BEST PLACES TO EAT IN SAN SEBASTIAN
If you want to sit down and have a meal at a restaurant I definitely recommend you book in advance. During the weekends it’s hard to find walk in restaurants. Lunch time is between 13:00 – 15:00.
Going out for a ‘sit-down’ meal is not the same as going out for pintxos. If you want to find out what a pintxo is and how ‘to do pintxos’ like a local click here. Remember you can always have a pintxo as an aperitif before you go out for lunch or dinner, which is a local favorite formula.
Sit-Down Restaurants for lunch or dinner : Local Favorites
Places we regularly take our own family and friends. Excellent Basque cooking, seasonal produce, and fantastic staff without the formality of fine dining.
- ZELAI TXIKI – Classic
Address: Rodil kalea, 79
Really delicious Basque food!– with a terrace. If it’s sunny, you should try and sit outside – it is walkable but it’s at the far far end of Gros, you can also take a taxi. (The main taxi stop is on the Boulevard btw). You don’t come here for the views but you do for the food it is fab, very Basque and traditional, good wines too!
- SALTXIPI – Classic
Address: Ategorrietako Galtzada Zaharra, 3
Visit their website or instagram and drool, they’ve got top-quality produce, traditional Basque recipes. Simple grilled fish and amazing meat. Definitely a crowd pleaser. Good, honest Basque food.
- ASTELENA – Traditional and cozy
Address: Euskal Herria Kalea, 3
A classic, it’s actually run by a local chef celebrity. This is a really nice place, good ingredients, classic Basque dishes and top quality.
- USARBI – Great find
Address: Calle San Francisco, 12 Gros neighbourhood
Good for pintxos and sit down meals. I celebrated a birthday here with 12 people it was so much fun and delicious. Run Ion (pronounced John) a charming and hardworking young upcoming chef! This place is a real find, they add seasonal dishes but I never get tired of their classic croquettes and salmon pintxo. It’s good for small groups and larger ones. Call to book don’t be shy it’s worth it!
- GERLAD’S BAR – A locals favourite
Address: Iparragirre, 13
It has the feel of a bistro. Local produce, delicious food and cozy. It’s a small place with a whole lot of of flavour. Definitely worth a try!
- REKONDO – Wine lovers paradise
Address: Igeldo Pasealekua, 57
Traditional high end Basque cuisine. Restaurant is on mount Igueldo, it’s nice to be near nature and it’s known for their exquisite selection of wines, they have the biggest wine selection in town!
- ALBOKA RESTAURANTE – A modern, vegetable-forward restaurant in Gros
Address: Igeldo Secundino Esnaola Kalea, 50, 20001 Donostia / San Sebastián
Where seasonal local produce is the star, with vegetables “pampered” with carefully chosen meat and seafood elements. What makes it particularly interesting is the team’s Plant Forward + nostalgia approach: traditional Basque flavours are reinterpreted without unnecessary fusion or gimmicks.
- ETXEMAITE – A small, intimate restaurant in Egia from chef Paolo Herranz
Address: Deba Ibaia Kalea, 5, 20012 Donostia / San Sebastián - Focused on exceptionally seasonal Basque produce and a constantly changing menu. Its standout feature is that the restaurant has its own “edible forest” in Aia, with a vegetable garden, fruit trees and beehives, so the connection between the land and the kitchen is unusually direct.
- SUA.MUKA – A relaxed, contemporary restaurant built around fire, smoke and the grill
Address: Avenida de la Zurriola, 1, Kursaal, 20002 Donostia
Right inside the Kursaal with a terrace overlooking the Urumea. The particular thing here is that vegetables take centre stage on the grill, alongside fish and meat, and you can sit at the counter and watch the cooking happen in front of you; the project also carries the influence of chef Andoni Luis Aduriz.
Michelin-Starred & Fine Dining
The stars were born from the food revolution and nouvelle cuisine movement in the 1970’s led by 12 Basque chefs that created the Nouvelle Basque Cuisine. This revolution lives on and today there are 16 stars in total! San Sebastian holds one of the highest concentrations of Michelin stars per square meter in the world,
- Arzak (3 Stars): City Centre
Led by Juan Mari Arzak and his daughter Elena. Creative signature cuisine, amazing attention to detail and flavour. Close to the city centre. A definite must.
- Akelarre (3 Stars): Mount Igueldo
Led by Pedro Subijana, one of the pioneers of the food revolution. Perched on Mount Igueldo, Akelarre is a unique restaurant that lives up to the hype. They now have a luxury hotel and a gorgeous terrace and a second restaurant called Espacio Oteiza.
