Late Checkout: A Food Lover’s Guide to San Sebastian

I fell in love with cooking during my early twenties, when I moved into my first solo apartment in San Francisco. Having my own kitchen and the liberty to feed myself whatever I wanted was a new feeling, and with a myriad of high-quality produce vendors and excellent restaurants in my city, I felt inspired to step up my culinary game.

By coincidence, it was around the same time that I began connecting with people who were seriously passionate about food—the kind of people who would share their secret supplier of truffles, go to cookbook signings, and perhaps bring an entire leg of cured ham to your house for a party. Fast forward to today, and my winemaker husband and I still nerd out about food, bringing back ungodly amounts of culinary souvenirs when we travel.  

So what better place to visit than the food-obsessed city of San Sebastian? With a thriving food culture and more restaurants than you can dream of visiting in a week, it’s a fantastic destination for anyone with an open mind who loves to eat.  I’m here to guide you through the most popular part—the historic Old Town—by your tastebuds. 

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The surf-themed hotel has generously sized rooms and accepts dogs  // Photo by Booking.com

Staying Just Outside of Center

While it can be tempting to book a hotel right in the middle of Old Town (aka Parte Vieja, the historic quarter of the city), you’ll pay a premium for proximity, especially during the San Sebastián International Film Festival and over peak tourist season. From June to September, even the tiniest hotel rooms in that part of town will be upwards of 300€ a night. Instead, we opted to stay at Casual Las Olas San Sebastian, a two-star hotel that was comfortably within our budget and met three big requirements: family-friendly (as we were traveling with our friends and their 8-year-old), accepts dogs (we also had our fur monster in tow), and equipped with air conditioning (a must in this part of Europe during the summer).

While the hotel looks very unassuming from the outside, the rooms are large and clean, with big bathrooms and hardwood floors. If you’re traveling with your dog, they provide a bed and bowl for your furry one and will also give you a list of restaurants around town that are dog-friendly. Breakfast is available in the hotel for an additional fee, but we ended up walking six minutes to Donostea & Coffee for a more local experience. There’s also a pharmacy downstairs if you need anything, from aspirin to sunscreen, and another hotel next door with a bar if you want to sit and have a drink.

We were very pleased to find out that our accommodations were right on a bus line that took us straight into Centro (downtown shopping district) or Parte Vieja, depending on where we got off. In a fairly small city like San Sebastian, walking is also a great option—we were only a 20-minute walk away from the beach. 

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Bar La Cepa in Parte Viaje  // Photo by Bernadette Machard de Gramont

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Keeping It Casual (Dining)

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San Sebastian has an exceptionally high concentration of fancy Michelin-starred restaurants, but that’s not usually my vibe when I’m on summer vacation. Instead, our group wanted to wander around and discover all the bites available in the historic old town section. An obligatory stop for me is La Cepa, the very first pintxo bar I ever visited on my first trip to this region in 2013. Like many of the old school bars with dark wood interiors, there are rows of jamon legs hanging from the ceiling and displays of available cold appetizers on the counter. 

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Basque Country’s most famous pintxo: Gildas  // Photo by Bernadette Machard de Gramont

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There’s a lot of lore surrounding the iconic Gilda, a pintxo often said to be created in 1946 at the bar Casa Valles, according to Marti Buckley in The Book of Pintxos. Simply, it’s a cured anchovy, pickled guindilla pepper, and green olive, speared together on a toothpick or skewer. The result is an ultra-flavorful bomb of brine and acidity, and an excellent pairing with local cider, white wine (called Txakoli), or Kalimotxo, a sweet-but-refreshing mix of cola and red wine on ice.

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Ingredients run the gamut here, from steak to salt cod, kidneys to foie gras, and the food culture in San Sebastian is incredibly strong, so keep an open mind. Since it's on the coast, there are many menus that are heavy on seafood, which is great news if you’re a pescatarian. If you’re a vegetarian, options may be a little more limited, but they do exist: cheese stuffed tomatoes or roasted peppers, sauteed mushrooms topped with quail egg, and fried artichokes come to mind. 

Zamburiñas at Bar Martinez // Photo by Bernadette Machard de Gramont

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If you’re new to the pintxos crawl experience, here’s what to do: find some space at the bar and order just one or two dishes and a drink. The idea here is not to park at one spot all night, but to enjoy the best of what each establishment has to offer. After a round of tortilla de patata (egg and potato omelet), gildas, and a glass of Basque cider, it was time to move on. There are so many different bars and tabernas in Parte Vieja that it can truly be overwhelming to pick one. My short list:

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• Bar Martinez: the oldest bar in Old Town, it’s tiny and often packed, but turnover is quick. We had the most amazing grilled scallops here, called zamburiñas.
• Bar Sport: lively and warm, this spot is great for fried calamari and croquetas. Prices are affordable too.
• Bar Nestor: the tortilla is so famous, you have to call your order in before the bar opens to secure a piece. The steak is also fabulous here.
• Ganbara: with a well-earned mention by the Michelin Guide, check out the mushrooms and the tartaleta de txangurro (spider crab). 
• Gandarias Jatetxea: an extensive hot menu is the attraction here, but the cold pintxo selection is also hard to beat. 

