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Savor San Sebastián: a curated culinary adventure

21 items

Chef Laura Bonicelli

Before the world paused for the pandemic, my husband and I took an unforgettable trip to San Sebastián, a city where food is woven into the very fabric of life. Nestled in Spain’s Basque Country, it’s a place of breathtaking beauty, rich traditions, ...

Sections

Daily Life

Parte Vieja (Old Town) Pintxos Bars

Gelato and Treats

Day Trips

Dining

My recipes Inspired by our trip

Daily Life

We love staying at Airbnb properties. Having access to a kitchen gave us the freedom to shop at local markets and bring home incredible ingredients—one of the best ways to experience a culture. Don't get me wrong, I love a good hotel. But I love shop...

I always try to make sure we're eating healthfully when we travel. It's so easy to get out of balance when you're eating in restaurants and eating food you aren't used to eating. This local fruit shop was such a find. We stopped in to stock up severa...

Fruteria Angel Andres

Here's me, pretending to do some work in our flat. This property is no longer available, but there are plenty of options in and around San Sebastian through Airbnb and Vrbo. We were in the modern part of the city which was a beach walk away from the ...

Find homes in Donostia-San Sebastian on Airbnb

Paseo Nuevo with the sculpture by Oteiza is the best known place to experience the crashing waves of the North Sea. The spot serves as a break-water for the bay and is frequently closed to the public when the waves are violent. We stayed fairly close...

Wave-spotting in San Sebastián - San Sebastian Tourism

Parte Vieja (Old Town) Pintxos Bars

Pintxos (pronounced peen-chos) are small, flavorful appetizers or snacks that originate from the Basque Country in northern Spain. They are often found in bars. They are similar to tapas but have distinct characteristics. Typically, pintxos consist o...

Nagusia Lau Bar had a number of seafood pintxos. The whole spread was a feast for the eyes. Some of the choices were a bit adventurous for my midwestern palate, but we loved everything we ate and it was only our first stop!

Nagusia Lau Bar on Instagram • Photos and Videos

Bar Martínez was our absolute favorite. The people were friendly and the pintxos variety was astounding. They also fried up Padron peppers on demand. I bought seeds and started growing my own Padron peppers based on this amazing experience.

Bar Martínez

La Cuchara de San Telmo doesn't have the typical grand displays of pintxos. Everything in this delicious place is made-to-order. The scallops were the best I've ever had and sitting on the busy street was charming.

La Cuchara de San Telmo

Gelato and Treats

Spain’s gelaterias and bakeries rival some of the best in the world. Whether we were strolling through streets with a sweet treat in hand or bringing home a selection of exquisite pastries to savor later, every bite was pure delight.

This Gelateria has it's roots in Italy. Giovanni and Elisa Arnoldo started their journey selling gelato on a beach south of Ravenna in 1925.

HELADERIA ARNOLDO

Oiartzun's Pasteles are little tortes, cakes, and pies. I usually don't go in for this type of thing because they are often tasteless and not worth the calorie intake, but these are as yummy as they are delicious. We didn't try any of their larger ca...

INICIO - Pastelería Oiartzun

We stopped by this shop several times to pick up croissants and bread. The breads are so artfully done and delicious.

Galparsoro Okindegia | Panadería online compra tu Pan y recoge en tienda

Day Trips

San Sebastián is the perfect base for incredible day trips. We sipped our way through one of Rioja’s world-class wineries, got a behind-the-scenes look at anchovy canning with Ortiz, and explored one of the finest museums in the world. Each experienc...

This stunning museum and the equally stunning art inside of it was one of the best art experiences I've ever had. The mostly titanium building was designed by Frank Gehry and it sits on the bank of the Nervion river.

Guggenheim Bilbao Museum.

Ortiz carefully preserves the finest, line-caught fish from the Bay of Biscay on the north coast of Spain, ensuring exceptional quality in every can. We had the incredible opportunity to tour two of their factories in Ondarroa, where we witnessed the...

Conservas Ortiz: best canned fish since 1891

A stunning organic winery. We had lunch, did a formal tasting, wandered the grounds, and promised we'd come back. The building is eye-candy. We loved the wines and stocked up for our travels.

Herederos del Marqués de Riscal - Vinos con carácter de Rioja, Rueda, Castilla y León, Getaria

Dining

If you’re craving a Michelin-starred experience, San Sebastián delivers in spectacular fashion. While we spent much of our time grazing through lively pintxos bars, we also set aside funds for more formal dining—and it was worth every bite. From casu...

The perfect place for dinner and pintxos. The food was outstandingly delicious, beautifully presented, and reasonably priced.

Gandarias Restaurant - Basque cuisine and pintxos in the center of Donostia

We happened upon Kokotxa while wandering around old town. We had a lovely light meal with Asian influence and style.

Kokotxa – Donostia / San Sebastián - a MICHELIN Guide Restaurant

Prior to leaving the states, I did a lot of research. We had a list of restaurants we wanted to try, but getting reservations (since we didn't plan ahead) was tricky. Narru is located in a hotel in the center of the city. The cuisine was simple, artf...

Restaurante Narru - Restaurante en Donostia San Sebastián

My recipes Inspired by our trip

Travel has always been my greatest source of inspiration when creating recipes, and San Sebastián was no exception. The flavors, techniques, and ingredients I discovered there became the foundation for several standout dishes on my catering menus. No...

There was a version of a Spanish potato omelet in almost every bar or restaurant we visited in and around San Sebastian. I started working on this recipe as soon as we got home. I love the depth the roasted garlic adds.

Spanish Olive Oil Omelet - Bonicelli Cooking Club

I created this recipe shortly after an inspiring trip to San Sebastián. Gazpacho is essentially a blended tomato salad—complete with croutons and dressing—all in one refreshing dish. It truly shines in late summer when vegetables are at their peak. F...

Basque Gazpacho - Bonicelli Cooking Club

If you have clementine trees, it only makes sense to find delicious ways to use them! This cake, with its almond flour base, is incredibly moist, dense, and packed with bright citrus flavor. One bite, and you’ll find it downright irresistible. Back i...

Clementine Cake - Bonicelli Cooking Club

Future Trip in the Works

San Sebastián left such a lasting impression on us that we vowed to return. As we dream of our next visit, I’ve been gathering recommendations for tours, restaurants, coffee shops, and more. Here, I’m sharing a few standout spots that come highly rec...

I plan to visit this fine coffee house because friends said they "practically lived there" during their last San Sebastian trip. They said the coffee and food were delicious and that's how they started most of their days.

Old Town Coffee - Café de Especialidad - San Sebastián

I have been looking into small culinary excursions in an around San Sebastian. We have been lucky enough to connect with producers in past trips, this time we want to get the local perspective on the experience.

2025 The Award-Winning Bilbao Food Tour & Wine Pairing by Basque Local - with Reviews

I like this tour because it will take us on a day trip into France. I think it will be a lovely chance to be in both countries on the same day giving us a brief taste of each city to see if we'd like to go back for a longer stay on a future trip.

2025 Biarritz, Saint Jean de Luz and San Sebastian from Bilbao - with Reviews