This three-Michelin-starred restaurant is all about family; father-daughter
duo Juan Mari and Elena Arzak are at the helm at this favoured
taverna. The tasting menu rotates, with new dishes fresh from an
in-house research and development laboratory joining old
favourites, like the delicious “cromlech-egg balloons” that are
filled with meat, then dusted with onion and coffee powder.

When you need a break from pintxos or the hangover is hitting
hard, follow the eclectic local crowd to Arenales. This diminutive
spot on the Old Town’s main street boasts one of the town’s best
natural wine lists, with bottles from the likes of Partida Creus
and Matassa. Small plates are meant for sharing and step out of the
Basque tradition, as is the case with the black pudding-stuffed
brioche bun, served warm with a romaine and yoghurt salad.

Set midway up the Igueldo mountain (the city peak that juts into
La Concha Bay) is Rekondo. While its leafy terrace is prime seating
in summer, a table in the cellar is the real coup. Choose from over
120,000 of the world’s rarest wines. Overwhelmed? We’d order a 1964
Rioja. Watch as sommelier Martin Flea burns the neck off your
choice bottle with fire-hot tongs, then sip on a bit of oenological
history.

Don’t like anchovies? This is the place for you. Txepetxa’s
famous dishes have absolutely nada in common with the dank brown
things people tend to discard from their pizzas. Instead,
top-quality Cantabrian anchovies are cured in vinegar, and the rest
is a family secret. Pick from a menu featuring the silvery fish
atop toasted bread with any number of toppings. Choose from
blueberries, spider-crab cream or local favourite the jardinera (a
mix of onions and green and red peppers).

This labour of love opened in the mid-1980s as just another
pintxos bar. Today, it’s a shrine to the best products that the
Basque Country has to offer. On any given day, the counter is
scattered with gigantic porcini, fragrant chanterelles,
bright-green guindilla peppers and other seasonal produce. The
seafood here is top quality, so order several plates and eat the
pintxos way – standing up with a cool glass of txakoli in your
hand.

Borda Berri’s motto is “here we braise”. Meat and fish – from
beef cheek to cod tripe – are slow-cooked to perfection at one the
city’s best pintxos spots. Choosing a favourite on the menu is
difficult, especially since the tender cuts of meat are dressed
with deeply flavoured sauces and jus. The cheese risotto, actually
a saucy orzo dish, is an excellent vegetarian option.