GASTRONOMIC ROUTE IN HONDARRIBIA

We already have this post on the blog, but we think it contains important information so we want to share it also in English.

An old Spanish proverb says that if the river makes a sound it’s because it carries water. The English equivalent would be something like “there is no smoke without fire”.  So we wonder; if even in New York they are talking about it, perhaps it is worth what is going on in Hondarribia

It has been known for years that this small town is a great place full of wonderful restaurants and taverns. For instance, it is certainly famous “Ramon Roteta”, an elegant and classic restaurant located in a gorgeous villa at the entrance of the town. Or who could say that hasn’t stuffed himself/herself with seafood at Marisquería Güell, just opposite the airport at the Amute neighbourhood? For sure we also know someone who has celebrated a wedding, a first Holy Communion or perhaps a stag or hen night at the Beko Errota. The “Hermandad de Pescadores” (Fishermen’s Association), at the very centre of the town, is always jam-packed. And what about the “Alameda”, next to the wall surrounding the Old Quarter?

However, what really seems to have happened here in the last few years is a real explosion of high quality pintxo bars together with the opening of new top of the range restaurants, of classical and new cuisine. These two together have made it possible for Hondarribia to have no reason to be envious of Donostia and compete on equal terms against the capital’s gastronomy.

Nevertheless, in this article we will only look at pintxo bars and no restaurants, otherwise it would give us indigestion.  And to be more precise, we will just talk about all those bars worth visiting in the Old Town, La Alameda and in La Marina, a real paradise of good cooking.

Anchovies -ENBATA

The area known as La Marina is the one situated between the streets of San Pedro and Zuloaga. Considered to be the very heart of the town, what we can find here is a perfect mixture of classical and modern premises. Among the traditional ones it is worth mentioning “Ignacio” (it offers fabulous mushrooms prepared in various ways), “Conchita”, “Itxaropena” (delicious Russian steak), “Txantxangorri”, “Maite” (wonderful fried anchovies), “Rafael” (the king prawns with basil shouldn’t be missed) or “Alcanadre” (octopus cocktail with vinaigrette sauce). And of course, all of them with the bars full of very tasteful cold pintxos and a mouth-watering board announcing hot snacks.

Grilled Squids with Onion - ENBATA

But here in La Marina we also find the best of the modern miniature cuisine, the best of the new pintxos’ cuisine; “Gran Sol”, “Vinoteka” just opposite or “Enbata” a bit further on, on the corner of San Pedro and Zuloaga. Even “Gran Sol, gathers so many gastronomy awards that we would get tired only by mentioning them all. Here, we would recommend you to try everything, from the Medieval pintxo to the one called Hondarribia, including of course as well Jaizkibel, king prawns skewer, the well-known golden egg, grilled king prawn over cooked tomato with rockfish pudding and trout roe (food fit for the gods), leek cake with cod mousse, or any of those we will find tempting us on the bar.

JAIZKIBEL - GRAN SOL

Just opposite Gran Sol it is the Vinoteka. This is a bar with a very good selection of wines but also delicious pintxos such as sweetbreads or barbecued meat.
Further on, on the same side of the street, we will find “Enbata”. This is a large bar where we will be able to enjoy a wonderful anchovies’ pintxo, an amazing fried egg with chips and thin spicy sausage or a baby grilled squid that makes you go mad.

Golden Egg - GRAN SOL

If after all these delicacies you feel like going for a walk so you can digest everything and make a little space for more, we suggest you go up to the Old Quarter. You may want to go through Santa Maria’s entrance into the Calle Mayor or walk along Calle Javier Ugarte all the way up to the Parador Nacional, located at the Plaza de Armas. In this area, there are mainly traditional style bars with typical pintxos made with high quality basic products; tuna, green chili peppers, anchovies, red peppers, battered hake.
We would recommend among others “Etxeberria” and “Ainere” in Calle Mayor, “Danontzat” in Calle Denda and “Antxina” in Plaza de Armas.
From here we could walk down back to the Alameda and go into “Larra”, a modest bar with a very pleasant covered terrace. Here they offer traditional snacks such as small baguettes filled with all sorts of omelettes, Russian salad, txaka… Everything very good.

CHURRASCO - VINOTEKA

So just to sum up, if in your travels you enjoy trying the local gastronomy, both traditional and new cuisine, do not hesitate to visit this amazing town next time you come to the Basque Country. Or perhaps you would rather stay here for a couple of days, so you are certain to taste the lot and not to miss any of these wonderful places. Bon appétit!

FeelfreeRentals Team