Where to eat in San Sebastián, Spain

When it comes to eating in San Sebastián you basically have two options. You can dine at the chaotic pintxos bars that line the cobbled streets of the old town serving quality but cheap food. Or you can dine at one of the city's spectacular Michelin starred restaurants.

We spent two nights in the city so we were able to do both. Whilst the two experiences were phenomenally different from each other, the food we ate on both nights was beyond magnificent. If you can spend at least two nights here to sample both the fine dining and bar food scenes you will be absolutely blown away. I'm already planning my next visit.

Michelin starred restaurants

Akelarre, Arzak, and Martín Berasategui are the three big names on the Michelin star scene in San Sebastián. Each restaurant holds an impressive three stars each. I had originally wanted to dine at Arzak but it was fully booked when I tried to make a reservation so I'm hoping to visit next time.

Mugaritz 

For our Michelin starred dining experience we chose 2* Mugartiz which is a 20 minute drive out of the city. I did a review about Mugartiz the other day so I won't say too much about it here but our meal was impressive to say the very least. 26 courses and a few hundred quid later this was by far one of the best dinning experiences I've ever had.

Pintxos bars

Pintxos, pronounced 'pinchos' is Basque-style tapas. They are small morsels of savoury food placed on top of a slice of bread with a toothpick stuck through the centre to keep everything in place. They come in many different variations and are laid out on giant platters along every bar counter in town.

The pintxos bars are where all the fun happens in San Sebastián as you hop from place to place having a glass of wine and a bite of food. Steve and I visited 8 bars in the space of 2 hours to try their speciality dishes on our first night in town. By the end of it we were busting from the seams. We managed to visit a few more bars at lunch time on our last day just to make sure we had eaten everything the city had to offer.

To really enjoy the pintxos crawl make sure you only have one bit of food in each bar. The vast selection of delicious looking treats will be very tempting but you'll want to hit as many bars as possible and having more than one thing in each place is going to fill you up quickly. When we set off on our pintxos crawl I armed myself with a list of the different bars I wanted to visit and what their speciality was so I'd advise you to do the same.

I've presented this list in the order we tackled the pintxos crawl therefore it makes a nice circle around the old town i.e. Parte Vieja. Our guesthouse, Pension Edorta, was situated above the very first bar on our pintxos crawl which was extremely handy.

La Mejillonera (C/ del Puerto 15)

La Mejillonera is the place to go for mussels. Shells are discarded on every inch of the floor and the neon lighting is rather intense but that doesn't take away from the food in the slightest. There's a huge variety of mussels on offer so the choice can be a little overwhelming. We went for the mussels in tomato and garlic sauce which tasted rich and absolutely heavenly.

A Fuego Negro (C/31 de Agosto 310)

A Fuego Negro is quite different from the other pintxos bars in town. The interior is dark and sultry and there's a distinct avant garde vibe to the place. Believe it or not the speciality here is the Kobe beef slider and banana crisps (makobe with txips). It's delicious and I was kind of bummed that Steve and I decided to share one.

Casa Gandarias (C/31 de Agosto 23)

Casa Gandarias is known for it's meat so we ordered the grilled sirlion steak with green pepper and sea salt (pintxo de solomillo) which was absolutely stunning. The black pudding and egg cold pintxos from the counter was fantastic as well.

La Cuchara de San Telmo (C/31 de Agosto 28)

La Cuchara de San Telmo was one of my favourite pintxos bars in town. The food is hot and made to order so you won't see cold platters on the bar like everywhere else in town. The cooking here is creative with a modern spin on classic dishes. We ordered the signature braised calf cheeks in red wine (carrilera) which was melt in the mouth delicious. We also ordered the squid ink risotto which is made from orzo pasta instead of rice, it was exceptional.

La Cepa (C/31 de Agosto 7)

La Cepa serves traditional pintxos and is known for its cured iberico ham from Southern Spain (jabon jabugo). The meat is rich in flavour and melts in the mouth, it is absolutely delicious and one of the dishes that really sticks out in my memory. We also ordered the croquetas, which had a perfectly crisp coating and full of perfectly oozing cheese sauce. They were heavenly. Apparently the grilled mushrooms are great here but lol as if I'd ever try them.

Bar Nestor C/ Pescadería 11

We didn't get to eat here because it was closed during out stay but apparently the tortilla is world class. You have to put in your order before 1pm and 8pm each day but be prepared for lots of people because it's meant to be that good. I love tortilla so hopefully Bar Nestor will be open next time we visit. The steak is meant to be amazing as well.

