I don't think you need to look any further than Maribel and Mike's reviews.
I don't need a guidebook when I go to Spain--I rely on Maribel and her guides, along with Mike and one or two others who live in Spain.

Thanks so much, but it´s really Maribel who always has the best information, I didn´t know that Xarma had closed!

Mikel (with an "l" :)

Well, you could create a document – “a veritable guidebook”-- that lists them all and link it in whenever someone asks. Or pursue publication! FWIW, when I travel in the U.S., I’m less concerned about price range (as noted above, I can look at the menu and decide whether, when, and how to go to any particular restaurant) – what I want is type of cuisine and location. AFAIK, there’s no reason to NOT ask someone about either of those things. Just a thought.

Thank you so much Mikelg and Maribel for taking the time to provide this invaluable information. It is exactly what I was looking for.

Mikel and Maribel’s posts are helpful to many, including the OP which is great, but it is unfortunate you think all the others who try to help should not be considered….

I think that knowing something about budget is important generally, and helpful on this forum. It helps people to make more helpful suggestions to the person asking the question. Knowing what someone wants to spend on a restaurant/hotel is not really indicative of their net worth or anything. Sometimes people with less financial means want to splurge, and others with more money want to eat or stay cheaply. But if I am looking for a casual, neighborhood place to eat, it's not helpful to me if I get a string of suggestions for Michelin star restaurants, nor vice versa. I, personally, do not worry about potential thieves and scammers reading between the lines of restaurant recommendations on public forums. There are so many easier ways to steal and scam. But if there are people uncomfortable with sharing budget, it's just as easy to say that-- or to just not respond to that question.

❤️❤️

Thank you!

In San Sebastián, Bilbao and the other cities or villages in the Basque Country (Getaria, Gernika, Aspe, Hondarribia, etc.) knowing one’s budget could be extremely helpful.
One can eat at Repsol guide Soletes ( modest) or throw caution to the winds at a 3 Michelin star.

One can eat very well at one of mikelg’s recommended menú del día spots in BIlbao, as we have, or enjoy a copious daily menú with him at Boliña El Viejo in Gernika, or a Batzoki in Bakio, Great prices and a totally Basque atmosphere, which mikelg has introduced us to,
or…
one with an extremely ample budget, can spend 400, even 500 euros per person with great wines at a Michelin starred temple, as a chef friend just did at Etxebarri, for his once in a lifetime meal.

In San Sebastián we’ve enjoyed a very moderately priced rice meal prepared on a Josper stove at La Rebotika or fresh fish from Cádiz at EL Pescaíto de la Bahia de Cádiz for 25-30 euros/ person, both in Antiguo, or…
one can have a blow out 3 star experience at Akelare or Arzak for 300/350/person without wine or..
anything in between…such as at the reasonably priced Txoko or Astillero or Mayflower in Getaria, which for those with a more modest budget can be an alternative to the turbot temple of Elkano (195 euros plus beverages).,

So for me it is helpful to know the person’s dining budget or style and especially whether he/ she wants to commit to a long and pricey tasting menu, before I provide recommendations that may or may not fit.
.

And yet, you were able to provide suggestions even in the absence of that information! In any case, the question is not what a recommender might find helpful, it's what information it is wise of the asker to share.

@ chale1: I am sorry that a comment I made took this thread so far from your question and hope you've gotten the info you wanted.

I think, as intelligent adults, we can all make our own judgments about how much we want to share.

Because the OP chale1, indicated “not looking for Michelin Star experiences”, none of my suggestions above were that, but instead moderate to upper moderate suggestions and high quality pintxos bars (Urola certainly as one in Donostia) and a caveat as to ones that should be avoided.

Just another warning regarding pintxos bars in the Old Quarter of San Sebastián, reported in both El Correo and El Diario Vasco recently…and a surprise to locals. Please avoid the 3 or 4 (Baztán is one, Alkalde another) that require patrons to sit and who are given a menu with numbers and a piece of paper and a pen to order one’s pintxos by number. This is not at all the traditional, local way of enjoying pintxos, which mikelg has explained to us…one or 2 pintxos per bar with friends, taken standing, then moving on to the next bar, for a moveable feast.

