Signature Dishes of San Sebastián

Must-try dishes

Gilda

The gilda is San Sebastian's defining pintxo: a single toothpick skewer of anchovy from Cantabrico, a green pickled olive and one or two Ibarra guindilla peppers, briny and sharp, eaten in two bites.

History: The gilda was assembled in 1946 at Casa Vallés on Calle Reyes Catolicos by the Vallés family, who named the dish for Rita Hayworth's character in the 1946 Charles Vidor film of the same name, a femme fatale 'salty and slightly piquant' like the skewer itself. The first version stacked one anchovy, one olive and one guindilla pepper. Modern San Sebastian gildas now run to two anchovies and two olives, sometimes a third guindilla. The dish became the structural opener of the Basque pintxo crawl and the canonical first bite in any Donostian bar. Antonio Bar in the Centro and the gilda counters around the Old Town all build on the Valles 1946 template.

Where to try it: Antonio Bar, Bar Sport, Atari Gastroteka

Watch out for: Fish

Txuleta

The Basque txuleta is a bone-in ribeye from old dairy cattle (vaca vieja, 8 to 14 years), aged 30 days, salted heavily and cooked rare over oak embers on a chargrill, served on a sizzling plate so the diner finishes the meat to taste.

History: The Basque txuleta tradition descends from the asador kitchens of Tolosa and Gernika, where retired dairy cattle (vaca vieja, often Galician Rubia Gallega or Basque pirenaica) were aged for the deep marbled fat and cooked over oak coals on simple iron grills (parrillas). Bar Nestor in San Sebastian, since 1980, became the canonical city counter for the dish, serving txuleta for two with the tomato salad and pimientos de Padron as the only sides. The dish moved into the Michelin canon through Casa Julian in Tolosa and Asador Etxebarri in Axpe (Atxondo) under Bittor Arginzoniz. In San Sebastian, Casa Urola, Eme Be Garrote and Bar Nestor anchor the canonical txuleta service in 2026.

Where to try it: Bar Nestor, Casa Urola, Eme Be Garrote

Watch out for: None typical

Kokotxas de merluza al pil pil

Kokotxas are the throat glands of hake, gelatinous wedges of cartilage and flesh that emulsify into the Basque pil pil sauce, cooked slowly in olive oil and garlic until the gelatin forms a green-tinted emulsion.

History: The kokotxa dish entered the Basque canon in the 19th-century fishing tradition of Pasaia and Hondarribia, where the throat glands (once discarded) were taken home by fishermen's families and cooked in garlic-and-oil cazuelas. The pil pil emulsion technique (shaking the pan to bind the hake gelatin into a green sauce) descends from the bacalao al pil pil tradition of the Basque cod trade. Casa Urola and Bodegon Alejandro in San Sebastian's Old Town anchor the canonical kokotxas service since the mid-20th century. Kokotxa restaurant on Calle Campanario takes its name from the dish and holds a Michelin star.

Where to try it: Casa Urola, Bodegon Alejandro, Kokotxa

Watch out for: Fish

Tarta de queso vasca (Basque burnt cheesecake)

The Basque burnt cheesecake is a crustless cheesecake baked at very high heat in a parchment-lined tin until the top caramelises black, the centre still soft and jiggly, with a creamy lemon-sharp interior and a slightly bitter caramelised crust.

History: Santiago Rivera invented the tarta de queso vasca at La Vina on Calle 31 de Agosto in 1990, while finishing his culinary training. The recipe blasts a 2-kilogram batter of full-fat cream cheese, sugar, eggs, cream and a small amount of flour in a 220C oven for 50 minutes until the top blackens and the centre remains soft. The dish stayed local until 2019, when the New York Times named it flavour of the year and the recipe travelled to cafes from Tokyo to New York under the name Basque burnt cheesecake or San Sebastian cheesecake. La Vina alone produces over 100 cakes daily; Otaegui in the Old Town and Geltoki in Amara now also sell wedges of their own versions.