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Typical Basque lettering on the sign at Gandarias // Photo by Bernadette Machard de Gramont

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One thing about Gandarias Jatetxea: it’s typically very busy and finding a table to stand at during peak hours is an extreme sport. On this occasion, we had to fight off some other tourists who were trying to slowly creep onto our table, but we divided and conquered—two of us stayed to guard the table while the other two went in to order. The hot pintxos menu here is exceptional and is displayed on the wall in Euskadi (Basque), Spanish, French, and English. When you’re unsure on what to order, don’t be afraid to ask the bartender what the house specialty is. We ended up with a steak brochette and a sea urchin pintxo, and more glasses of cider.

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Hot pintxos from Gandarias Jatetxea  // Photo by Bernadette Machard de Gramont

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Lastly, you must have at least one good plate of jamon iberico. Some may think that this is comparable to prosciutto, but it is profoundly different in my opinion. Served in razor-thin slices, it’s a cut above the typical charcuterie you might find in the States. And like wine, this jamon benefits from a sort of terroir—the combination of breed type, where it was raised, and what it was fed. A proper Iberico ham essentially melts in your mouth, an explosion of rich, umami, acorn-fed goodness. 

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Something Sweet to Remember 

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I couldn’t come all the way to SanSe and not have a slice of the famous Basque cheesecake from Bar La Viña. Even though it’s often referred to as “burnt,” it’s really just extra caramelized on top—its center is often very creamy and not quite set. When you walk into La Viña, you’ll see stacks on stacks of how many cheesecakes they go through daily. One order is two pieces, just enough to share (but I completely understand if you want an order all to yourself). Decadent and satisfying without being overly sweet, this is a dessert I dream about and no one makes it like the team at La Viña.

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Don’t miss the famous cheesecake at La Viña  // Photo by Bernadette Machard de Gramont

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6 San Sebastian Essentials to Enjoy at Home  – use the product slider feature for this section please! 

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The Gilda Pintxo Bundle by Donostia Foods ($28)

A combination of anchovy, olive, and pickled pepper, gildas are said to be the original pintxo. Recreate this emblematic bite at home with this kit, then wash it down with your favorite beer or a glass of red wine mixed with cola, called a kalimotxo.

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Mercado Famous 100% Iberico Ham ($30)

It’s not uncommon to see rows of cured ham legs hanging in plain sight at the pintxo bars, but they’re not very convenient to have at home unless you’re having a lot of parties. This pre-sliced, organic, 100% jamon Iberico hits the spot, but comes in a much more manageable quantity.

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Campo Grande Iberico Pork Box ($169)

There is simply no pork like the heritage breed found across the Iberian peninsula. This curated box of pork cuts offers a sampling of flavorful cuts to grill, stir-fry, or braise. 

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Burnt Basque Cheesecake by Chef Jose Andres ($130) 

If you’re dreaming of La Viña’s famous Torta de Queso but can’t make it there, you can have the next best thing shipped directly to your doorstep. This four-pound (wheat-free and gluten-free!) version of this Basque favorite is a must-have from José Andrés’ Mercado Little Spain in NYC. 

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Txakoli Txomin Extaniz ($22)

Slightly effervescent with lots of acidity, this white Basque wine is a natural complement to the salty and rich flavors of many popular pintxos. Serve it well-chilled, poured from up high if possible to help aerate the wine.

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The Book of Pintxos by Marti Buckley  ($30)

Packed with 70 pintxos recipes from some of San Sebastian’s most revered tabernas and bars, this colorful cookbook also includes historical information about Basque cuisine and bar etiquette. 

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Don’t forget to stop and enjoy the view at Playa de La Concha  // Photo by Bernadette Machard de Gramont

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In Conclusion

We spent three days in Donostia in the middle of July, which is high tourist season, so places were often packed at both lunch and dinner. But the pace of life—especially in a beach town—is so chill, we patiently waited our turn if we needed to, and sat at a cafe for a beer or poked around in the local shops to kill time. These recommendations are just the tip of the iceberg, as there is so much to eat, drink, and see in this city. If you love food and dream of visiting somewhere with an endless supply of amazing, casual eateries, book a visit to San Sebastian, pronto. 

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