WHAT TO EAT IN SAN SEBASTIÁN
+ when to go, where to go and what to do.
I've never been one to believe the hype about San Sebastián. If anything, I've been pretty dismissive of it. Maybe because I love other parts of Spain so much that I felt some weird loyalty to them. A bit like when your friend starts dating someone new and you're inexplicably hostile because you really liked their ex.
I couldn’t help but think these people clearly hadn’t experienced the delights of Galician empanada or Segovia’s suckling pig. Have they tasted the tuna in Barbate?
But last week I spent 5 days there with three friends, and now I get it…
…"You could make the argument that there is no better place to eat in Europe than the city of San Sebastian" (Bourdain).
I'm the convert who's worse than the lifelong devotee. It’s like all of the great things above under one buzzy roof. And now I won’t shut up about it.
One thing I’ll keep coming back to in this newsletter is the value of local recommendations. Here we got lucky and met Angel, a local of over 50 years - an ex-student of a friend of my Mum’s who taught English in San Sebastián many moons ago.
We settled into our apartment and I gave Angel a call. He said his English wasn’t the best on the phone, so I invited him up for a coffee. Within minutes of his arrival we were hastily scribbling notes. He was disappointed we weren’t staying for longer and insisted we at least hop on a bus out of town to see what else the area had to offer. That journey, the next morning, the whole crew hungover and soggy, feeling like reluctant kids on a school trip, led to what might have just been the best meal of my life (more on that later).
I realise how ironic this all is…here's me, going to San Sebastián for the first time, recommending all the spots you should go to, while also saying you shouldn’t just follow ‘the lists’ or the viral insta reels.
What I'm really trying to say is that food experiences are deeply personal. No two people will have the same one. Maybe there's a different chef in the kitchen when you visit a place I recommend, or perhaps our tastes simply differ -my friends for example enjoyed certain tortillas I wasn't at all fussed about.
This jumble of thoughts clicked when we stood at the bar of La Viña one night and watched their famous basque cheesecake fly out the door. Within a 15-minute timeframe, we saw 3 whole cheesecakes disappear two slices at a time. Each was a totally different consistency. So there's me telling you the cheesecake here is gloriously sloppy, and boom, you might turn up and get a firm slice (!!!god forbid!!).
So take what follows as a starting point, not gospel. The best thing about San Sebastián is that it's hard to go wrong. This city takes its food seriously and I’m not sure how easy it is to have a bad meal. My recommendations are just signposts - places that worked for us, at that moment in time. Your perfect San Sebastián might look completely different, and that's exactly as it should be.
Here's everything we did (and everything you need to know) for when you (inevitably) go.
Best time to visit
How long to stay
Getting there & around
Where to stay
Key dishes to order
My favourite Pintxos bars
My favourite restaurants
Our favourite bakeries
For veggies and vegans
What treats to bring home
Things to do
Best time to visit
Late Spring March/April:
Buzzy bars, clear of the busy season. Warm weather. (Occasional rain). We watched brave locals take their daily dip at the beach!
The cider house season in San Sebastián (and the wider Basque Country) typically runs from January to April. This is when the cider houses (known as sidrerías) open their doors for hearty meals and cider fresh from the barrel.
Summer: Ideal for combining a beach holiday with your food adventures. It is peak season, so you might have to elbow your way to the bar/queue outside.
September/Oct: Still warm, great for late summer travel.
December 21st: Día de San Tomás sounds like a fun time to be in the city, people from rural areas come to the city, selling local treats such as homemade sausages and turrón. I guess with any public holiday you’ll want to embrace the festivities as many businesses will be closed.
January 20th: San Sebastián Day! I’d love to witness the Tamborrada - 24 hours of drumming parades in the streets and thousands of locals dressed up as soldiers and cooks. Fascinating history on both these festivals btw.
Planning Your Trip
How long to stay
I think a long weekend is sufficient for Pinxto-hopping and even a trip out of town but for an even better experience, I’d stay a week to explore nearby regions like Bilbao or Rioja. You can easily cross the border here and be in Biarritz in 20 minutes. On my next trip over, I’ll be headed back to Getaria - 25 mins away by car - which is a charming coastal village, famous for its seafood and its role in Basque wine production. I really want to come back and visit the Anchovy Museum here!
Getting there & around
Arrival - Fly directly into San Sebastián and take a half hour bus into town. OR fly to Bilbao airport and take an hour bus to San Sebastián (very easy, one of our party did just this). If you have more time you can take a scenic high-speed TGV train from Paris, changing at Hendaye.
Buses are reliable but only accept cash (no bills larger than €20)
Radio Taxi Donosti has English-speaking operators and accepts cards,
+34 943 464 646
No Uber available
Boat ride = childlike excitement.
Where to stay
The city is not that big, very flat and walkable. When you feel like all you’re doing is eating, it’s nice to stretch the legs a little. We stayed pretty central just off the Bilbao Plaza which was close to great shopping and San Martin Market and only a 10 minute walk into the old town.
The Food!
I think most people go to San Sebastian for the pintxos, the buttery T-bone steaks, the cheesecake. All washed down with a cold caña or a glass of Txakoli poured from great heights. But there is so much more to the food scene and I’ll try and cover a little of that below.
If you want to get a real feel for the city, though, start in the market. I love seeing what's in season and what looks good, making a note to seek that produce out on menus. As someone who loves to cook, it can be frustrating to just look at beautiful produce, be it wild mushrooms or fish, knowing I can't take them home and cook them up. I've been known to stuff inappropriate things in my suitcase, (this trip was no exception). More on that later.
Nicola and I were making pepper salad on the second day for our substack live, which gave us the perfect excuse to actually cook. We took peppers, sweet Spanish onions, local anchovies and bonito back to our apartment and it made for a memorable meal.
Sometimes, the best food experiences happen when you step back from the must-visit list. Take my tortilla hunt - lol - I'd been determined to try every tortilla in town. On our last morning, with checkout looming, we rushed to the final place on my mind. Closed. With no time to spare, we ducked into a random spot that looked a bit too quiet and sterile. That random (to us) place - Itsaspe Donosti - Best tortilla of the entire trip. We took it home and ate it with our leftover pepper salad.
So: Plan a little, wander a lot. The markets will show you what to look for, but sometimes the best bites find you, when you're not even looking.
