This is part 1 of the series on San Sebastian, Girona, and Barcelona, Spain. Other parts of this series (as they become available) can be found at this link.
San Sebastian has been on my bucket list for a long, long time.
This small coastal city in the Basque region of Spain is world-renowned for its food. A large concentration of the world’s top restaurants are located within this small region.
The number of Michelin stars is insane, and even the everyday pintxos that you find on the streets are delicious. The people in the region truly appreciate good food, and it shows.
On top of all that, the seaside town and surrounding areas are beautiful and the people are really friendly.
I never knew when I would get to go to San Sebastian, and I certainly really wasn’t sure once we moved to Hong Kong. However, Bryan’s best friend reached out to us about a year ago asking if we were interested in traveling there together.
He was interested in making a reservation at El Cellar de can Roca, crowned World’s Best Restaurant (2013 and 2015) according to World’s 50 Best as well as holder of three Michelin stars. One of the most difficult restaurants in the world to book, El Cellar de can Roca required an 11-month advanced booking, which would “sell out” in a matter of minutes.
After securing a reservation back in early August 2018, we had 11 months to finalize the remaining details of this epic food trip.
I’ve just returned, and I must agree with all who have gone before me.
San Sebastian is a magical place. This area of Spain is INSANE when it comes to food. It is mind-blowing the amount of phenomenal food that exists within such a small area.
We visited all sorts of restaurants – everything from casual pintxos bars (where you have to stand) to 3-Michelin star world class restaurants. In general, overall food quality was absurdly high. Better yet, prices here are quite reasonable, especially compared to equal (or even lesser) quality restaurants in London, New York, or Hong Kong.
In addition, it’s a beautiful place. The weather is perfect, the beaches are lovely, there’s plenty of great hiking, and the fishing villages are quaint, unspoiled, and really charming.
We quickly fell in love with the entire area and are already thinking about when we can go back.
This therefore kicks off our San Sebastian series. Over the next several weeks I will be sharing all about this incredible place – the crazy number of world class restaurants, the awesome pintxos, the beautiful quaint small towns and fishing villages, hikes with stunning views, and more!
Stay tuned!
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