Bar Zeruko (C/Pescadería 10)

'La Hoguera' ('the bonfire') at Bar Zeruko was one of my most memorable pintxos. You are presented with a cod lollipop which you grill yourself. You eat the fish with an onion and parsley crostini followed by vial of asparagus purée, it's brilliant.

Goiz Argi (C/ Fermin Calbetón 4)

The speciality dish a Goiz Argi is brocheta gambas a la plancha (grilled prawns). They have a slight charred flavour and are absolutely stunning.

Borda Berri (C/ Fermin Calbetón 12)

I'm not sure if the pork rib is a speciality at Borda Berri but that's what we ordered. The meat melted away from the bones, it was rich in flavour and mouth watering delicious. I really liked this bar and there were a lot of other meaty dishes on the menu I would have liked to order.

Bar La Viña (C/31 de Agosto 3)

Bar La Viña is the place to go for dessert. They serve the best cheesecake you'll come across. It's baked on the outside and exceedingly creamy in the middle. It was verging on a little too indulgent for me but it really was delicious. We had this on our last day as there was no way we could have eaten a slice of cheesecake after our big pintxos crawl.

The best of the rest

The Loaf (Zurríola Hiribidea, 18)

The Loaf is a bakery come trendy cafe on the other side of town. We had brunch here which consisted of fried potatoes and eggs, plus a bunch of other stuff I can't actually remember. It was good value and very tasty so if you're looking to get away from the pintxos bars then this is worth seeking out.

La Fábrica (C/ del Puerto 17)

I want to stay we had a light lunch here but it ended up being pretty enormous as we didn't realise you had to order from a set menu. Despite not being hungry enough to eat 3 courses the food here was great. I don't think there are that menu sit down restaurants amongst the huddle of pintxos bars in the old town but if you're after something a little less manic without going mad at one of the Michelin starred restaurants than La Fábrica is a good options. Beware the wine that comes included in the set menu price, it's not great.

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FIVE FRIDAY: Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts

Festival season has started but for some reason I've never managed to blog about my past experiences. Glastonbury is one of my favourites but I've decided to forgo it for the considerable future because I've started to find it too big. These days I'm a fan of smaller, intimate festivals but despite that I still have excellent memories of Glastonbury and I definitely do hope to return one day.

To make up for never blogging about my previous 5 trips to the festival I thought I'd put together a little post about why I love it there so much.

1. There is so much to do

The thing I love about Glastonbury is the sheet amount of things you can do. Over the years I've realised that the fewer bands you want to see the better. The very first year I went to Glastonbury my friends and I were so determined to see all the bands we loved that we spent most of the festival running from stage to stage (which is extremely difficult in knee high mud) that we didn't have much time for anything else.

There are a ton of different areas to explore from the circus to the green fields to the park and not forgetting about the south-east corner where all the night time antics happen. Yes, there's an abundance of great bands to see (the park, the other stage and John Peel tent are normally my go to spots) but I'm almost more interested in the arts and crafts and holistic therapies. I love checking out the different tents in the healing fields and the permaculture space is a lovely, quiet spot for some down time. The Greenpeace area has a brilliant children's section that's come complete with a giant pirate ship climbing frame and cat in the hat cafe. I also love the little library and Dr Who style telephone box. Around the rest of the site there's a cinema, a circus and so much more on offer that I can't even begin to mention it all here. The festival is so large that even after 5 days on site it's easy not to see everything available. I hear this year they're even opening a new woods section.

2. Partying

Glastonbury really is the place to throw off the shackles of the everyday grind and go completely mental. There are so many different party places that will cater to whatever sort of mood you're in.

There's the Dance Village where DJs spin their records until the early hours. Revellers dance away with their glow sticks all night long without a care in the world. The south-east corner is probably the busiest place at the festival to be once the sun goes down and it's easy to understand why. With lots of different areas from creepy freak shows to an NYC underworld this is an all night mad house that transforms itself once the night sets in. I love checking out the different themed bars and joining the revellers as the wonder around aimless, enjoying the music and watching the many different dancers and light shows. Embrace your inner hedonist and go with the flow as you join the masses and party the night away. I really love The Park which is slightly more chilled out compared the other venues but still has a ton of options from the silent disco to the underground Rabbit Hole bar. Plus Arcadia is a must visit one night to watch enormous robots dance and breathe fire.

