Bodega Donostiarra Gros

We stumbled upon here on a Friday night in October, only because we had just arrived in San Sebastian and the place is 2 minutes from our accommodation. We were lucky to get a table inside as it was extremely busy, and we got there at about 1915, and was shown the mini blackboard on the table which we understood meant "get out by 2030 as we have set cover times". The service was.... interesting. I would never expect US style over the top service but we were laughing to ourselves that our first experience in San Sebastian was "grumpy older man waitor." I get it, they're the world over. Totally over dealing with tourists. Very basic and abrupt 😂. The food was really nice, though, and even though we were on a time limit, we didn't feel rushed. The beef ribs especially were nice - I know them as Korean BBQ cut, where they're cut across the bone thinly then grilled. The vegetable platter was also nice - course it was, it was swimming in salt and oil which was indulgent but oh so nice. I really enjoyed the food but I don't think it stands out from anything else in San Sebastian!

Food was delicious and fresh. Portions were pretty big. Service was very friendly, though we had to wait a little while to pay. They were quite busy and moving as fast as they could to help everyone. Seating outside has a good vibe and can be covered if it rains.

Careful with allergies! Overall, the food was good, but the waiter was doing a horrible job. We were there with a pregnant person and one with a fish fish allergy and really tried to explain that certain food would not wir for them. We asked for each dish and were reassured that they were fine…THEY WERE NOT. potato salad had tuna in it. Salad with fish and salami. We were lucky, that we caught it, as this could have ended badly. Unfortunately, this overshadowed the whole experience. I would strongly suggest the restaurant to know and list their ingredients properly.

Great spot for a few dishes and glass of local wine, seemed to be full of locals in here. Make sure to try the iberica and the black pudding! Very reasonable too, look forward to coming back again.

This was so good we returned for an evening snack and glass of wine!! We shared the grilled seafood and grilled ribs with glasses of house wine, both red and white. Later we came back for the grilled peppers! Yum!! We sat on the terrazzo with some locals who eat here often, refieres to the restaurant as their second home as they live up the street. Wish I had room to try more but I was full.

You can absolutely spend time in old town, but this place brings the energy and quality without the elbow to elbow crowds. The staff is friendly and helpful. Try... anything. Highlights were carne con tomate.

Loved this place! The food is so tasty and so good and staff is super nice and attentive. Lots of locals (which is always a good sign) and prices are acceptable.

The scrambled mushrooms and chicken wings were delicious. Octopus was average but we really enjoyed the torrilas!!

We stumbled upon here on a Friday night in October, only because we had just arrived in San Sebastian and the place is 2 minutes from our accommodation. We were lucky to get a table inside as it was extremely busy, and we got there at about 1915, and was shown the mini blackboard on the table which we understood meant "get out by 2030 as we have set cover times". The service was.... interesting. I would never expect US style over the top service but we were laughing to ourselves that our first experience in San Sebastian was "grumpy older man waitor." I get it, they're the world over. Totally over dealing with tourists. Very basic and abrupt 😂. The food was really nice, though, and even though we were on a time limit, we didn't feel rushed. The beef ribs especially were nice - I know them as Korean BBQ cut, where they're cut across the bone thinly then grilled. The vegetable platter was also nice - course it was, it was swimming in salt and oil which was indulgent but oh so nice. I really enjoyed the food but I don't think it stands out from anything else in San Sebastian!

Food was delicious and fresh. Portions were pretty big. Service was very friendly, though we had to wait a little while to pay. They were quite busy and moving as fast as they could to help everyone. Seating outside has a good vibe and can be covered if it rains.

Careful with allergies! Overall, the food was good, but the waiter was doing a horrible job. We were there with a pregnant person and one with a fish fish allergy and really tried to explain that certain food would not wir for them. We asked for each dish and were reassured that they were fine…THEY WERE NOT. potato salad had tuna in it. Salad with fish and salami. We were lucky, that we caught it, as this could have ended badly. Unfortunately, this overshadowed the whole experience. I would strongly suggest the restaurant to know and list their ingredients properly.

Great spot for a few dishes and glass of local wine, seemed to be full of locals in here. Make sure to try the iberica and the black pudding! Very reasonable too, look forward to coming back again.

