We will be in San Sebastian next May on a Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, staying at the Villa Soro. The Arzak restaurant is a few minutes from the hotel and we will have plenty of time to make a reservation in advance on www.arzak.es. They are open Wed-Sun.

My wife eats like a bird, does not eat any sugar( which eliminates ALL desserts) and does not consume any alcohol. But she does appreciate the artistry of master chefs and enjoys fine dining.

We considered a lunch reservation but that interrupts our sight seeing in the area. Should we give it a try? Is the experience worth the 113E of the tasting menu?

Obviously nobody knows whether Arzak is "worth" it for you and your wife. I can say that my husband and I found the lunches at Arzak, Akelare and Mugaritz "worth it" but then our mission in San Sebastian was to eat well!

Perhaps you should ask the question on one of the "foodie" forums or look up what they have already said about the restaurant:

www.egullet.com
(registration may be required)

www.gastroville.com

Is that the price for the lunch tasting menu?

I did not see any prices listed on the Arzak website. The NY Times article which is dated July 16, 2007, recommended the restaurant and stated that the 113 E tasting menu "feels less outrageous as the dishes keep arriving." I am presuming that cost must be the dinner. Maribel's guide lists several other alternatives which also sound like a good option. Frankly we would prefer tapa hopping and eating more casually but one special dinner might be a good experience.

RichardJ
In my personal experience the price paid was well worth it. The chef is a genius & this restaurant's experience was one of the highlights of our trip. Dinner was exquisite & service impecable. I do not drink & eat no sugar, but my husband & the other couple we went with did. So in IMO this is a very personal matter.

If master chef Juan Mari is cooking, then the Degustation menu is worth the price. Elena is not one of my favorites, but some people love her style. Mugaritz is also worth looking into for an outstanding Degustation menu. Mugaritz and Arzak were recently named two of the top ten restaurants in the world, followed by dozens of other restaurants in the Basque Country the made the top 100 list.

Hi RichardJ,
I can't answer the "is it worth it" question, but
I agree with Robert that if father, Juan Mari, is cooking that day with daughter Elena, you will have an artistic dining experience. But because of the rushed service (we had to slow our servers down) and a few of Elena's very deconstructed dishes on quite the petite side, our last experience there was not nearly as memorable as Akelarre, which has a splendid setting atop Monte Igeldo in S. S. with stunning views, extra large tables for two (extreme comfort for dining) and huge space between tables. Total luxury. Akelarre is now my number 1 choice for gourmet dining in S.S. See pics here:
www.akelarre.net

At both Arzak and Akelarre, the chefs will come around to the tables to greet the diners. And Akelarre's Pedro Subijana is as modest as he is charming.

BTW, the '06 degustation menus at Arzak and Akelarre cost more or less the same. My red Michelin says 112 at Arzak and 115 at Akelarre.
At Akelarre there are two menus from which to choose. As a couple we shared both.

Although Arzak has 3 Michelin stars and Akelarre only 2, they both receive a 9.5/10 rating in Gourmetour and a 9 from Rafael García Santos in his Best of Spanish Gastronomy guide (my food bible) and are both members of Relais & Chateaux.

For traditional, classic Basque dining in an elegant townhouse setting, we very much enjoy Casa Nicolasa, where the lunch menu costs 43.75. It's in the Old Quarter on Aldamar 4, upstairs above the cooking school, Txoko del Gourmet. Chef Juan José Castillo is one of the finest classic Basque chefs around. No "molecular cuisine", no foams here, no deconstruction-he's not an alchemist, just a fine classicist who has been feeding the city's elite for years. Closed Sun/Mon.

Hope you enjoy the Villa Soro! We sent friends there last week, and we just came back from San Sebastián doing more scouting. For casual, pintxos dining, just a short walk from the Villa Soro in the Gros quarter, you have a half dozen places that are very much equal to the pintxos experience in the Old Quarter. No need to walk far, and the pintxos bars in Gros are far less crowded-you'll actually find a place to sit! And if your wife doesn't drink alcohol, she can order "mosto", unfermented grape juice, a classic pintxos bar drink.
My favorite pintxos bars in Gros:

Patio de Ramuntxo, Peña y Goñi 10 (sit or stand at sherry barrels in the bar area, or sit down in the restaurant for a pintxos degustation menu, around 24 euros)

Bergara Bar, General Artetxe 8 (with communal wood tables-friendly owner-always packed)

Aloña Berri, Bermingham 24 (with a few tables behind a partition on the right for a sit down pintxos degustation that is wonderful)

Bodega Donostiarra, Peña y Goñi 13 (for the classics like tortilla)

Don't attempt to share the pintxos at P de R, as they are tiny gourmet haute cuisine treats made to order from the kitchen. They have won the annual pintxos competition twice.

I really appreciate all of the information. Another couple will be joining us on the trip. After reading through the menus on both of the Arzak and Akelarre, I think all four of us will be happiest with the pintxos. Great to hear that we don't have to walk into the old quarter each night from the Villa Soro. Sounds like many restaurants close on Sunday and Monday. We will be arriving on a Monday afternoon so I hope that a few pintxos places are open. Maribel--thanks for the names of the bars in Gros.

