Last week, acclaimed Basque chefs Juan Mari Arzak and his daughter Elena, owners the famous Arzak restaurant in San Sebastián, opened Ametsa, their long awaited London outpost. Several notches down the price scale, in Donostia-San Sebastián itself, you can sample bite-size versions, cocina en miniatura or pintxos, the refined Basque version of tapas. Here is a selection of the top avant garde and experimental pintxo bars, plus a couple of classics thrown in.
Borda Berri
Iñaki Gulín has kept a loyal following ever since he blazed a trail at La Cuchara de San Telmo. This opened 12 years ago at the back of the old coastal quarter as an innovative, nueva cocina place with a young spirit. Then, five years ago, he and fellow chef Marc Clua left La Cuchara to open Borda Berri a few streets away in this foodie labyrinth, keeping the rock'n'roll style yet turning out impeccable pintxos with a twist. The homely bar, its yellow walls hung with old photos, is professional yet laid-back, not an easy balance. The pintxos are chalked up on a board and cooked to order: an unctuous risotto of mushrooms and idiazabal (a Basque cheese), garlic soup with pig's ear, braised veal cheeks in wine or a bacalao (salt cod) taco. This is top, earthy Basque fare and not to be missed.
• Calle Fermin Calbeton 12, +34 943 430342, closed Mon, pintxos from €2.50
Bar Zeruko
Award-winning Zeruko is one of the old town's most inventive pintxo haunts. The style is young, hip and playful, with mint-green walls, trestle tables and a bar laden with temptations. Aspic makes a comeback, enclosing diced vegetables and a soft-boiled egg, quickly heated beforehand, or wild mushrooms with foie gras mousse. Meticulously presented, though contrasts of textures and flavours sometimes go too far down the showy molecular route. Try the marmitako, a traditional Basque tuna and potato soup.
• Calle Pescaderia 10, + 34 943 423451, barzeruko.com, closed Sun evening and Mon, from €3
A Fuego Negro
Even if it's sunny outside, A Fuego Negro's clock is on midnight. Black walls and low-slung designer lamps create a theatrical penumbra that, as a result of international acclaim, hums with a cosmopolitan crowd. The new-wave pintxos are a touch molecular, without losing the plot. The gildas (a classic Basque combo of fat olive, salty Cantabrian anchovy and pickled pepper on a stick) are divine, as is the "shaking" salad of duck, red fruits and croutons in a hamster ball or the dreamy tigretón – a glass of tomato purée and mussels topped with a béchamel foam and pork scratchings. Real aficionados should go for the tasting menu of nine pintxos for €35 or 14 for €50 (drinks extra).
• Calle 31 de Agosto 31, + 34 650 135373, afuegonegro.com, closed Mon, from €3
Bar Astelehena
This cheerful bar is on Donostia's most elegant square, designed for bullfights centuries ago. In sunnier months, the arcaded plaza offers great people-watching, which Astelehana's tables takes full advantage of, but inside the jam-packed bar guests can watch a culinary spectacle in the open kitchen. There is a good choice of hot pintxos to order, all creative, though using archetypal ingredients, from miniature steak with caramelised onion and chips, to wafer-thin crepes enclosing prawns and pork, tuna taco or cylinders of beef cheeks. It attracts quite a lot of tourists but the quality is tip-top.
• Plaza de la Constitución 15, +34 943 425245, closed Weds, from €2-€4.30
La Viña
On a popular road at the back of the old town next to an old favourite, La Cepa, La Viña does its own thing remarkably and unpretentiously. This welcoming, family-owned bar is the place for Spanish classics. The counter is carpeted in large platters of delicious morsels like boquerones (pickled anchovies high on diced garlic), jamón from legs dangling above, melt-in-the-mouth tortilla and octopus salad. The baked cheesecake with a glass of sherry is now legendary. There's nothing complicated, but it's all freshly made, reasonably priced and rapidly devoured by locals, so don't be late.
• Calle 31 de Agosto 3, +34 943 427495. restaurantelavina.com, open daily except closed all November and last week of June, from €1.60
Atari Gastroteka
Bang opposite the baroque basilica of Santa Maria, this friendly modern gastro-bar attracts a young, groovy crowd. Try the tender beef cheeks slow-cooked in red wine, the steak tartare with tomato and basil salad or octopus with potato, all efficiently served. There are plenty of tempting cold pintxos displayed on the bar, but hot to order is always best, and do not skip the desserts. Basque wine or cider are the classic tipples, but Atari also mixes killer gin and tonics. Tables outside are gold-dust on a balmy summer's night, though the action inside is unstoppable.
• Calle Mayor 18, +34 943 440792, open daily, from €2.50
La Txuleta
It's not obvious that a pintxo bar lurks behind the modern, glassed-in dining area of La Txuleta on this little side-turning, so it remains a well-kept secret. The chef, Ander Esarte, started as a cook at 14 before climbing the gastro-ladder via Paris to reach this, his award-winning restaurant. Grilled meats (txuleta means chop) are where he excels, but at the sleek interior bar you can also order flawlessly presented pintxos of seasonal produce. Basque specials include grilled kokotxas (gelatinous, subtly flavoured hake glands, an acquired taste) in green sauce, silky red piquillo pepper stuffed with oxtail, grilled scallop and spherical steak croquetas.
• Plaza de la Trinidad 2, +34 943 441007, txuletarestaurante.com, closed Mon evening and Tues, from €1.80
Hidalgo 56
Across the river, in the business district of Gros, this airy modern bar has prices aimed at an older, well-heeled clientele, but quality also follows. When it opened in 2005, chef Juan Mari Hidalgo already had a Michelin star under his belt, and it shows. Signature creations include a volcán of spicy black pudding, spiked with raisins and apple and crowned by an egg yolk, or a mojito with a twist – a glass of fresh tomato juice sprinkled with basil leaves and slivers of Iberian ham. The impressive choice of drinks ranges from local cider to unusual rosés from Navarra and punchy Toro and Bierzo reds, all selected by charming Nubia, wife of Juan Mari.
• Paseo Colón 15, +34 943 279654, hidalgo56.com, closed Sun and Tues evening, from €2
Casa Senra
A couple of streets back from the Zurriola surfing beach, this popular restaurant and pintxo bar in Gros has traditional beams, varnished trestle tables, kitsch paintings, and an enthusiastic following. Top-quality pintxos are served with big smiles, either cold from the counter or cooked to order. Grilled cuttlefish on a bed of chestnut purée comes dramatically drizzled with black squid ink and shredded fried leek, while the innocuous-sounding champi con foie conceals mushroom, foie gras, creamy alioli (garlic mayonnaise) and a slick of salsa verde. Don't miss the croquetas of clams or morcilla (black pudding) are not to miss.
• Calle de San Francisco 32, +34 943 293819, open daily, from €2.50
Mil Catas
The spacious, well-designed Mil Catas was taken over last year by the team from tiny Bar Iraeta. Here you are in for a cholesterol treat: foie gras figures high on the menu, as do Iberian sausagemeats. Pan-fried foie gras topped with grated ewe's cheese on bread or in a reduction of dessert wine is delicious paired with a glass of fruity marina spumante, from Valencia. When you tire of the foie, mop up with a giant ham croqueta or a simple plate of freshly carved, velvety jamón ibérico.
• Calle Zabaleta 55, +34 943 321656, closed Sun eve and Mon, from €2.10
Fiona Dunlop is the author of National Geographic's guidebooks on Spain and New Tapas, out in a revised edition in July 2013 as Real Tapas (£9.99, Octopus Publishing)
