Donostia-San Sebastian has the highest number of Michelin Stars per square meter of the planet, although the entire Basque Country offers any amount of opportunities to delight the palate, whether in the big restaurants or in the more modest establishments.

The Basque Country was already internationally famous for its delicious traditional cuisine when a group of new chefs decided to take a number of these dishes and renew them on the basis of their imagination.

This movement, which was soon to become known as Basque nouvelle cuisine, was moduled in the mid-70's by a series of young chefs whose point of reference was the French cookery of the same name.

Today, those young chefs are maestros of renowned prestige, whose creativity falls under the title of so-called ‘author cuisine’. Despite their high social standing, the top restaurants still lead a surprisingly practical life. It’s not unusual to see any of these figures of world wide renown in the gastronomic field doing their own shopping at the market, passing on some of their recipes in the media or rubbing elbows at the cookery schools with the new generations or restaurants, with an end to ensuring the continuity of this delicious new gastronomy.

The country of the fish The fish is either from the Basque Coast or from the far-off fishing grounds, in which the local Basque fishermen (arrantzales) have been working for centuries. Hake, bream, bonito and cod, all prepared in different ways, are the main fish used in local recipes, which nevertheless also contemplate the more humble species, such as sardines or anchovies, or others like turbot, monkfish or sea-bass. A number of basic, light sauces, such as the delicate ‘green ‘ or pil-pil sauces, extract the essence of the fish without altering either its texture or its flavour.

The Basques have always known how to make the most out of the products offered by the earth and the sea, hence the incorporation of their cuisine of kokotxas – the small, gelatinous, smooth flavoured barbel of hake, the cogote, or top half of the fish, also of hake, or the ventresca or underside of bonito. Squid, cooked in its traditional and highly original black ink or sautéed with onion and peppers a lo Pelayo are classic dishes in Basque restaurants, as is the greatly appreciated spider crab (txangurro).

Delicious wines These succulent dishes have the perfect complement in equally delicious wines. Despite its relatively small size, the product of the Rioja alavesa is perfectly capable of competing with the best wines in the world. Reds from this area are dominated crianza, reserva or gran reserva depending on the amount on time they spend in oak barrels. Another local beverage is txakoli, a young, fresh and fruity wine which has recently started making a name for itself outside of the Basque Country. But we musn’t forget the cider which we can taste at the cider houses themselves. Astigarraga, Hernani and Usurbil, in Gipuzkoa are the villages with the highest number of these raucous establishments.

Typical dishes Codfish (bacalao al pil-pil), “pintxos”, beans, cod omelette, cod with green peppers, cuttlefish in ink, rib, hake in green sauce, spanish omelette, crab salad…

Restaurants Timetable In San Sebastian there are restaurants for all kind of tastes. Usually, they open from 1 p.m. to 3.30 p.m. and from 8.30 p.m. to 12 p.m. Some of them are open until late night. In addition to their regular food lists, restaurants usually offer a set menu (menú del día) for lunch. It includes a starter, main dish and dessert, drink and bread for about 9€. In the evening there is also a “menú del día” in the cheaper restaurants, but it is not offered at the upper-end places.

Restaurants/Bars:

• CARAVANSERAI: Different menus, cafeteria... Pza. Buen Pastor (city center) Phone no.: 943475418
• MAMA MÍA: Italian food. San Bartolomé (city center) Phone no.: 943465293
• ESLABÓN: Set menus, meals, dinners… C/Urbieta, 44 (city center) Phone no.: 943464208
• CAFÉ DE LA CONCHA: Menus, meals, dinners... Pº de la Concha (city center) Phone no.: 943473600
• BERGARA: Pintxos. General Arretxe, nº8 (Gros)
• VALLÉS: Pintxos. Reyes Católicos (city center) Phone no.: 943452210
• IZKIÑA: Basque traditional cuisine. Pintxos, meals, dinners. Fermín Calbetón, 4-bajo (Old Part) Phone no.: 943422562
• LA CEPA: Basque traditional cuisine. Pintxos, meals, dinners... C/31 de Agosto, 7 (Old Part) Phone no.: 943426394