10 Best Local Restaurants in San Sebastian

Mercado San Martín is a large indoor market in the centre of San Sebastian. The venue dates back to 1884 but was given a modern facelift in 2005. Arrive hungry because there is plenty of traditional and gourmet food to try and buy. Apart from fresh, seasonal produce from the sea and local farms, you can find homemade items, including cheese, pickles, and sweets.

If you are exploring downtown San Sebastian during the day, this market is an ideal place to grab a quick lunch. Several delicatessens serve daily specials of packed to-go meals, pintxos, and sandwiches. Take your food and enjoy it on the nearby La Concha Beach or in the Alderdi Eder Gardens.

Mercado La Bretxa has been the gastronomic hub of San Sebastian since 1870. Locals and chefs head to this iconic market to buy fresh eggs, fruit and vegetables from local farmers who set up their stalls outside. In the basement, there are over 40 stalls selling fresh fish, meat, and a variety of delicatessen products inside the building.

You’ll also find flower shops, bakeries, and pickle stalls. Local specialities to try include bacalao (salt cod), percebes (gooseneck barnacles), chistorra (a cross between chorizo and sausage), and the world-renowned, locally produced Idiazábal cheeses. The market is worth visiting even if you don’t plan on buying anything – if only to watch locals haggle, fishmongers expertly fillet fish, and cheesemakers slice up their produce.

Stop by La Viña for some drinks and traditional seafood pintxos after exploring the main sights in San Sebastian’s Old Quarter. Popular choices at this often-crowded bar include pulpo (octopus), bacalao a la plancha (grilled cod), and fried cones filled with cream cheese and anchovies.

Be sure to save space for La Viña’s award-winning cheesecake baked fresh daily. The crustless dessert, which resembles a flan, is slightly burnt on the outside yet soft and creamy inside. If you want to try this cake, go earlier or make a table reservation before it runs out. You can skip the queue if you order your cheesecake to go.

Come to Bar Txepetxa for a glass of crisp Txakoli (traditional dry white wine from Basque Country) and inventive anchovy pintxos in San Sebastian. At this small, popular, always-buzzing tapas bar in the Old Quarter, house-marinated anchovy is prepared with unusual ingredients, including coconut, blueberry compote, and sea urchin roe. 

If strange salty fish combinations don’t whet your appetite, the bar serves other delicious tapas such as vegetables, crab, octopus, mussels, and shrimp. All of the snacks are prepared with only the finest and freshest ingredients.

Asador Portuetxe is a traditional Basque grill house occupying a 400-year-old farmhouse. Located on the outskirts of San Sebastian, the rustic, charming setting isn't what draws the lunch and dinner crowds. It's the superb fresh Atlantic fish cooked on a large asador (charcoal grill). The restaurant also prepares a delicious barbecued beef chop, grilled prawns, and various starters. 

Asador Portuetxe is within a 15-minute taxi ride from San Sebastian’s Old Quarter. You can also take bus route 40, which picks up passengers every 30 minutes near the Santa Catalina Zubia bridge. Get off at a bus stop called Portuetxe 18 and the restaurant is a 5-minute walk from there. Bookings are recommended.

Bar Néstor is a hole-in-the-wall in San Sebastian's Old Town that bangs out delicious, freshly prepared food. The tomato salad, fried green peppers, and Basque Txuleton steaks are outstanding. However, it's the legendary tortilla made with caramelised onions and peppers that makes people go wild. 

The bar only serves 2 tortillas per session for lunch and dinner. With only 16 slices available per mealtime, competition is high! To score a portion, you must put your name on the list 1 hour before the restaurant opens. If you plan on ordering a steak, make a reservation in advance or arrive very early as seating is limited to 1 table inside, a few stools at the bar, and a couple of tables outside.

La Txuleteria in the Gros neighbourhood of San Sebastian is one of the best spots to try one of the most famous dishes of Basque cuisine: txuleta. This delicious T-bone steak is no less than 5 cm thick and is usually served rare to medium-rare. The juicy steak is best paired with a traditional tomato salad, mild padrón peppers, and a bottle of red wine hailing from the nearby La Rioja wine region. 

The menu also features vegetable and seafood dishes. Make a reservation before coming, especially if you plan to visit on a weekend. La Txuleteria is within a 10-minute walk from San Sebastian's Old Town.

Juanito Kojua is a renowned fine-dining seafood spot in the Old Quarter of San Sebastian. The restaurant started in 1947 as a modest meeting place for local fishermen. It has persisted – and improved – over the decades because it still serves the original dishes that made it famous: fresh fish and shellfish prepared in the traditional Basque style.

Signature dishes include clams, crab a la Donostiarra, and line-caught groper. The tasting menu offers an excellent Basque cuisine experience and is well worth your time. The menu changes with the season but could include prawn and scrambled eggs, grilled hake fillet, and profiteroles with hot chocolate sauce.

Haizea is an unpretentious tapas bar in San Sebastian’s Old Town with a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. The menu offers creative, made-to-order pintxos, many of which you won’t find anywhere else. Standouts include the bar’s famous foie gras served with apple, cod and prawn fritters and pickled banana peppers with anchovies. A glass of cold, crisp Txakoli (traditional white wine from the Basque region) pairs magically with the seafood plates.

Although it’s only steps from the heart of the Old Town, the bar is usually packed mainly with locals and Spanish travellers. And don’t be discouraged if the place is crowded when you arrive – people come and go quickly. 

Bar Asador La Cepa is a large, relaxed neighbourhood restaurant in San Sebastian that’s popular with locals looking for traditional pintxos at reasonable prices. The eatery’s specialities are pork ribs and grilled chicken. But other menu highlights include sandwiches, morro de cerdo (pig’s snout), and various house-made cazuelas (casseroles). 

The restaurant is located 6 km east of San Sebastian’s Old Town. You can take a 15-minute taxi ride or bus 13 that leaves from the main street in the town centre. The bus journey will take about 25 minutes.