My favourite bars in San Sebastian
Hi there friends, and welcome to a special edition of the Food + Travel Edit. On the last Tuesday of every month I will be bringing you these specially curated lists of my favourite restaurants, bars and even hotels in certain parts of the world that I know very well. These editions are premium content meant for a select audience, and will be for paid subscribers only. You will still get the regular Food + Travel Edit for free on Thursdays; these special monthly guides are purely for those who want to take their travels, including their dining and drinking, to the next level. If you would like to upgrade, it’s only the cost of a coffee each month, with no lock-in contracts. You can find the details here.
San Sebastian is busy, and it’s getting busier. We established this a few weeks ago. The Basque city is hugely popular and for good reason, as it really is one of the best places in the world, with a dining scene that’s almost impossible to beat.
But what if you want to get away from the crowds? What if you don’t want to queue for half an hour for a tortilla at Antonio Bar, or wait two hours for a steak at Bar Nestor?
Then I have the solution for you. The following are 10 of my favourite San Sebastian bars that have achieved no social media fame, they’re not visited by big influencers and you will never find a long queue out the front.
They’re classic local bars, friendly joints run by good people, where the food and drink is top notch and the atmosphere is relaxed. You might not be the only tourist there, but you’ll at least be in the minority. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
Bar Ricardo, Gros
There’s nothing fancy about Bar Ricardo. No flashy pintxos arranged on the bar, no considered fit-out or trendy modern design. Just a couple of wooden tables and chairs, sawdust on the floor and football playing on the screen in the corner. Ricardo is a throwback to Gros’s working-class roots, the sort of place where the bartenders greet you with a gruff “dime”, or “tell me”, and the mussel croquettes are the order of the day. When Real Sociedad, the local La Liga football team, are playing, this is the place to watch the game.
