Haizea — Restaurant in San Sebastián

We arrived at 13:30 to this tiny 400 square foot tapas bar. There are three tables inside and about 10 bar stools but most folks are just whipping in and having a beer. My partner was not in the mood to deal with ordering so I bellied up to the bar. Our total order cost 33.8€ and included 4 glasses of house red wine. What a screaming deal! We had a scallop and prawn brochette, the brick of bacalao, prawn & langostino fritters, meatballs with potatoes, a bit of duck loin served on a garlic toast, and scallops gratin. It was all a taste sensation!

The brochette had two prawns encircling a scallop and put on a grill. The simplicity was perfection!

My partner wanted to order two bricks of bacalao but I said no. I was wrong! This was a bit of salted cod wrapped like a present in phyllo type dough. The ribbon was green onions. It was baked and came out crispy but so creamy.

The fritters, called buñuelos, were very eggy, light and full of shrimp flavor with a crisp crust.

The albondigas were my least favorite but they were delicious, tender, and swimming in a delicious mild brown sauce. They were accentuated by small slices of fried potatoes that were sprinkled with salt.

The sirloin of duck was a tiny piece of grilled duck served on a delicious garlic toast surrounded by deep fried potato chips and drizzled with a blackberry sauce. Oh, my little pony! So good!

Finally, one of the daily specials was a scallop gratinee. Two shells arrived with a small scallop on each covered in a cheddar cheese sauce. It wasn’t my favorite as I’m not a fan of cheese sauce but it was still beautiful and tasty.

During our almost two hours of eating, I knocked over two chairs and my partner knocked over his wine glass onto the marble table. Although we tried to wreck the place (not really!) people were still so nice to us.

It should be noted that in this city, people don’t speak Spanish. They speak to you in Basque and I reply in Spanish. Again, folks are so accommodating to...

Fantastic pintxos bar slightly off the beaten path as it's just outside the tourist area of old town. We visited this place as it was literally on the corner of our hotel.

There is limited seating with 4 tables inside accomodating around 8 seats. The rest is standing by the bar or outside.

Don't let that stop tasting some excellent pintxos such as the scallop and prawn skewer, soft shell crab and duck with plum sauce. The scallops were juicy, tender and fresh and the duck was well seasoned and moist. The crab roe was creamy and rich similar to a bisque.

It's always busy and full of locals but caters for tourist with an english menu and friendly english speaking staff. There is on street parking...

One of Anthony Bourdain's favorites in San Sebastian, Haizea is a haven of great food, Basque tradition and relaxed ambiance. Its situation, distant enough of the old town pintxo circuit, makes it ideal for people trying to escape the craziness of the usual tourist spots.

Maite, the owner greets everyone with a smile and serves some of the most exquisite pintxos in town. She explains that Haizea means "wind" in basque and that the name makes a lot of sense if you visit in wintertime.

Make sure to try the Brick de Bacalao, Tony's pintxo of choice and probably one of the most beautifully executed...