The Washington Post has a roundup of restaurants in San Sebastián , Spain, which has one of the highest concentration of Michelin stars in the world. Gift link:
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Thanks for mentioning that article.
We’ve tried some of the new additions to the dining scene, bistros created by recent graduates, several foreign born, of the Basque Culinary Center—
ARTEAN has been our favorite, and one that we could return to often. As the article notes, the look is one of a discreet Parisian bistros with only 12 seats at the counter, while the presentation is more Japanese omakase.
“R” (in the former space of Hidalgo 56) is doing more Mexican dishes now like the Mexican-Basque hybrid (fusión vasco-mexicana), GATXUPA and Mugaritz’ TOPA SUKALDERÍA, Basque meets Basque South America.
Bar Manojo is a favorite in the Gros section, far removed from the usual pintxos scene of La Parte Vieja, the Old Quarter and thus the ever growing tourist crowds.
MAUN GRILL BAR in the renovated Mercado de San Martin in the city center is a good bet for grilled meats and for wines, especially small producer txakolís, ciders, artisan beers and Basque cheeses (try the blue), across the way is ABATZA.
https://maun.eus/en/maun-grill-bar/
Not mentioned in the article:
GERALD’S BAR in Gros, where we had a lovely Sunday lunch in late January. It is a recommendation of the Repsol Guide.
And the elegant wine shop/small bistro, CURDELÓN, just up the street from ARTEAN.
And for a lovely display of Basque cheeses, one should visit ELKANO 1 GAZTAGUNE on calle Elkano for its house-made Ondara cheese.
https://geraldsbar.eu
We weren’t particularly impressed with the reinvention in the Kursaal Center of MUKA, formerly Ni Neu, and won’t return, as others we found the other newbies far more interesting.
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I second your assessment of Artean, where I had a tremendous meal last summer. Their white tuna belly with piqullio peppers, a supplemental offering to the tasting menu, was as pristine and sensationally sourced as any dish I had over the span of a few weeks of traveling and dining in the Basque region and elsewhere.
