La Cuchara de San Telmo on Calle 31 de Agosto in San Sebastian braises beef cheek in red wine until it falls apart, the canonical modern pintxo of the Old Town since 1999.
Tip: Read the blackboard. Order with a half-pint of Rioja.
Address: Calle 31 de Agosto 28, 20003 Donostia-San Sebastian, San Sebastián
Ganbara on San Jeronimo in San Sebastian's Old Town runs an autumn mushroom counter from October to December, the wild setas sauteed with garlic and finished with a raw egg yolk.
Try: Wild mushrooms with egg yolk
Tip: October to December peak season; the spider crab pintxo is the year-round second order.
Borda Berri on Fermin Calbeton in San Sebastian cooks a risotto of Idiazabal sheep cheese with puntalette pasta, the modern pintxo signature of the Old Town's tightest blackboard kitchen.
Try: Idiazabal cheese risotto with puntalette pasta
Tip: Read the blackboard; the Basatxerri pork ribs are the second-tier order.
Antonio Bar on Bergara in San Sebastian's Centro turns out a 28-egg tortilla de patatas with caramelised onions and confit potatoes, considered by locals the best wedge in the city.
Try: 28-egg tortilla de patatas
Tip: Tortilla finishes most days by 14:30; the gilda is the small-bite pairing.
Casa Valles on Reyes Catolicos in San Sebastian invented the gilda pintxo in 1946, a skewer of anchovy, olive and guindilla pepper named for the Rita Hayworth film for its 'spicy and salty' nature.
Try: Gilda pintxo (anchovy, olive, guindilla)
Tip: Order two gildas at a time; the canonical version is built on cantabrico anchovies and Ibarra guindillas.
Bar Nestor on Pescaderia in San Sebastian's Old Town has cooked the bone-in vaca vieja txuleta since 1980, served rare on a sizzling plate so the diner finishes the meat to taste.
Try: Bone-in vaca vieja txuleta on coals
Tip: Sign the list when you arrive; the txuleta is portioned per person. Tortilla finishes by 14:30.
La Vina on Calle 31 de Agosto invented the burnt Basque cheesecake in 1990 when Santiago Rivera baked a crustless cheesecake very hot until the top caramelised, the city's most copied dessert.
Try: Burnt Basque cheesecake
Tip: Wedge at the counter for 4 euros; full cake takeaways need 24 hours notice.
