‹ 25 small cities with big food › No. 16
Small city, big food · No. 16 of 25
San Sebastián, Spain
A photo like it · Arnaud 25, CC BY-SA 4.0A crescent of beach, an old town packed with pintxo bars, and more Michelin stars per person than almost anywhere. You eat standing up at the bar, then sit down at one of the great restaurants of Europe.
Pintxos and a txuleta (bone-in steak)
Where to eat in San Sebastián
1A photo like it
Bar Nestor
Get: The tortilla española (only two made a day), tomato salad, Gernika peppers, txuleta steak
Only two tortillas a day, and they go in minutes: put your name down early. (Chef Amazing)
2A photo like it
Ganbara
Get: Mushrooms
A pintxo bar in the old town where wild mushrooms are the order. (Chef Amazing)
3A photo like it
Elkano
Get: Grilled fish over coals
A Michelin star (2026), a half hour west in Getaria and worth the drive. (Chef Amazing)
4
Plan the trip
- When to go
- May to June and September to October; January for the Tamborrada.
- Getting there
- San Sebastián airport (EAS) is small; Bilbao (BIO) is 1 hour by bus. Biarritz is 45 minutes.
More for San Sebastián
Why it's on the list
The world's classic small food city.
Next small city
Places checked November 14, 2026; hours and menus change. "A photo like it" is the same kind of food, not from that place. Nobody pays to be on our lists.
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