The article in the Diario Vasco, “Pintxos a golpe de formulario”.
The article in El Correo (maybe mikelg saw it) “Hosteleros vizcaínos rechazan la idea de pedir los pintxos con papel y boli”.

Just another update about some of those mentioned above on this thread,
MIrador de Ulía has lost its Michelin star, the newly reinvented Ibai has earned one this year and the pintxos bar AFuego Negro has closed, as the chef decamped to open Arrea! in the Alava countryside in San Campezo.
In the former space at Calle de Agosto 31 we like, as do our local friends, SSUA.

And the queues for pintxos I´ve seen in Donostia-San Sebastian, something really incredible to us! The main issue is to consider pintxos a meal, which they rarely aren´t for us, it´s just a way to have something to eat while socializing with friends. A pintxo in one hand and a glass of (natural) cider, a wine, a txakoli, a small beer (zurito)...and then pintxos time ends and you go for lunch or dinner. It´s easy, you are not really "feeding" yourself when having pintxos. Yes, I did read that article and Alcalde is one of the many that I avoid in Donostia-San Sebastian.

Another San Sebastián update, referring to the Old Quarter,
The famous tortilla of Bar Néstor comes out only twice per day, one at 1 pm and the other at 8 pm. It has become crazy to secure a slice, as one has to line up well before the bar opens to put oneself on the list for this coveted slice, and many akes delicious have walked away without one, especially during high season.
IMO, Antonio Bar in its original space on Calle Bergara and its new, much larger space on Boulevard produce an equally delicious tortilla, with caramelized onions, although just not as legendary as Bar Néstor’s.
But at Bar Néstor one can still snag a wonderful tomato salad and a rib steak, its txuleta, its other 2 claims to fame.

Also Bodega Donostiarra in two spaces now in the Gros quarter, (that visitors sometimes overlook, not leaving the Old Quarter for their pintxos crawl), here makes delicious individual tortillas of several varieties very popular with the local crowd. It’s also open for breakfast and is part of our regular rotation.

For me, pintxos are, while delicious, extremely rich. I couldn't make a meal of them because they are just so rich for me, so when I read about people doing major pintxos crawls as their meal, my stomach hurts a bit. But on the other hand, they are pretty delicious, and as many travelers to the Basque area are only there for a matter of days, I do understand the desire to gorge on them as much as possible because they are truly something not highly available in the US. Even though this isn't the way it's done by the locals.

It’s not easy for a first time visitor to the Old Quarter of San Sebastián to recognize which bar is a “pintxos mill”, unfortunately, but please stay away from those that offer lots of table seating and give you a sheet and a pen with a list of pintxos by number that you must order. These pintxos may have been prepared in an industrial kitchen outside of town and shipped in.

Still authentic: Casa Urola, Tambo, Ganbara, Cuchara de San Telmo, Borda Berri, Martínez, Ssua, Paco Bueno, Itxaropena, Gandarias, Astelena, Zazpi in the Museo de San Telmo…

But there are still more if one branches out to the center (La Espiga, Antonio Bar) or to Gros (Bergara Bar, Bodega Donostiarra) or to Antiguo (Kapela).

This does sound like information obtained from AI...

But pintxos do not have to be rich. What about more simple dishes, like the Gilda? I do agree that Ii cannot enjoy more than one pinto containing foie, but those sure are delicious.



https://www.donostiafoods.com/blogs/...KBTn4cuM61rZM8


This looks like a good article; I'll read it through, later:. I'm curious if our Spanish experts think that the information here is solid:


https://www.saveur.com/culture/best-...san-sebastian/

I know Marti, a girl from Alabama (I believe) that has been living in Donostia-San Sebastián for a few years now, and the bars and pintxos are classics in this city. Good choices, but there are so many! (just one thing...we don't call the tortilla "española" but "potato omelette" instead 😄😄

Good to know! So is it "tortilla de papa" or "tortilla de patata?" (I just thought it was either "tortilla" or "tortilla de Betanzos," "tortilla vaga," but what do I know!?


Thank you, Mike, as ever!@