A gluttonous guide to Donastia-San Sebastian
It’s early morning as our train winds up into Basque Country – through lush vegetation and small towns. Parents walk their children to school, cars squeeze past each other on narrow country roads, old women stop to chat outside patisseries. The further we go, the more remote it feels, with patches of farmland stretching out against a rolling, misty backdrop. When we finally pull into Estación del Norte, a fine rain is falling, shrouding the old city in a sleepy grey fog.
San Sebastian is renowned for its beautiful beaches and historic old town, but it’s the food that calls people from near and far. Basque cuisine is a world unto itself. Rich and savoury, it reflects the regions unique heritage and produce – celebrating fresh, seasonal ingredients and traditional cooking.
The city is broken into several neighborhoods, the City Centre and Old Town at the heart of it. Then there’s Gros, a youthful and cool surf hub with trendy restaurants and boutiques. On the other side of the Old Town , along Paseo de la Concha and through the Miramont tunnel, there’s Antiguo, the oldest neighbourhood in the city. From here you can take the Funicular up to Igeldo. It’s a city that can be explored for weeks on end, and you’ll still feel you may have missed something. Despite this, it’s also a place where you’ll be tempted to return to the same restaurant again and again. But on a brief, whirlwind trip – here are a few of the places I wouldn’t miss:
Where to eat in the Old Town
San Sebastian’s old town is milling with tourists seeking out tapas and pintxos, but it’s far from losing the local charm and culinary mastery that’s won it’s fame over the years.
Bodegon Alejandro
Down the steps off a busy street, Bodegon Alejandro is a trendy, low-lit eatery with seasonal tasting menus. It’s a good place to try the famous Basque Txuleta – a thick-cut bone-in rib steak cooked slowly over a wood fire. The meat is carefully sourced from older, chubbier cows with marbling that melts over the flames to produce a rich, buttery flavour that puts most other T-bones to shame.
La Viña
With nearly every wall devoted to long shelves lined with thick, billowy cheesecake, it isn’t hard to guess the speciality here. La Viña is renowned for its Burnt Basque Cheesecake, and though they start stocking their shelves the evening before, they can sell out early. We made the mistake of wandering in after dinner and elbowing through a crowd of people only to be told they’d just sold the last slice. We then had to watch, sourly sipping our consultation wine, while everyone around us scraped gooey goodness off paper plates mere inches from our noses. We convinced ourselves it couldn’t possibly be worth the hype. But oh – it is. Velvety smooth and decadent, La Vina’s cheesecake isn’t one you’ll soon forget. We returned early the next day and on our last morning in San Sebastian as a final, fretful farewell.
La Cuchara de San Telmo
This was probably our favourite restaurant in San Sebastian for several reasons. First, it’s packed to the gills, which is always a good sign, and the energy and noise give it an authenticity money can’t buy. Once you’ve wrangled yourself a table and shouted your order across the bar, they churn food out surprisingly quickly. You can’t go wrong with anything on the menu, but the mejilla de cerdo (pig cheek) falls apart and melts like butter on your tongue.
Borda Berri
This little tapas joint churns out local specialities from a modest but mighty kitchen. Kokotxas (hake cheeks), bacalao a la Vizcaína (cod in a red pepper sauce), bacalao al pil pil (cod cooked in olive oil and garlic). If you’re looking to familiarise yourself with Basque cuisine – this is the place.
Garua
A deceptively spacious craft beer spot with a few stools for perching and people-watching upstairs and an entire restaurant for burgers and barbecue downstairs.
Where to eat in Gros
San Sebastian’s artsy, surfer neighbourhood hugging Zurriola Beach is full of trendy boutiques, bars, restaurants and coffee shops with a laid-back, local feel.
Bar Zabaleta
This local spot came highly recommended by our Airbnb host for their tortilla. Savoury, sloppy and a real treat alongside some crispy calamari and a cold beer.
Mala Gissona Beer House
A divey, brick-walled gastro pub with an impressive selection of local craft beers and some simple but delicious food.
BB Cafe
Modern, hip and teaming with young locals, expats and tourists on the hunt for good coffee, fresh orange juice and avocado toast.
Where to wander
If you can tear yourself away from the pintxos, cidre, tapas and cheesecake – there’s much to explore in San Sebastian Donostia outside its exceptional culinary scene. Meander through the historic old town, take the funicular up to Monte Igueldo for a quaint old-world amusement park or escape into nature on the trek to Mota Castle.
Miramar Juaregia
Just a short walk up from La Concha Beach with lovely, well-kept grounds, this stately palace was once the summer home of the Queen of Spain. Now, it’s the perfect place for a leisurely stroll and a picnic with a view.
Parque de Atracciones Monte Igueldo
Taking the Funicular Monte Igueldo is well worth the trip, even if old-world amusement parks aren’t your bag. Climb up the old lighthouse for a peak at the area’s history and enjoy the spectacular views of the city and surrounding coastline from every angle.
Monte Urgell
It’s almost hard to believe that just minutes from the hungry crowds and chaos of the old town, there is the lush, green hillside of Monte Urgell. Cool, quiet and well worth the hike, a winding, wooded path leads up to Motako Gaztelua or Mota Castle, a walled keep dating back to the 12th century with a small chapel and museum.