This was so good we returned for an evening snack and glass of wine!! We shared the grilled seafood and grilled ribs with glasses of house wine, both red and white. Later we came back for the grilled peppers! Yum!! We sat on the terrazzo with some locals who eat here often, refieres to the restaurant as their second home as they live up the street. Wish I had room to try more but I was full.

You can absolutely spend time in old town, but this place brings the energy and quality without the elbow to elbow crowds. The staff is friendly and helpful. Try... anything. Highlights were carne con tomate.

Loved this place! The food is so tasty and so good and staff is super nice and attentive. Lots of locals (which is always a good sign) and prices are acceptable.

The scrambled mushrooms and chicken wings were delicious. Octopus was average but we really enjoyed the torrilas!!

Really great locals hang out spot. Fast service. Gets packed. Pinxos were really good. Nice vibe, clean, thoroughly enjoyed! Definitely recommend.

One of the pleasures of visiting San Sebastián in the off season-- a short wait to get a table! During the summer months there's a line outside the door to get into this popular eatery! A mix of pinxos and small or larger plates are served here. Along with wines, sangria, unfiltered draft beer, spritzers and soft drinks. I had the BEST roasted red peppers with garlic ever! They were truly amazing. More please! Enjoyed all the food and ogling the dishes being brought to other tables. This place is always crowded, but service was good and friendly.

Stopped here cause almost all restaurants open at 8 besides the little tapas bars . Good food great service from the little English speaking lady outside . No reservations needed outside which was fine and good . Lamb was good pulpo was ok soup was good desert was great . Worth the stop Alooooooha

Food was very good !! Service was good considering how busy the place was the leg of lamb was hands down the best item on the menu ate it down to the bone

Muy buena comida. Las tapas son excelentes y tienen buenas cervezas. Tiene patio exterior

This was our very first stop and I wish I could understand the hype. The staff was not friendly. Everything was delicious, but worth the wait? Not to me. We had no idea how to get a table and no one asked us. We were just starving and wanted something to fill us up. The cheese in the photo was amazing. I would not bother to visit again.

This was one of the best restaurants we visited in San Sebastián. We would definitely come back here. We loved the Iberian cheek skewer and pulled beef (even my picky toddler loved the pulled beef - he insisted on eating half of it!). For anyone with kids, the potato omelette was also a huge hit.

The cute elderly man sitting next to us (who was clearly a regular here) told me that all the food here is delicious. He definitely knew his shit! I tried three pintxos: completo (tuna sandwich with pickled peppers), boqueron and pulpo a la brasa. I'm not crazy about tuna back home but it's so good in Spain. The sandwich, albeit simple, was a perfectly balanced bite. The boqueron was delicately sweet, salty and vinegary. And last but not least, the tender pulpo was served with a chunk of potato and one of the top pulpo dishes I've ever had.

Donostiarra was a nice spot to grab a quick bite - our favorite here was the cold octopus in vinaigrette. We also tried the tortilla, which was more like an omelet than the Spanish tortilla we had elsewhere (still not bad though), and the pulpo a la plancha was decent as well. Would come back for the cold octopus for sure

BD is a hipster joint with its pros and cons. We have been here once before and the place was then jampacked, nice food and atmosphere. This time we show up a bit early and the guests are scarse. We are met with an attitude like we are not worthy attention. Maybe it didn't suite the waiter our lack of spanish. Anyway waiting in vain for service (got our drinks right away albeit not "tinto" but "blanco" so we had to call out to have it changed) and emptied them in waiting for service that never showed. The guy had all the time to chitchat with two goodlookin spanish ladies. Us he totally neglected. So we paid and left w/o eating. Service STUNK, just awful.