Where to try it: La Vina, Pasteleria Otaegui, Pasteleria Geltoki

Watch out for: Eggs, Dairy, Gluten

Bacalao al pil pil

Bacalao al pil pil is salt cod slowly cooked in olive oil with garlic until the gelatin from the skin emulsifies the oil into a creamy pale-yellow sauce, served in the earthenware cazuela it was cooked in.

History: Bacalao al pil pil emerged in the 19th-century Basque cod trade, when Basque sailors brought back salted cod from the Newfoundland banks. The dish was first made in Bilbao around 1836, when a merchant named Gurtubay accidentally over-ordered salt cod during the Carlist Wars. The pil pil emulsion technique (the gentle shaking of the cazuela to bind the cod gelatin with garlic-infused oil) developed in Basque kitchens through the 19th century and remains the canonical preparation for salt cod across the Basque Country. Casa Vergara in San Sebastian's Old Town serves it as a pintxo on bread; Casa Urola and Bodegon Alejandro serve the full plate.

Where to try it: Casa Vergara, Casa Urola, Bodegon Alejandro

Watch out for: Fish

Txangurro al horno

Txangurro al horno is Basque baked spider crab, the picked white meat stuffed back into the shell with sherry, leeks, tomato and breadcrumbs, then baked until the top crisps to a golden crust.

History: Txangurro is the Basque word for spider crab (the Cantabrian centollo). The baked preparation (txangurro al horno) was popularised in San Sebastian in the early 20th century at Casa Nicolasa and developed into the canonical Basque seafood plate by the 1960s. The stuffing technique borrows from the French Basque mode of dressing crab in its own shell; the local addition is the brandy or Jerez splash and the breadcrumb top. Ganbara on San Jeronimo runs the canonical pintxo version (small clay dish, baked individually); the full dinner-plate version appears at Casa Urola, Bodegon Alejandro and the Belle Epoque hotel dining rooms.

Where to try it: Ganbara, Casa Urola, Bodegon Alejandro

Watch out for: Shellfish, Gluten, Dairy

Anchoa fresca (Cantabrian anchovy)

Cantabrian fresh anchovy, salt-cured or vinegar-marinated, is the cornerstone of the Basque pintxo: a single fillet on toasted bread, dressed with olive oil and a curl of pickled vegetable, the canonical Basque counter snack.

History: The Cantabrian anchovy (engraulis encrasicolus) has anchored the Basque fishing industry from the 19th-century Bermeo and Getaria salting houses through the modern brine industry of Santona. The vinegar-cured version (boqueron) and the salt-cured version (anchoa) became the canonical pintxo bases in the 1940s, with Casa Vallés-style gildas using the cured fillets. Bar Txepetxa on Pescaderia in San Sebastian has cured white anchovies by a guarded family recipe since 1972, served on toasted bread with a dozen topping options. The Getaria boats land the anchovy fleet from April through July; the brine production runs year-round.

Where to try it: Bar Txepetxa, Antonio Bar, Bar Sport

Watch out for: Fish

Pintxos de autor

Pintxos de autor are the modern San Sebastian pintxos: small hot plates cooked to order, technique-driven and chef-led, descending from the 1990s Cuchara de San Telmo and Borda Berri kitchens.

History: Pintxos de autor (signature pintxos) emerged in San Sebastian's Old Town in the late 1990s when chefs trained at Lasarte (Martin Berasategui) and El Bulli (Ferran Adria) opened small counters that served made-to-order plates instead of the bar-display cold pintxos that had been the city standard. La Cuchara de San Telmo (1999) led the wave with the carrillera al vino tinto; Borda Berri followed with the risotto de Idiazabal. A Fuego Negro brought avant-garde technique under chef Edorta Lamo. The Basque Culinary Center, opened in 2011, became the formal training pipeline for the pintxos de autor generation. The Pintxos competition has been run for several editions at Hondarribia; the autor concept now extends across the Basque Country.

Where to try it: La Cuchara de San Telmo, Borda Berri, A Fuego Negro

Watch out for: Varies