as sagardoa, it is quite flat and dry, but I found it really refreshing. Plus most of the bartenders had hugely amusing routines for pouring it from as far away as possible, in order to give it some fizz – fun! Fermín Calbetón, 7.
The Loaf
I know, I know… clearly not a pintxos bar. But you’ve gotta have breakfast, right? My friend Gin is somewhat of a bread connoisseur, so when I spotted The Loaf in my research I knew we’d have to head there. Their freshly baked sourdough was sliced in front of us, still warm, and the perfect combination of crunch crust and chewy insides. Their coffee was great, and our sneaky slices of cake were also met with rounds of applause. I can’t think of a nicer way to breakfast than the way we did. Grab your loaf of choice, and a coffee if you’re that way inclined, then simply cross the road. Perch on the sea wall and start munching, watching the surfers as your morning entertainment. Perfection! Zurriola 18
Casa Alcade
On the more rustic side of the scale, Casa Alcade was definitely another firm favourite with us. The barmen were welcoming, the plate choice was varied and huge, and we just really loved the atmosphere. It was interesting to see the variety in places around town – we found those clustered around the main square of Constitution Plaza slightly souless, whilst many of those tucked into smaller doorways on main streets or around slight corners were the best discoveries. As unhealthy as it may be, the deep-fried bacon wrapped around a prawn had to be my favourite, but I’d be happy to go back to make sure! Calle Mayor, 19
La Viña
If you’re a cheesecake fan, then La Viña is undoubtedly saving the best for last. The girls raved over the bar’s speciality, with a ricotta-like flavour and perfect texture – or so I hear. It was so good they had it twice! For myself, I was pretty happy to see the wide array of seafood, especially the spicy anchovies. I must confess, La Viña’s other specialty was a particularly tasty meatball with a chilli sauce – and I had it twice too! Calle de Agosto 31, 3.
Map
So there you have it… a LOT of deliciousness and four very happy tummies at the end of the trip. Click here for what to do to when you’re not eating, or napping it off!
Have you visited San Sebastian? Any recommendations for my next trip – I think there will have to be one!