Basque pintxos€€gros
Hidalgo 56 on Paseo Colon in San Sebastian's Gros runs a busy locals' counter with a long blackboard of daily pintxos and the callos y morros that the morning crowd order with cana.
Signature: Callos y morros, Cigala a la plancha, Pintxos del dia
Order: The callos y morros from the blackboard; the seared langoustine.
Tip: Across from Zurriola beach; the morning crowd is mostly local. Walk in only.
Basque€€€parte-vieja
Casa Urola on Fermin Calbeton in San Sebastian has cooked Basque market food since 1956, with pintxos downstairs and the dining room upstairs. Chef Pablo Loureiro runs both.
Signature: Kokotxas de merluza al pil pil, Cigala a la plancha, Txuleta de vaca vieja
Order: The kokotxas de merluza al pil pil downstairs first; then upstairs for the cigala and the chargrilled txuleta.
Tip: Eat pintxos at the ground-floor counter or book upstairs for a full meal. The kokotxas are the surest order in the city.
Basque€€€parte-vieja
Bodegon Alejandro on Fermin Calbeton in San Sebastian is the underground Old Town room where Martin Berasategui won his first Michelin star in 1986. Now Inaxio Valverde runs the kitchen.
Signature: Merluza a la donostiarra, Txuleta, Tarta de queso
Order: The merluza a la donostiarra in cazuela and the txuleta from the grill; finish with the burnt-top cheesecake.
Tip: Book the 14:00 lunch slot for the calmer service. The staircase entry is easy to miss; the door is set below street level.
Modern Basque€€€gros
Galerna Jan Edan in San Sebastian's Gros, run since 2016 by Jorge Asenjo and Rebeca Barainca, cooks a short modern-Basque tasting menu in a 30-cover room across from Zurriola beach.
Signature: Tasting menu, Bonito de Bermeo, Game-season hare
Order: The bonito de Bermeo when the line boats land; in autumn the game-season tasting around hare and pigeon.
Tip: Two services, lunch and dinner, both menu-only. Book a fortnight ahead in season; the dining room is small and full.
Basque-Latin American€€gros
Topa Sukalderia in San Sebastian's Gros is the IXO Grupo (Andoni Luis Aduriz) Basque-Latin American room since 2017, with tacos, ceviches and a counter cooking Aduriz's pan-Hispanic experiments.
Signature: Quesadilla de morcilla, Cochinita pibil taco, Pisco sour
Order: The quesadilla de morcilla and the cochinita pibil taco; the pisco sour to drink.
Tip: The bar is walk-in; tables need a reservation through the website. The kitchen runs continuously from 13:00 onwards.
Modern Basque€€€gros
Casa 887 in San Sebastian's Gros runs a Basque-fusion kitchen with Asian inflection in a stone-and-wood room, with both a la carte and a 65-euro tasting menu the locals book midweek.
Signature: Steak tartare, Carabineros, Asian-leaning Basque tasting
Order: The steak tartare and the carabineros if they're on the carte; the tasting if you're in for the night.
Tip: Book through OpenTable; the room is intimate and sells out on weekends.
