Chances are, as a reader of the waffle I stick up on here, that you’ve either been to or certainly heard of San Sebastian, or what we locals prefer to call Donostia. If you haven’t wandered through the Old Town, snaffling pintxos and necking Txakolina, you’ll have seen your Steins and your Bourdains doing just that.
So while I won’t bore you with a history lesson I will say that the place exceeded my already high expectations, and that if you’re into bar-hopping and eating on the hoof, I highly recommend a visit. While the world doesn’t need yet another guide to San Sebastian, I took a lot of photos which need sticking somewhere for posterity, and here’s as good a place as any.
People can get a bit militant about where to go for this and where to go for that, but while some places are admittedly renowned for their particular speciality I’d suggest that you’re best off getting stuck in and making your own mind up. There are certainly plenty to get at. Perhaps it’s my loss, but I couldn’t be arsed queueing up for a slice of tortilla no matter how much certain guides say that you should.
Bar Pepe
Most of the guides tend to focus on the Old Town, which is understandable given the sheer number of pintxos bars to go at round there. However it’s worth having a wander to the other side of the bay, known as Antiguo, a pleasant mile’s walk away, which feels very local. It took me a couple of cervezas to pluck up the courage to bang out some very rudimentary Spanish, but the result was a plate of robust croquettes that lined the stomach while La Liga matches played in the background.
Antzara
Also in Antiguo and also full of locals. Big fan of this place and bobbed in each day. The ubiquitous tortilla – firm and gooey at the same time – was top-drawer, and a mountain of crispy spud provided good ballast after a heavy one the night before. Basque cheesecake v good.
Trikuhari
If you are round in Antiguo this is a good spot for a breakfast pastry, but we also went during the day and got a couple of bites including this boulder of minced beef in batter with, of course, a chunk of baguette. Yet more of the good stuff to line the stomach.
Monte Igeldo
It costs about four euros to take the old-school funicular to the funfair at the summit of Monte Igeldo. The food offering at the top is pretty average but the views across the bay alone are worth it. Yes, I should have got a picture. Treat yer’sen to a go on the traditional rollercoaster then go back down, where there’s a beachside tennis club with a bar, Nam, that serves decent grub. I should also say that the beach on this side of the bay – Ondaretta – is smaller and a little quieter than La Concha further along.
Antonio
I liked our pit-stop at this tiny bar in the central area, where we stopped for a swift half and a gilda – the classic cocktail stick of olive, anchovy and chilli which is a bag full more than the sum of its parts. Friendly lads behind the bar, and a restaurant downstairs if you’re staying for longer. Next time I will.
La Vina
Allow me to momentarily contradict myself about making your own mind up about where to go for the classics. See, we did go to La Vina in the Old Town purely to try the cheesecake (or tarta de Basque) for which the place is rightly renowned. And yes, it is something else, teetering on a fine line between lactic tang and nearly-vanilla-sweetness. Outstanding.
Bar Sport
Bar Sport didn’t show any sport on this visit, and while I found the pintxos a little underwhelming (my own tortilla is better) I liked the conviviality of the place and we returned several times. My collection of receipts tells me that it was 5 euros for a glass of Txakoli and a glass of vino tinto. Imagine.
Be prepared to bellow your order over the heads of crowds congregating at the bar.
Cepa
If I was to choose a favourite San Sebastian spot then this might just be it. Ironically we didn’t indulge in any of the mushroom-specific dishes that Cepa is famous for, but that potent truffly hum was present in other dishes such as sweet-fat-melting jamon (the slicer was in constant use throughout each of our visits) or the hot, crunchy croquettes.
Gandarias
This trip was spent picking at bits rather than having big meals, so although the ubiquitous steaks looked inviting the only beef we had was through mini, 2-bite sliders. The popular Gandarias does them well. The white-tableclothed restaurant at the back of the bar looks nicely old-school.
Txepetxa
Partial to anchovies? Go here. The anchovies are grand.
Marinela
I’m of a mind to never go back to Marinela because, given the near-faultless joy-filled lunch we enjoyed here, it would be almost impossible for a return visit to meet such lofty standards. It’s not posh, or particularly creative, but on a warm day with boats bobbing in the harbour a stones throw away, it’s an idyllic spot.
It’s easy to be too gushy about these things, especially when you’ve gone all in on the Txakoli, but each plate that was brought out – crispy, rustling squid, grilled sole, potatoes somewhere between hot-pot spuds and greasy-spoon chips – was the absolute best that it could have been. Neither a swim or a long shower was enough to rid me of the post-meal aioli stench oozing from my pores, for which Marinela receives bonus points.
There were loads more places, of course there were, and despite having geekily read and watched loads of guides before we embarked, it was still astonishing to witness first hand just how many options there are. I have a couple of return visits planned, and could easily stuff myself silly each time without going back to any of the places I mention above.
Despite the volume of options available there is still an uber-local feel to San Sebastian. Nobody will be trying to drag you in from the street with the promise of a free cocktail so be prepared to dust off your GCSE Spanish (or, even better, learn a word or two of Basque), and eat and drink like a local.
Next time I go I’ll be having a wander around Gros, a short walk from the Old Town, and I have hopes of hitting Getaria at some point too – a 45 minute bus journey to a sleepy seaside with a couple of Michelin-anointed restaurants to its name. But of course.
And talking of bus journeys, the ride from Bilbao airport through to San Sebastian takes about an hour, with buses leaving regularly from the front door and a ticket machine inside. The trip is about 15 quid per person and drops you at San Sebastian bus station from where, if you’re staying centrally, you’ll be able to walk to wherever you need to be.
It’s a good walking city, is San Sebastian, and the refreshment stops are plentiful. And very good.
Eating The North 