10 Great Restaurants in San Sebastian

Arzak is a Michelin-starred San Sebastian restaurant, where you can dig into traditional Basque dishes adapted to modern tastes. A family-run restaurant for 4 generations since 1897, the Arzak family utilizes a library of over 1,500 spices to create deliciously flavorful plates, which you can order from an a la carte menu or 7-course tasting menu.

Crowd-favourite menu options include marble-poached egg with crispy puff rice, lamb with crispy orzo and mole sauce, and red prawns with butternut squash. Dishes go down a treat when paired with a Spanish wine recommended by Arzak's sommelier.

Restaurant Kokotxa takes its name from a fleshy part of a fish jaw, considered a local delicacy in the Basque Country. True to its name, the San Sebastian restaurant rustles up innovative Basque dishes such as spider crab with jalapeño cream and salmon crackers. You can either order from its seasonal market menu or sample the latest creations from the tasting menu.

Reservations are recommended at this top-rated restaurant. While you’re in the area, you might want to explore historical landmarks such as Constitution Square.

Gandarias is one of the most popular restaurants in the old town area of San Sebastian. It features a pintxos bar in one section and a more formal dining area in the other. Tasty bites include sea urchins, cremini mushroom with shrimp, lamb brochette, and the delicious foie a la plancha. We also recommend pairing Iberian ham with one of the restaurant’s local wines.

Gandarias is an all-day diner, serving food from 11 am to midnight. You don’t usually need to reserve a table to enjoy a meal at the pintxos bar, but you can expect a short wait for a dining table around lunch and dinner over the weekend.

Since 1956, Casa Urola has been charming visitors and locals with a diverse range of seasonal pintxos, chargrilled meat, and seafood delicacies. Menu highlights include broiled octopus over kale, ventresca de bonito (white tuna fillet dish) and hake in green sauce. Despite its superb reputation, Casa Urola is surprisingly affordable. Locals often come here for family dinners.

Evenings are usually busy at Casa Urola, though Sunday evenings tend to be the quietest. The restaurant is a street behind Constitution Square along Fermin Calbeton Kalea, not far from the Port of San Sebastian.

Ganbara is a buzzing pintxos bar in San Sebastian that spills out onto the street. It’s where small plates of foie, fish and mushrooms on griddled bread and puff pastry always attract a crowd. In the sit-down dining area, tasty menu options include flaky hake, squid and big fish such as wild turbot, bream and sole, all chargrilled to perfection.

You’ll find the restaurant toward the west of San Sebastian’s Constitution Square. Without a reservation at Ganbara, you can expect to wait up to 15 minutes for a table on Friday and Saturday evenings, as well as over lunch on Sundays. 

Bodegon Alejandro is a low-lit, trendy and intimate venue in San Sebastian that offers seasonal tasting menus of fish and game dishes. They’re usually paired with a local wine such as txakoli (sparkling dry white wine). Popular main courses include broiled hake in citrus vinaigrette and marinated anchovy lasagna with gazpacho cream. After filling up on seafood, you can treat yourself to a dessert such as lemon thyme ice cream or apple pie with rosemary trifle.

While you don’t usually need to wait for a table at Bodegon Alejandro, we recommended making a reservation in advance. Nearby attractions you can visit before or after meals include the iconic 19th-century Mercado de la Bretxa.

eMe Be Garrote is a Basque haute-cuisine restaurant housed in a former cider house with a Scandinavian-inspired interior. Menu favorites include hake cheeks and roast pigeon with truffle-infused potato puree. We highly recommend the steak tartare made with Galacian beef.

Eme be Garrote is in the residential barrio of Igara. Taking a taxi cab is usually the easiest way to get there. If you’d rather avoid taxi cab fees, you can take bus number 5, 24, 40 or 45 from the center of San Sebastian to the restaurant in about 30 minutes.

Amelia by Paulo Airaudo is a fine-dining restaurant in San Sebastian that celebrates local seasonal produce and expert culinary skills. Headed by Italian-born Michelin-starred chef Paulo Airaudo, this is a personal restaurant. You can dig into Basque cuisine (with Italian and Japanese influences) at one of just 3 snug tables by the bar. You also get a view into the kitchen while the chefs prepare your food.

We recommend ordering the 10-course tasting menu, complete with 10 wine pairings. The caviar with ice cream is a delectable treat. An important note is that you’ll need to reserve your table at least a couple of weeks in advance.

Rekondo is a rustic restaurant by talented Basque chef Iñaki Arrieta. It also hosts a wine cellar overseen by globally revered sommelier, Martín Flea. It is set inside a former farmhouse on the road to Mount Igeldo with sweeping views of La Concha Bay. While the interior dining room is warm and homey, nothing beats enjoying fine Basque fare on its romantic terrace. 

Wood-grilled ox, scallops a la plancha and carpaccio of carabinero prawns are just some of the menu highlights at Rekondo. Unsurprisingly, reservations are a must at this upscale restaurant, but it's well worth the wait.

Mugaritz, with its avant-garde menu, is widely considered to be the cathedral of contemporary Basque cuisine in San Sebastian. It features 20-course tasting menus that are uniquely designed and prepared for each guest. Inventive creations may include pig’s blood macaroon with almonds and sautéed sea slugs with salad sprouts and ‘vegetable charcoal’.

Dining at one of the best restaurants in San Sebastian, which also has 2 Michelin stars, is an experience you’re unlikely to forget. It's a good idea to make a reservation at Mugaritz at least a few weeks in advance.