One of the most famous aspects of Glastonbury is the stone circle, found in the far south of the festival. This is where everyone congregates to watch the sunrise and chill out before heading back to their tents to catch a few hours sleep. There's a great fireworks display here on the first night and the atmosphere is always mellow with a slight buzz. The familiar sound of laughing gas canisters pierces the sky every few minutes and the distinctive smell of hand rolled cigarettes permeates the air in a constant haze. I love it here, it's a great place to unwind and really take in everything that makes this festival so special. Plus it's one of the highest points on the site so the views are terrific, especially at night when the entire festival twinkles in a magical light.

3. The Park

The Park is my very favourite area in the entire festival. My number one location to camp is Pennard Hill which is pretty central in terms of the festival site. You're right next to The Park and Other Stage plus the Stone Circle and green fields are close by as well. Because of the optimum location it's one of the most popular places to camp which means you have to arrive at the crack of dawn to secure a camping spot here. As for The Park, the area next to the hill, there's loads going on including one of the major festival stages, the beautiful ribbon tower, the famous Glastonbury sign and lots of great bars and food stalls.

As I said in the previous section, I really like The Park at night. There's a great party vibe without it being too hectic. There's a really big silent disco and quite a few different bars including the mysterious Rabbit Hole which really does feel like an Alice in Wonderland dream world. The thing I love to do most in The Park is to lie back on the hill when the sun it out, listen to whatever band is on the stage and chill out big time. This is my normal go-to plan after having a wild Friday night.

Apart from the iconic Glastonbury sign up on the hill, the other big attraction is the beautiful ribbon tower. There's always a bit of a queue to climb it but it's really worth it for the terrific views over the festival site. I think it's open 24 hours and whilst I've never been up it at night I can definitely vouch for a day time visit as the views are impressive, especially on a sunny day.

4. All the food

Glastonbury is huge which means there needs to be a lot food for sale. In recent years I've definitely scene a shift in catering for more optimum street food vendors but due to the absolutely enormous size there's no avoiding the smell from the crappy burger vans and Chinese noodle stalls. That being said you definitely don't have to eat there as there's so many other terrific options to try.

These days some of my favourite festival food trucks include the 24 hours crumpet shack, Anna Mae's Mac n Cheese, The Cheese Truck for toasted sandwiches, any sort of Mexican joint (Luardos does great burritos), Grillstock or Smokestack for pulled pork, anywhere that sells halloumi and falafel wraps, Pembrokeshire Beach Food Company for lobster, Goan Fish Curry, and Pieminister or Square Pie for pies, duh.

There's probably even more amazing food options available since I was last there as well. I love to spend the days grazing and trying as many different food options as possible. You need something to soak up all the sweet cider after all.

5. The Noise

It might sound silly but I love the sound of Glastonbury. It's the festival that never sleeps and even at 6am there's a slight buzz in the air. By this time the programmed music has normally stopped but you can here people walking back to their tents, chatting away, playing music from their phones or signing a drunken ballad or two. Soon after that the birds begin to sing and it isn't long until The Pyramid stage begins to sound check and the buzz from the breakfast food trucks start to increase.

There's is always some sort of sound in the air and I absolutely love it. I love hearing the music from the hundreds of different acts, I love hearing the laughs from the comedy stages, I love hearing the passionate monologues from Billy Bragg's Leftfield stage, I love the sound of gas canisters, I love the sound of sizzling food, and I love hearing the brief stories of last night's antics from the people who walk past you on the paths.

When it's all over and I'm at home, clean from a bath with freshly washed hair, I realise how much I miss the sounds of 100,000 people crammed into a field. I sit on by bed listening to my ears ring, aching in every inch of my body but actually wishing I could be back in that field and listening to all the joyous sounds one more time.

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Where to have lunch in Farringdon Part 1

Exmouth Market

I've been working in Farringdon since last August and I've made a solid effort to try as many different lunch spots as possible. This stems from many years having to rely on a work canteen as my only source of lunch so I've been really enjoying the variety of options in this part of London. Farringdon is a great place to work, there's not many shops to temp me with lunch time spending but there are a ton of independent food options, from markets to cafes. I normally bring in a packed lunch because eating out every day is ridiculous and expensive but once or twice a week I pop to the shops, either with friends, colleagues or on my own to try something new.

This is definitely going to be a multi parter as there are far too many options to talk about in one post. So here's a random selection of some of my favourite places for lunch.

The Quality Chop House

Before I started working in Farringdon I was already in love with The Quality Chop House. I'd been there once before for dinner and loved the classical English style of food. Think lots of meat, great roasted potatoes and food with tons of flavour. However, I didn't realise they had a shop until I started working down the road. I quickly discovered their freshly made sandwiches and sweet treats. Every day they sell three different sandwiches (meat and veggie options). The sandwiches are huge and packed full of excellent ingredients. They range in price from £4.50 to £5.00 which does sound a little expensive but they're pretty hefty and will keep you going all afternoon. My favourite is the rare roast beef and horseradish but I'm also quite partial to the chicken and tarragon if I get there before it sells out. My favourite veggie option is the cheese and chutney.