RichardJ,
Yes, the Gros quarter is awash with good pintxos bars, and here are a few more:

The new Hidalgo 56 on Paseo Colón 15, which also seves miniature haute cuisine.
Again,with a dining room where one can have a degustation pintxos menu.

Iraeta on Padre Larroca 2. Its special pintxo is grilled foie topped with Idiazabal cheese.

Marking this for my trip this fall..mil gracias once again to Maribel.

Not sure what is wrong with me but I cannot see any menus on the Akelarre web site...I get the site just fine but only a sketch of the exterior...

But Maribel's rec is good enough for me....wondering how far in advance I should book dinner here for a weekday in October? Thanks so much.

Hi eks,
I'm not very good with the "how far in advance?" question because as you know, I'm an anal, overzealous planner who books far in advance just to make sure! I would book now via email. Not necessary, of course, for just ANY table, but....

for one of those coveted tables next to the floor to ceiling window with GORGEOUS views of the bay (think balcony table at El Yantar in Pedraza!), the further in advance you book, the better your assurance of snagging one. We got one, and it made our meal even moe memorable. And if memory serves, there are only 4 or 5 of these front tier perches.

Me again eks,
Just check their web page. I got the current menus by clicking La Carta at the bottom of the Spanish version. Both the menu Aranori and the Bekarki come up.

Maribel, thanks yet again! I am having trouble with screen on computer but returned to the site and now have seen (and enthused) over the menus. I see that they have an on-line reservation form. So it looks like this will be our (girlfriend and I) "big" meal in Sanse in early October. And so, with the taste of lechazo lingering in my mouth, I will set off in not too long on my tapas tasting in Sanse, following your leads once again!

Maribel, I noticed that the web site name is Akelarre. Yet on the site, the place is listed as Akelare in the headings. Basque and Castellano different spellings?
How long in advance do you suggest I reserve...shall I do it now?

eks, RichardJ, marija and all,
Not in the same league as the Michelin star greats but yet very affordable....

"Branka"- A new discovery of ours of this recent culinary romp through Sanse. Very cool, hip looking with upstairs dining overlooking the bay and outdoor terrace for drinks/casual fare. Location is terrific-at the very end of Ondarreta beach (Paseo Eduardo Chillida 13) to the immediate right of the Royal Tennis Club indoor courts and close to Chillida's sculpture, El Peine de los Vientos.

We thought the menu was well priced given its fabulous location right at the edge of the bay. You can just drop in for pintxos or drinks or dine more formally upstairs. I want to go back at night. Homemade desserts.

Hi eks,
Our post crossed! Yes, the Basque spelling is with one r with accent. Am too lazy to cut and paste it .

You'll be delighted with your choice for this splurge, I guarantee. Choose both menus, and you and your friend are in for a gastronomic treat at that huge window table with gobs of space.

We tried Subijana's "supervision" of the kitchens at the Panticosa Resort in the Aragonese Pyrenees on this trip as well-everything done to sheer perfection! As the chefs at Pantocosa say, Subijana is extremely demanding regarding artistic presentation, exquisite table settings, flawless ingredients and equally flawless execution, and they go regularly to Sanse to receive rigorous instructions from him.

Also, make a bee line to the newly reopened San Martín market on Calle San Martín downtown, near the cathedral. I've even "given up" (not really) La Bretxa in the Old Quarter for this one! Gourmet purveyors are on the ground floor, while there's a spiffy supermarket downstairs with great coffee bar and the fish mongers across the way, plus a FNAC in the building and huge Zara. The new bar/café "SM" came in third in the annual Donosti pintxos competition-very lively outdoor terrace, great atmosphere. The whole complex has a nice, sophisticated "buzz" to it.

Web for Branka: www.branka-tenis.com

Arzak is one of the few restaurants in Spain with three Michelin stars. It usually gets voted in the top ten of the world´s best restaurants. For this level of cooking, the price for the menu de degustacion is CHEAP. And Arzak does not put a big mark up on his wines. The portions in the MdD are not large, but you do get two starters, two maincourse and two puddings. Is the experience worth it? Is the Pope catholic? I have only eaten there twice (travelling two hours from Cantabria to get there) and each time I thought I had died and gone to heaven. However, you will have to prioritise your own interests, sightseeing or experiencing one of the best meals you will ever eat. If you are not a foodie, I guess it´s a difficult decision. (Your wife doesn`t have to take the Menu de D. She could order one dish from the Carta and taste the dishes you have.)

Maribel..one of these days I will treat you to dinner..your choice. I am a total compulsive (El Yantar about 3 months in advance!) so will book Akelare as soon as I hear from you: Is the best description "table for two at the window with view of the Bay?" Or shall I phrase it another way to ensure that I am given the coveted perch? Very excited! I will be here at the site today and tomorrow. After that will be on a small break (surgery) but thoughts of the meals to come will certainly get me through a few days of atrocious hospital fare! Thanks so much for everything.