Local Flavor: the best places to eat and drink in San Sebastián

San Sebastián is regarded as one of the best places to eat in the world. After living in this gorgeous, glittering city-by-the-sea for the last 15 years, and consuming more than my fair share of its fresh seafood, quality conserves and perfect pintxos (tapas), I can say with confidence that this reputation is well-deserved.

Want proof? Exhibit A is the most obvious: San Sebastián alternates holding the title of highest number of Michelin stars per capita with Tokyo. Exhibit B? Pintxos. No form of dining is more enjoyable than hopping from bar to bar to drink wine after wine paired with delicious, affordable miniature dishes.

The good eating in my adopted hometown goes beyond mere stars and snacks, however. The modern dining scene in San Sebastián stands on the back of the local Basque culture, whose respect for tradition, nature’s rhythms, and local agriculture is deeply rooted. The group of chefs that put Basque cuisine on the map in the 1970s (Arzak, Subijana, and more) were actually responsible for the rise of haute cuisine in Spain, which culminated in the famed El Bullí and shaped the country into the culinary powerhouse it is today.

In researching for my two cookbooks, I’ve realized this city is in constant evolution, but here are some of my favorite spots to go right now.

Breakfast

Breakfast in Spain is notoriously limited to a coffee and a piece of toast or, here in the north, a croissant. One of my favorite baked goods in town is the walnut croissant at Galparsoro. My second favorite is the gateau basque, a traditional almond flour pâte sablée (pastry crust) filled with cherries or cream – Pariés has the best in town.

Brunch is slowly permeating the local psyche, so the options are widening if breakfast is your main priority. Newcomer to the scene is Xauen Café, a tiny spot with luxe urban vibes and a wonderfully varied menu that includes specialty coffee, Turkish-style eggs, yogurt and granola bowls, and smoothies.

Coffee

Little by little, specialty coffee is making baby steps in San Sebastián. In the Centro neighborhood, Old Town Coffee is your best bet, run by veterans of the coffee scene in town. In Gros, stop by Simona Speciality Coffee Club, where the flat whites are fab and the ambience is light-filled and open.

If you’re like me and sometimes long for a darker roast or that real Spanish café con leche (coffee with milk) taste, you can head to Cafes Angiozar, which is coming up on its 100th year of business. The tiny shop holds out in its central spot in the neighborhood of Gros serving traditional Spanish torrefacto coffee, which may get a bad rap but really represents the history of coffee in Spain.

Lunch

The sooner you adapt to Spanish dining habits, the better, and in Spain lunch is reserved for the biggest meals. You know, for digestion and all that (though I secretly believe it’s to maximize the post-meal gin and tonic possibilities).

If the Michelin stars are part of what brings you to San Sebastián, you have eight restaurants to choose from. I find the most crowd-pleasing to be the tasting menu at Arzak, a three-Michelin-star spot founded by one of the godfathers of Basque cuisine. If you don’t want an endless tasting menu, try Rekondo, one of the most special tables in town. Its founder, Txomin, started impulsively collecting Spanish wine before it was cool, and now his cellar is ranked in the top five in all of Europe, with a wine list whose pages I stopped counting at 200. A seat on their terrace with a dish of txipirones en su tinta (baby squid in its own ink) and a 1964 Rioja is pure heaven.

For something a bit more central and relaxed, I find myself returning over and over again to Arenales. Run by a couple from Argentina, the very abbreviated chalkboard menu of small plates is complemented by some of the city’s best natural wines.

Aperitivo

Aperitif or aperitivo is my personal happy place (I even created a society dedicated to vermouth!), so I have a pretty deep roster of places to go for pre-meal drinks. If the weather is nice and I don’t mind grabbing a taxi, the best spot in town is Akelarre's terrace. They have a good weather cocktail pop-up run by one of the city’s first mixologists, Patxi Troitino, on a sleek, modern patio with infinite views over the sea. Back in town, for a vermouth and people watching, I love Txurrut, where you can get a preparado, a gussied-up red vermouth (in this case, shaken with Cynar, Campari, Nonin and more).

Dinner

So you ate a big lunch? That’s fine, because pintxos are for dinner, and they’re easily adjustable to your hunger level. Pintxos were born in San Sebastián, so making the rounds to the city’s bars is an absolute must. Start at Casa Valles, open a bit early and one of the best spots to try the famous gilda pintxo (typically made with manzanilla olives, salty anchovies and Spanish Guindilla pepper). Move on to Txepetxa, home to the world’s most delicious vinegar-marinated anchovy (you don’t like anchovies? Be ready to be converted). Borda Berri should be your next stop, for tiny dishes worthy of a fine dining restaurant, like Idiazabal cheese risotto and tender braised beef cheeks. If you’re still hungry, grab the bucket-list porcini mushrooms with egg yolk at Bourdain-favorite Ganbara before finishing off the night with some Basque cheesecake (yes, that Basque cheesecake) at La Viña. Remember, one bar, one pintxo, one drink, move on!

Bar

The night is long in Spain. Phase One usually consists of an after-dinner digestive drink, in most cases a gin and tonic. This has nothing to do with the gin-and-tonic you know from America or England – it’s a fishbowl, it’s premium gin, it’s gigantic ice cubes and it’s boutique tonic water. My favorite spot (with more than 150 gins!) is La Gintonería. If you’re looking for the most inventive cocktails in town, try Arraun, a cozy speakeasy spot on the edge of Old Town where you can get drinks spiked with Sichuan pepper or served with a cotton candy cloud.

If you make it to Spanish nightlife Phase Two (2am through dawn), one of the city’s most hopping spots is Gu, a discoteca overlooking the Playa de La Concha where the music is pumping, the drinks are decent and the locals line up to enter.