Basque-ing In It: Hotel Maria Cristina Showcases San Sebastián’s Gastronomic Scene

Anthony Bourdain once said that San Sebastián was one of the greatest places on earth to eat. The chef loved the Spanish city so much he visited three times and said going from bar to bar, drinking a little Txakoli and eating a little pintxos was the greatest way to live.

He really had a point. Food dominates everything in this city – it has 19 Michelin stars and even local pintxos (pronounced pinchos) or snack bars serve up some of the best food in Spain.

We were based at the fabulous five-star Hotel Maria Cristina, bang in the heart of the city. This elegant 1912 Grande Dame is walking distance from everything – restaurants, shops, the old town and San Sebastián’s La Concha and Zurriola beaches. You really couldn’t pick a better spot for elegance, comfort and location. 

Food here is everything too. On arrival we were given a glass of the Txakoli that Bourdain loved. It’s a white wine with a natural fizz and is drunk everywhere. In our room was a Gilda snack, invented in San Sebastián and named after Rita Hayworth’s character from the 1946 film. Consisting of anchovies, olives and peppers on a stick, it’s a Basque classic. Simple ingredients done well. 

The big food name at Hotel Maria Cristina is Argentinian-born chef Paulo Airaudo. His two-star Michelin restaurant Amelia has just five services a week and seats about 20.

It’s expensive, at €383 per person, but this is a 14 to 16 course once-in-a-lifetime extravaganza. Pure theatre, you’re taken through an inconspicuous door, followed by a blue velvet curtain and then emerge into the open restaurant with a full view of the kitchen.

Far from being stuffy and formal, the whole experience is hugely playful. There is Star Wars paraphernalia everywhere – Paulo is a fan – and a soundtrack of everything from Barry White to Paul Young, Blondie to The Police.

The non-stop food includes Ikura (salmon roe) with parmesan, crab, red prawn and caviar, Iberico pork consommé, lobster and pigeon. It was fascinating watching Paulo’s young team in action as they gathered around dishes, dissecting them with the precision of surgeons. Paulo meanwhile moved quietly through the stations, tasting food and keeping an eye on service. 

Stations are forensically cleaned when dishes are finished and you can see the route to the final act – a lemon tart and inventive sweets made of dark chocolate, beetroot, marshmallow and sea buckthorn. As we were leaving, we were given a box with a Darth Vader whiskey-filled jelly. Fun. 

Back in my room, it was time for a nap in my huge Emperor bed. There are 139 rooms and 29 suites in the hotel. There are Byredo products in the bathroom, a well stocked mini bar and most rooms have views facing either the River Urumea or towards La Concha. 

The hotel also has its own on-site cookery school Mimo, which as well as providing classes, offers culinary tours visiting pintxos bars. We visited five and were amazed to see how different they all were. There are over 200 in San Sebastián, and at busy Ganbara – Bourdain’s favourite – YouTuber Mark Wiens was hard at work eating and filming. 

We also stopped at Kbzona where I had a fabulous beetroot gazpacho. Meanwhile Atari is known for its foie gras with white chocolate cream and Ssua is famous for its ikatzakabron, a slow-cooked pork in black squid ink tempura. It comes to the table smoking under a glass dome. We finished at Jose Mari with the sweetest dessert. Basque cheesecake is everywhere in San Sebastián: here it’s their torrija, like a French toast drenched in caramel sauce. 

The next day I was up early to walk along the Zurriola beach across the river from the hotel. La Concha is more gentle with a big expanse of sand and people swimming. Zurriola with its powerful waves attracts surfers, kayakers and dog walkers, and is great for people watching. It’s also the trendy area of Gros, and has a different feel to the old town. Here surfers hang out and you can find vintage shops and chai lattes. 

Back in the old town you can spot signs for gastronomic clubs or txokos (pronounced chokos). These are members-only places where locals gather to cook, eat, and socialise and there are over 100 in the city. They are said to date back to the 1840s and even today some remain men-only.

Local guide Jon, who runs basquetours.com, is based in Mimo and can help organise visits. He will take you to the local markets to shop and then on to a club to cook. It’s all very simple fare and a lovely insight into San Sebastián off duty. When we visited, a groom was having a night-before-the-wedding party and sharing Txakoli and pintxo. What else?

C&TH Key Notes 

Push the boat out… and book The Bette Davis suite. The Hollywood star stayed here when visiting the San Sebastian International Film Festival in 1989. It was her final public appearance. 

You must try… A dry Martini at the hotel’s Dry Bar. They have a digital counter of how many have been consumed to date. It was over 90,000 when we visited and we certainly added to that quota. 

Bag a seat… On the terrace when having breakfast. The buffet here is truly unbelievable. Served from 7.30am to 10.30am we heard of one person who has lasted the full three hours and it’s easy to see why. There are smoothies, fresh fruit, croissants with crab and salmon, Manchego cheese, truffle omelette, chocolate tart with mixed berries and even Cava. 

The Last Word: For a perfect spot from which to explore the gourmet delights of San Sebastián, Hotel Maria Cristina ticks every box. Elegant and with great service and the comfiest beds, its celebration of food inside mirrors what’s happening outside.

Rooms from €550 per night with breakfast, based on 2 people sharing a standard double room. Visit hotel-mariacristina.com 

Margaret’s return flights from London Gatwick to Bilbao had a carbon footprint of 252kg of CO₂e (ecollectivecarbon.com)