They also serve a selection of freshly baked sweets. I adore the gooey chocolate brownies that have a layer of condensed milk running through the centre and the little squares of chocolate fudge help keep sugar cravings at bay. Their home made salted crisps are pretty great as well.

On Wednesday to Friday they also serve hot food from outside the shop. Sausage rolls on Wednesday, bacon butties on Thursday and burgers on Friday. The beef brisket and mustard burger (£6) is insanely good and thanks to their loyalty card scheme I normally save up 8 stamps for one of these bad boys.

Quality Chop House is definitely my favourite lunch spot and because it's the closest option to my office I can't help but visit every time I forget to bring my packed lunch in.

Chifafa

Chifafa was somewhere I visited quite early on when I started working in the neighbourhood. It's around the corner from my office on Clerkenwell Road and serves 'posh' kebabs. It's a small but nice place with some seating inside. The menu is pretty small offering 5 different options which you can have in a kebab, rice or salad box. Last time I had a halloumi kebab (Za'atar-dusted halloumi, served with pickled turnip, houmous, cucumber salad, feta, tomato and fresh herbs) which was fantastic. The ingredients are super fresh and the halloumi was perfectly cooked and generously portioned. The flat breads are fluffy and flavoursome and make a nice change from a sandwich.

Woolley's

Whilst not strictly Farringdon I couldn't not mention Woolley's. Sarah and I meet here every week for lunch as it's directly halfway between me in Farringdon and her in Covent Garden I guess it's technically Holburn but it only takes 10 minutes to walk here so it isn't far. Woolley's is a bit like a canteen. It serves hot food alongside a salad and sandwich bar. On the odd occasion it's a nice day we get a sandwich to eat in the park next door but most of the time we eat in. I always get a jacket potato with beans and cheese (£4.80) whilst Sarah likes the curry. The food is great quality and the portions are huge. Most of the hot meals cost around a fiver which is a great deal considering how much food you get. The restaurant is lovely with a homely feel and friendly staff. I've not had anything from the salad bar but it's always full of colourful options. We used to meet in The Food Store across the road which is similar in theme but not as nice. I do miss their roast pork though.

Banh Mi Bay

Banh Mi Bay is my go to for Vietnamese food in Farringdon. I used to past this restaurant on the bus when Steve lived in Islington, always thinking I'd pop in one day, I still can't believe I work a 5 minutes away now. You can get takeaway but I usually eat in. The Banh Mi i.e. Vietnamese baguettes are a speciality, I love the hot pork which packs quite a punch spice wise. The pho is delicious, the soup is really big and deep in fresh, fragrant flavours with lots of salad leaves, slices of pork and noodles. I've also had the chicken curry which is extremely tasty thanks to the rich coconut based sauce.

There's quite a few of Vietnamese restaurants in the area but I love Banh Mi Bay so much that the thought of going anywhere else doesn't really interest me. The food is great and the prices are super reasonable.

Moirto

Morito is my one stop place for tapas in Farringdon. It's on Exmouth Market and it's always rammed which only reinforces just how great this tiny little tapas bar is. What I really like about Morito is that whilst it's a tapas bar it also sells middle eastern style food so expect aubergine, spiced lamb and lots of Mediterranean spices like sumac, harrisa and cumin. I've been once for dinner and once for lunch but on both visits the food was incredible. The croquettes melt in the mouth and the crispy aubergine with whipped feta and date molasses tastes like a middle eastern chips and cheese. The meat dishes are excellent and I have fond memories of the octopus, chicharrones, and jamón ibérico. The food isn't cheap but the portions are quite large for tapas and last time I went for lunch 4 plates was absolutely plenty between 2 people.

Morito definitely isn't the place for a quick spot of lunch but if you're after something a little special then this is a great option. I can't wait to return.

Pizza Pilgrims

I've blogged about Pizza Pilgrims before but I couldn't not mention it here because I really do adore their pizzas. The N'duja is my personal favourite as I love the spicy sausage. The service is quick so having a pizza at lunch time doesn't have to take up too much time.

Check out my where to eat lunch in Farringdon part 2 guide.
Check out my where to eat lunch in Farringdon part 3 guide.
Check out my where to eat lunch in Farringdon part 4 guide.

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