After exploring the first two stops (Porto and Lisbon) of our October 2022 journey, we made our way across Spain and landed in the quaint and historical city of San Sebastian, or Donostia as it is called in the local Basque language.
San Sebastian is a sea-side resort town that sits on the shores of the Bay of Biscay. The city is part of the Basque region of Spain and has both French and Spanish influences as it is only 20 kms from the French border.
The Basque civilization is one of the oldest in the world and their language has shown to be spoken as early as the 10th or 11th century. That makes the Basque language the oldest in Europe. It's no surprise then, that the Basque people are fiercely protective of their culture, history, language and identity.
Today the city of San Sebastian is known all over the world for one thing.....food. San Sebastian has the second most Michelin stars per capita in the world, after Kyoto, Japan. There are super exclusive gastronomic societies (think of them as private food clubs where members meet regularly to cook in a communal kitchen and then proceed to eat, drink and sing the night away). Four restaurants in the list of 100 best restaurants in the world are located in the Basque region. The history and culture of food in the Basque region is so rich that the first institution to offer a university degree in gastronomy in Spain is situated in San Sebastian. This institution called the Basque Culinary Center, has on it's advisory board Ferran Adria (El Bulli), Massimo Bottura (Osteria Francescana), Heston Blumenthal (The Fat Duck) and Rene Redzepi (Noma). These names are music to ears of die-hard foodies like Sia and I.
Read on to find out the best things to do and see and where to find the absolute best food in San Sebastian (and arguably in the world).
Pintxo tour with Mimo Tours
The first thing you have to do when you arrive in San Sebastian is get on a small group pintxo (pincho) hopping tour with Veronica at Mimo Tours. This was truly the best food tour we have done yet. This tour was a small group tour in all respects. Besides Sia and I, there were 5 other people on this tour and that made for a fun and intimate experience for all of us. Veronica (our tour guide) hails from the town of San Sebastian which made her the perfect companion for our evening. She took us to the best pintxo bars to try the best food and drink the city has to offer. She also gave us tips on ordering etiquette and how to decipher the menus at pintxo bars. The tour was also a history lesson about San Sebastian and it's eventful past.
What are pintxos?
Pintxos (pinchos) are like tapas that are found all over Spain. Essentially they are small servings of delicious, soul warming food in the Basque region. They are called pintxos because they are typically prepared on a piece of bread with a toothpick or skewer (pintxo) through it. One thing to note is that while the impressive and colorful display of pintxos in bars is not to be missed, the real highlight of any restaurant/bar are the specials that are made to order in the kitchen. We would definitely recommend you to be a bit more experimental and order specials at whichever bar you visit because that's where the magic of pintxos is.
What to drink in San Sebastian?
The typical drink to have with your pintxo is txakoli wine (pronounced chakoli). It is a slightly sparkled white wine that is extremely refreshing. It is poured from a height so as to keep the bubbles intact. See the video of our tour guide showing us how it's poured and then Sia's attempt at it.
Walking tour with a local
We also did a walking tour with a charming guide on our last day in San Sebastian. This tour was a deep dive into the history, culture and people of San Sebastian. While on this tour, we saw the sights of San Sebastian up close including the Old Town, Santa Maria Church (an 18-th century Baroque church), the water-front marina and the La Concha beach.
Best places to eat and drink in San Sebastian
Food in San Sebastian is truly game-changing. You will find dishes that have not changed since they were first created several decades ago. You will also find experimental and contemporary cooking that moves the food culture and tradition forward. This is the best food I have ever eaten. And I will vehemently argue with anyone who disagrees. Here are the best bars/restaurants to visit in San Sebastian
Ganbara
Ganbara is one of San Sebastian's long standing pintxo bars and is featured in both the Michelin guide and 50 Best Discovery list. This bar was also frequently visited by the late Anthony Bourdain. That's all you need to know about Ganbara's status in the food scene of San Sebastian.
Fermin Calbeton
We visited Fermin Calbeton pintxo bar for the first time during our Mimo pintxo tour and again the next day to sample more of their amazing menu. Here's what we had...
Other notable pintxos and bars in San Sebastian
The original Basque cheesecake at La Vina
The Basque cheesecake has quite literally created a storm in the culinary world. Every cafe I have visited in Dubai over the last year serves some form of Basque cheesecake. You can even order a whole Basque cheesecake if you are feeling particularly indulgent. So when we found out that the first ever iteration of this decadent dessert was made at La Vina in San Sebastian, we had to give it a go.
The cheesecake at La Vina is unlike any Basque cheesecake you will find elsewhere. The center is soft and runny. There is an ever so slight burn on the top of the cake, the bitterness of which perfectly compliments the sweetness of the cake itself. Our pintxo tour guide recommended that we try the cake on it's own first and then pour over it a generous helping of sweet red sherry (a fortified dessert wine). Honestly, the cake at La Vina lives up to the worldwide hype that surrounds this dish. It was the best thing we had in San Sebastian. Period. And no amount of imitation Basque cheesecakes in the world can beat it.
La Vina churns out hundreds of whole cheesecakes everyday. We visited La Vina 3 times during our trip and every time, there was hardly any space to stand at the bar. The bar was heaving with people all afternoon and night. But elbowing amongst the crowd to get our order in was so worth it.
I hope you enjoyed our quick foodie trip in San Sebastian. From the many different and amazing pintxo bars in San Sebastian, we could only sample a small selection during our 3 day trip. Sia and I have promised ourselves to be back in San Sebastian as soon as we can to explore more of the food scene of this beautiful, historic city.
Happy travelling to all!!!
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