San Sebastian – Donostia, as I probably should call it – is my favourite place on earth. The picturesque sweep of La Concha Beach curves with smug perfection, whilst the narrow streets of the old town smother the light. It’s indulgent, a little vain, occasionally exhausting, and utterly, infuriatingly delicious. An entire city has agreed it is the best place to eat on earth and it is now determined to prove it, repeatedly, to anyone within chewing distance. This is gastronomy as theatre. As religion. As competitive sport. The ritual of drifting from bar to bar, the small glasses, the elbows, the hum of appetite. The culture of eat, drink, move on and repeat with a little snooze in the middle. It’s perfect. I would live there if the weather was more Spanish than Irish.
I’m old hat at it now and could send anyone a list of what the best dishes are to eat, though being a tourist, that list tends to be just the old town, with the other tourists and our long list of places and dishes to eat. This time we tried to expand a little and spread out our time between the bits we know and the other bits; namely Centrale and Grok. Whilst this is not everything we ate (a lot of the counter pintxos are standardised and replicated most places), here is a quick look at the highlights:
Bar Nestor.
The reason we are here. Twelve months ago I asked Sophie what she wanted for her 30th birthday and she said “the Nestor tortilla as her birthday cake with the tomatoes and the padrons and an expensive bottle of rioja”. So that’s what she got. We queued for the tortilla, made friends, and counted back to those who were too late for the twelve or so slices of oozy tortilla. I’ve said it before, but so much of the modern world fails to live to up hype, but the Nestor tortilla does not, and even though this is my twelfth slice, it never fails to make me giddy. Our bill of £120 is almost 90% on that 2016 Macan that’s under UK retail price. It’s the perfect start to a morning.
Antonio Bar.
San Sebastian’s other tortilla, this is the place my friend Sam rightly said is where you go “if you can’t be arsed to queue for Nestor”. We went twice, totalling four tortillas for me, three of which were paid for and one passed over the counter because I was singing along to a niche track by The Police. It’s a very different proposition, heavily caramelised on the potato and onion. Bolder, maybe more sultry than Nestor’s gentle murmur, it is easy to see why it is adored by locals and tourists alike.
Ganbara.
We queued for an hour because the last time I was here they had closed for holidays. It has seemingly gotten even busier than it was years back when everyone was following Bourdain, and I’m guessing some pleb with a Tik Tok has done it, so well done you. I’m going to say it; I think the standards are slipping. Have slipped. Have fallen over and fractured a pelvis. The plates still arrive when they’re ready, not when you are, and the room hums with the low, conspiratorial pleasure of people who have discovered something they’re reluctant to share. Except the food we had wasn’t that special. The prawns were meagre and overcooked, the croquettes absent in gilded ham (I showed one totally bechamel croquette to a server and he literally just shrugged). Yes, the wild mushrooms with egg yolk is still obscene in its earthy richness, but there is no way this place justifies a price point of several multiples of everywhere else. Bourdain hasn’t been here in a quarter of a century and it shows.
La Vina
The counter pintxos is rubbish, but they pour txakoli with an improbable grace and the basque cheesecake is the basque cheesecake for which all basque cheesecakes should be judged. The End.
Un Txikito
Sophie suggested it one night as a breather and we ended up back the following night. Not basque, but a South American couple who trained at the Basque Culinary Centre and opened up a rather excellent Mexican bar in the old town. The tacos were all very good, as was the burrito that healed a hangover, but the outstanding dish was the tuna tostado that shone with impeccable fish and a bright finish of citrus and heat. Add five euro negronis, pints of highballs, a killer mezcal selection and what you have is our favourite new find.
La Chuchera de San Telmo
Go early or be prepared to queue. It gets real busy. Consistently one of the finest kitchens in the city, you can almost guarantee whatever is on that short menu of freshly cooked pintxos is going to be special. This time around it was the signature slow cooked beef cheek that barely holds its dignity until eating time, and the orzo risotto cooked in a punchy fish stock with lightly seared scallops. Sensational stuff.
Gandarias
Actually our first stop of the trip, because it’s massive and the countertop pintxos is aided by some of the best jamon around. Little baguettes of ham and cheese, alongside slightly curried spider crab and a bruschetta of type with cod and pepper stew. Always heaving and for good reason.
Le Mejillonara
A recommendation found in the found corner of the old town, and not another Brit to be found. Their speciality appears to be bravos; not just potato, but squid sandwiches and mussels. The place reeks of garlic in the best possible way. It’s cheap, really cheap, and we drank pints of tinto de verrano whilst eating some very average food. It was, as some might say, an experience.
Desy Vegas
Another recommendation, this time in the residential area of Grok. I loved it, because even on a Sunday night the place was heaving with locals all eating the dairy cow burgers. And what a burger it is, beefy and leaning into the richness with caramelised onions. I was less keen about the other pintxos, though that mattered little when we were about to drink rioja that retails here for £50 a bottle at five euros a glass.
We stayed, as we always do, at the wonderful Londres hotel with a balcony room and sea view. It is perfect for us because of its proximity to the beach, old town, and Centro regions. Not the cheapest option, but the best one. San Sebastian is so special for many reasons, but I love it because the tourists are all food tourists, each passionate about the best things to eat in the greatest city in the world for food. I can’t wait to get back again.
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