{"id":18353,"date":"2025-11-16T14:15:57","date_gmt":"2025-11-16T13:15:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/non-categorise\/san-sebastian-food-tour\/"},"modified":"2026-07-22T11:52:53","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T09:52:53","slug":"san-sebastian-food-tour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/decoding\/san-sebastian-food-tour\/","title":{"rendered":"San Sebasti\u00e1n Food Tour"},"content":{"rendered":"

San Sebasti\u00e1n… I’d been dreaming of discovering this little gourmet town nestled in the heart of Spain’s Basque Country for a long time. Exploring a town also means discovering its nooks and crannies, its ambiences, its gestures, and above all, its terroir. <\/p>\n

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Hotel de Londres y Inglaterra \u00a9Clement Perrin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A path to the table<\/h2>\n

Situated around the bay of La Concha, the city unfolds like an amphitheatre facing the sea. From the terrace of theHotel de Londres y de Inglaterra<\/strong><\/a>the view stretches out over the bay, punctuated by the lapping of the waves and the passing of strollers on the beach. A veritable institution for 150 years, the hotel combines Belle \u00c9poque charm with an ideal location for soaking up the gentle, salty rhythm of San Sebasti\u00e1n. <\/p>\n

Between meals, the stroll continues: from the Romantic Quarter to the Old Town, from Belle \u00c9poque facades to resolutely contemporary buildings, everything here tells a story of balance between tradition and modernity. And as is often the case in San Sebasti\u00e1n, every step leads to a table. <\/p>\n

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Turbot at Rekondo \u00a9Clement Perrin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Wine institution<\/h2>\n

Perched in the hills at the foot of Mount Igueldo, just a stone’s throw from the beaches and bustle of the city, Rekondo<\/strong><\/a> is a haven of elegance and serenity. A veritable San Sebasti\u00e1n institution, the restaurant is renowned for housing one of the world’s most impressive wine cellars, with over 100,000 carefully preserved bottles. In the kitchen, chef I\u00f1aki Arrieta creates a balanced score, blending Basque tradition with masterful modernity. Braise-grilled fish is sublimely cooked to perfection, while starters celebrate subtle, creative technique – like the delicate carpaccio de carabinero. And don’t miss the famous turbot, off the menu but a house staple. An address where time seems suspended, between fire, sea and Basque tradition. <\/p>\n

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Crispy suckling pig \u00e0 la Cuchara \u00a9Clement Perrin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Leaning against a bar<\/h2>\n

Here, the atmosphere changes: La Cuchara<\/strong><\/a> lives, vibrates, bubbles. In the rain, the line stretches down the alley, but no one thinks of giving up. Inside, the counter is alive, pots are clinking, voices are mingling. This little den is one of those places where tradition meets modernity: scallops snacked on a bed of orzotto, pan-fried foie gras with apple compote, or suckling pig, as crisp as it is melting, can all be enjoyed at the bar. A must-see, a lesson in ambient chaos and culinary precision that’s full of charm. <\/p>\n

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Amelia’s counter \u00a9Clement Perrin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Italian-style Omakase<\/h2>\n

Change of scenery. Amelia<\/strong><\/a>the two-star restaurant of Italian-Argentinian chef Paulo Airaudo, is located in the discreet Villa Favorita hotel. The place balances noble materials with pop accents: stickers, neon lights and an overt obsession with the Star Wars universe. Here, cooking is experienced as if in the theater – seated at the counter, you witness a play in which cooking and service take center stage. On the plate, an Italian-style “omakase”: a unique nine-course menu inspired by the jewels of the Cantabrian Sea and the contrast of Japanese flavors. Among the highlights, the poached then grilled lobster, accompanied by a languorous beurre blanc and puffed rice, seduces with its precision and generosity. And finally, the caviar dessert, served on rum ice cream and a typical Mexican mole sauce, brings the experience to a daring close. A singular moment, where each dish marks a stage in a journey from the shores of the Basque Country to the lands of Tokyo. <\/p>\n

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Ganbara boletus \u00a9Clement Perrin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mountain of boletus<\/h2>\n

It’s impossible to talk about San Sebasti\u00e1n without mentioning Ganbara<\/strong><\/a>a gourmet institution in the heart of the old town. A legendary pintxo bar, Ganbara has to be earned: after a forty-minute wait, we finally step through the door of this temple of Basque taste. Behind the wooden counter, mountains of boletus, pintxos and jam\u00f3n ib\u00e9rico make curious gourmets salivate. There’s nothing complex here: just an absolute mastery of simplicity at the service of the product. The bolets \u00e0 la plancha and their soft-boiled egg have been enjoyed around the world, as have the crab tart and the foie gras toast. Leaning against the counter, with a glass of txakoli in hand (a local white wine served with the arm raised in the typical manner), you can savor the moment to the rhythm of the crowd and a service as efficient as it is warm. A place both popular and mythical, where happiness can be found, quite simply, in a bite to eat. <\/p>\n

Between sea, stone and fire<\/h2>\n

San Sebasti\u00e1n is not a place to visit: it’s a place to enjoy. You come for the food, but you stay for the relaxed pace, the strolls along the Concha, the lively evenings in the maze of the Parte Vieja. A city of contrasts, between Belle \u00c9poque heritage and avant-garde creations, between fishermen and Michelin-starred chefs, it is the perfect embodiment of that rare alliance between simplicity and excellence. A culinary journey, an invitation to slow down and, above all, a promise to return again and again. <\/p>\n

A few notable mentions: Basque cheesecake at La Vigna, shrimp skewer at Goiz Argi, Nestor sea bass chuleta and sea urchin velout\u00e9 at Sport Bar.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An epicurean destination par excellence, San Sebasti\u00e1n is a jewel of discovery and gastronomic riches. From lively pintxo bars to Michelin-starred restaurants and more confidential addresses, immerse yourself in the heart of the Spanish Basque Country… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":18359,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"slim_seo":{"title":"San Sebasti\u00e1n Food Tour | Restaurant San Sebastian | Edouard Amoiel","description":"An epicurean destination par excellence, San Sebasti\u00e1n is a jewel of discovery and gastronomic riches. From lively pintxo bars to Michelin-starred restaurants a"},"_slim_seo_primary_term_category":0,"_slim_seo_primary_term_post_tag":0,"_slim_seo_primary_term_restaurants-par-lieux":0,"_slim_seo_primary_term_style-de-restaurant":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[366],"tags":[],"restaurants-par-lieux":[367],"style-de-restaurant":[],"class_list":["post-18353","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-decoding","restaurants-par-lieux-san-sebastian"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18353","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18353"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18353\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27114,"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18353\/revisions\/27114"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18359"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18353"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18353"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18353"},{"taxonomy":"restaurants-par-lieux","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/restaurants-par-lieux?post=18353"},{"taxonomy":"style-de-restaurant","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/style-de-restaurant?post=18353"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}