- Martín Berasategui (3 Stars): Lasarte (15 min drive)
- Three michelin-starred restaurant run by Martin Berasategui in Lasarte 15mins away from San Sebastian. Creative menu with traditional flavours.
- Mugaritz (2 Stars):Errenteria
In a remodeled farm house in Errenteria, close to San Sebastian. Avant-garde cuisine, a modern and push-your-boundaries kind of a place. Run by Andoni Luis Aduriz.
- Kokotxa (1 Star): Old Town
The only Michelin starred restaurant in the Old Town of San Sebastian. Two tasting menus, one longer than the other. Run by young chef Dani López. Modern take, delicate dishes, local flavours. Table cloth but casual and friendly.
- Alameda (1 Star): Hondarribia
Family run tavern and restaurant. Three brothers. Based in Hondarribia, 30mins away from San Sebastian in my second favourite city in the Basque Country. They have 2 tasting menus, 80% of their produce comes from within a radius of 25 km.
- Mirador de Ulia (1 Star): Ulia Mountain Unique location, on Ulia mountain, with a spectacular view. Four different tasting menus including a vegetarian one. Run by chef Rubén Trincado, third generation running the restaurant.
- Elkano (1 Star): Getaria (30 min drive)
Ah fish and seafood paradise. They pay the utmost respect to their ingredients and it shows. It’s in Getaria a fishing town with vineyards and open fire grills 30 minutes away from San Sebastian. Family run, elegant and deceptively simple.
- AMELIA (2 Stars): Hotel María Cristina — Led by Chef Paulo Airaudo, this two-Michelin-starred restaurant moved from Villa Favorita to the iconic Hotel María Cristina. It features an intimate, open-kitchen dining setup centered around an exclusive 12-seat counter where they serve a creative seasonal tasting menu structured as an “Italian omakase”—blending Italian heritage with Japanese technique and fresh local produce.
Plans for big groups: where to eat
Hands down the best plan to do with a big group of friends or colleagues is to go to a cider house!
They’re outside of San Sebastian, 20minutes away by bus 10 minutes away by car or taxi. The official cider season is January – April but there are a few cider houses that are open all year round!
You can’t come to the Basque Country and not experience a ciderhouse!
Cider houses
- PETRITEGI – open all year round. Great menu, great cider, easy to get to by bus and they have a bar next door called the -Petri Disco- if you want to keep the party going!
- ZAPIAIN – one of the classics which means you also eat standing up like in the olden days.
- ZELAIA – one of the classics, so you’ll also be eating standing up, but it is worth it. There’s a reason they’ve been working since the 1500’s!
- IRUIN – open all year round, it has the traditional cider house menu and has a vegetarian menu which is rare to find
- URDAIRA – king crab on their menu! It’s slightly more hidden so you definitely need a car or taxi. When you book you can ask to get the king crab legs as well as the regular menu, they’re impressive and delicious!
Here’sa full list of all the cider houses if you want to look for more.
Restaurants for big groups
Seating tends to be quite limited for bigger groups in regular bars and restaurants, depending on how big your party is, but there are few places that are great for bigger groups. You should definitely book in advance and let the restaurants know if there are any allergies in your group.
- USARBI
Address: Calle San Francisco, 12
Great long tables. Traditional Basque food with a few modern twists. They can fix a casual tasting menu for your party so everyone gets to taste a bit of everything. I celebrated my birthday here with loads of people and it was amazing!
- KASKAZURI
Address: Paseo Salamanca 14
They have a daily menu which includes entrées, main dish and dessert usually with wine. This is place offers great value for what you get and they make it easy for you when you have a big group.
- CALONGE
Address: Padre Orkolaga Ibilbidea, 8
They make their own cider and have a cider house menu from January- April and a great restaurant for groups the rest of the year. It’s up on mount Igueldo so you need to either get the bus or drive up.
- BIDE BIDE
Address: Urbieta, 12
Really casual, also good for pintxos, great option for big groups as they have quite a wide menu that can fit many peoples’ tastes. Good bang for buck!
Ready to Taste the Very Best of San Sebastian?
Choosing where to eat in San Sebastian can feel overwhelming with so many world-class options. While booking a traditional sit-down restaurant or a cider house is a must-do during your stay, no trip to the Basque Country is complete without experiencing our famous pintxo culture like a true local.
If you want to skip the tourist traps, taste the most iconic bite-sized creations, and learn the hidden stories behind our food, we’d love to guide you!
Book your San Sebastian Food Tour with Topa Food Tours and let us show you the delicious soul of our city, one pintxo and local wine at a time.
