San Sebastian

I am going to Etxebarri to eat a nice meal.
I want to visit some place in or near San Sebastian also.
Arzak?

Open to all choices not just high starred restaurants.
Thanks.

I must confess that it has been a while, but the last time I was in San Sebastian I really enjoyed my meal at Rekondo, on Monte Igeldo. The chuleton was very good, but the best part of the restaurant was the 100,000 + bottle wine cellar. I ordered wines from both my and my dining partners birth years (1958 and 1970) for something like $100 between them. Looking at the web site, the restaurant appears to be quite a bit fancier than it was at the time of my visit but the cellar still seems quite good.

Here’s a link to their web site: http://www.rekondo.com/about/index.html

Here’s a link to the todo pintxos site, which provides ratings for individual pintxos dishes currently available just in case you wish to stop for one or two: http://www.rekondo.com/about/index.html . The Cuchara San Telmo, Gambara and Bar Bergara were all excellent.

It’s actually Ganbara, not Gambara (common mistake - even the NYT made it and had to issue a correction a few years ago), but agreed it is excellent. We are often there more than once in a day, regardless of where else we are eating. Go there. Just do it. Go other places, too, but do not miss Ganbara. Ask for Amauir (sp?) one of the sons of the family who run it. He speaks good English and has become a friend. You can safely put yourself in his hands, asking for whatever is most fresh, with very little done to it. Avoid the plates of pintxos sitting out - they are all good, and will tempt you, but they do not hold a candle to the cooked dishes you can order. Drink sherry, or rose or txakoli for 3 EUR a glass and you’ll be very happy.

We had a terrible experience at Arzak. Inexcusable service errors, and only decent, but often silly food (dry ice? An iPad with waves under the see-through plate of a lobster salad? Ugh) made for the worst 3* experience we’ve ever had. I posted about it on this board. There are actually quite a few threads about San Sebastian dining you can search for…

We love Mugaritz, and have been several times, but others do not. We love Elkano, as do most. We’re going to Ibai for the first time on our upcoming trip and will report back. When are you going, Don? We’ll also be hitting Etxebarri on the trip from Galicia to San Sebastian. The three previous meals we’ve had there have all been delicious and a true pleasure.

This. I’d do Mugaritz if you’re open-minded and adventurous. I was also underwhelmed by Arzak (except for the killer list of old Rioja), although not as much as Sarah. Elkano is spectacular. I also loved the little seafood places adjoining the harbor/fishing boats. Super fresh, excellent seafood. Numerous other excellent options. I’d love to go to Rekondo.

Elkano

Rekondo

Thanks everybody! Great information.

Sarah. We are going in September near labor day in the US. Leaving on the 5th of September.
Looking forward to hearing about your experience this year.

I also had a poor experience at Arzak (ok food at best and some inedible food that got returned to the kitchen and poor service and attitude as exemplified by the waiter knocking over a glass of wine and then arguing with me over my suggestion that maybe the restaurant should attempt to replace the spilled wine).

If Arzak is ever as good as their reputation it must be the most inconsistent Michelin 3 star restaurant.

We didn’t feel the need to try the fancy places in San Sebastian, we ate amazingly and cheaply by following our noses.

Side bar.

We will be in this area in September for 3 days.
Better to do 2 nights in Bilbao and one night in San Sebastian or vice-versa?
Also any restaurants recs in Bilabo

5 nights in San Seb, zero nights in Bilbao.

Agreed - no need to spend a night in Bilbao. Head there for the museum one morning and have lunch at Etxebarri on the way back to San Sebastian, or at Azurmendi, which is just outside Bilbao. I liked it more than my husband did.

Don’t bother with restaurant reservations in either city. Head out to the “old town” (both have pretty distinct old downtowns) and just walk around to the crowded places. Note that nothing will be remotely crowded before 10pm. Hit at least 4-5 places, finishing up around 2. SS is best for this, but don’t discount Bilbao - it’s worth at least one night.

+1 on the comments above about Rekondo. Great breadth and depth on older Spanish wines (especialy Rioja) at pricing that puts American restaurants to shame. Last time we were there, had a sublime bottle of 64 RLdH Tondonia GR, at cost that was significantly less than the price the bodega was offering during one of their library releases at about the same time.

Also, we loved the ambiance of dining out under the trees on the patio.

Michael

Don,

We were down in San Seb last week. Rekondo has just re-opened after a bit of a face lift and is still terrific. Great list of old Rioja at very good prices. Mind blown but palate left wanting at Mugaritz for the second time. They are so creative and there’s great energy to this restaurant but too many dishes just don’t taste all that good. Mirador de Ulia on a hill overlooking San Seb is a 1 star worth visiting. The food is outstanding and worthy of an extra star. The wine list is a bit pedestrian and service haphazard. There are so many great Pinxos bars. Don’t miss the steak at Nestor.

From previous visits Akelare is perhaps the best restaurant of the region for mine. I have liked Arzak the 4-5 times I have been. Berasatagui is very good. We enjoyed the food at Extebarri very much.

have a great trip.

Best Regards
Jeremy

i have to say this isn’t very helpful advice. by far most places are rather ordinary and serve the same stuff. it’s all okay, but you do need to do some work to find the places that are doing the better pintxos.

ask for a tour of the cellar at rekondo. if the dad is still around, ask him to pick a wine for you.

Thanks to everybody for this great advice. It is going to be a wonderful experience.

Don,

Extebarri is AMAZING. We skipped Arzak, based upon the numerous not so great experiences, and went to Bar Ibai instead. That is a must and in the same vein as Extebarri. Elkano is also a MUST. We liked it so much we came back for lunch the day after dinner. I would say Extebarri, Ibai, Elkano really hit on the essence of food for the region. Not all that modern cuisine, which is fun and tasty, but these are places that take simple things, do them perfectly, and make them complex!
Have a blast. Rekondo is fun also.

MK

Thanks for this Mike.

eat as many kokotxa as you can handle! And agree w SK. Ganbara is fantastic.
Carolyn and I are envious.
The baby peas at both Ibai and Extebarri are amongst the greatest dishes I have had.

Sarah - Ibai is wonderful.

I appreciate all of the information here. You guys are the greatest!

Reservation at Extebarri is made. Elkano is planned for lunch. Maybe two lunches.
Pinxto crawl every night since my wife can’t eat at 9pm. Ganbara and several others on the map there.
I am really looking forward to exploring this area.