Came here twice once with wife at 1130pm for night tapas and second time with rest of in laws for a hearty lunch. Both times the place was pack nuts to butts w locals. Absolutely loved the vinegar octopus and small grilled octopus. For lunch, we had the the following: Tuna belly salad: skip it the tuna was low quality and tough Octopus and langoustine tower: gimmicky but good. The octopus was grilled perfectly but bit under seasoned. I personally preferred the bar tapas served the previous night. Grilled veggies: beautiful big hearty plate of grilled vegetables in olive oil. And welcome sight after almost 10 days of pure protein feasts. Leg of lamb: this was the daily special and recommended by our waitress. Wife and I don't eat meat but my in laws ripped into it like pack of ravenous hyenas and all agreed it was the most tender and perfectly grilled lamb they've ever had. Grilled pork: another house special, my Inlaws were able to cut the loin w a fork and said it was as tender as fine steak. House tortilla: get it!! This is well known and loved by the locals and you will have no better tortilla! Salad, 4 large entrees, a desert and 5 glasses wine for only 88 euro. This was by far the cheapest but also one of the best meals we had in Spain.

Came here specifically for the tortilla de patatas which was absolutely delicious, one of the best we had so far on our trip in northern Spain. It was so moist and perfectly salted and paired with delicious bread. The portion is for one person, but if you can easily share it between two people if you want to eat other breakfast items as well. The coffee was pretty good too, make sure to ask for a café con leche 'cargado' if you like your coffee a strong.

The food here was surprisingly good given the relatively small price you pay for decent portions of good food. I had a competo, which is a baguette sandwich with tuna, anchovies, and pickled green pepper (not spicy) for 2.90 euros. This probably will fill you up as much as a mcdouble from mcdonalds. Clearly it isnt for those who dislike fishy foods, as both anchovies and tuna are extremely fishy. Indeed, I walk out of the restaurant not ready to talk to anyone. Flavorwise, I enjoyed it! The green pepper added the sour/salty flavor that classic pickled jalapeños would add, without the spice. It was a very savory and appetizing meal, opening your stomach for more food! The tortilla is actually a potato and onion omelete, which was very juicy and also very appetizing. This was around 2.50 euros for something the size and thickness of a small saucepan. Would probably come back for a snack!

Hate to pile on with another great review since this joint has so many. But, what can we say....this place is better than average for San Sebastián...and that ain't faint praise. First tip, unless you like standing at the bar....and who doesn't....you will need a reservation for a table. Secondly, come hungry because you'll feel cheated if you get full too early and can't plow through their entire menu. We did the fish cakes, beef with tomatoes, morros, and pulpo vinaigrette and had to call it a night even though we wanted more. This is not the stellar place for pinxos in San Sebastián but it is a step-above what you would get across the river in the historic section of town. Which by the way, with a few scant exceptions, is NOT a good place to eat in this gourmet rich town. We would recommend Bodega Donostiarra more for a meal than snacks as evidenced by what the locals were tucking into. We enjoyed the energy of Bodega Donostiarra and the forthrightness of the servings. We will be back.

A terrific pintxo bar in the Gros area. Gets very popular at night. Go early. Try the pulpo, terrific tortilla, and cheap wines (but delicious). Has breakfast too! Dont miss. Among best food places in Gros area near beach!

We came here on our first night we were in San Sebastian, before we had discovered the wonders of bar-hopping to try pintxos at all the different bars. The food here was just fine, and we had a good meal, but there wasn't really anything in particular that I was craving to come back here for a second time. (In comparison, there were some places that we went to two or three times in this one visit) There's a good variety of cold and hot pintxos here, and most of it you order and they make it in the kitchen instead of grabbing pre-made ones off the counter. Bocadillo de Atun - This was a baguette with tuna, an anchovy, and pickled green bean. Was good, but nothing I'd really crave again. Fish Cake with Shrimp - This was also fine - kind of like a meatloaf slice made out of of fish, with sauce and some shrimp. I don't think I'd get this again, it was just okay. Tortilla Espanola - I liked this a lot. Normally, most tortilla espanola is served cold but this was hot and fresh. Maybe they microwaved it, but at least it was hot and delicious. If you want fresh tortilla, go to Bar Nestor, but otherwise, this one was really great. I'd get this again. Brocheta de Pulpo y Langostinos - I saw this in a lot of pictures and it was great for photo-ops. but for 2 people, I felt like we kept eating octopus and shrimp to no avial. I think this would be better shared between 4 people. It was good, but we didn't feel like eating any more octopus on our trip after this dish. It comes on a skewer and it hangs from a hook. Overall, this place was fine, but not really a highlight of our trip. I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here, but if you need food and are in the area, this place will do the trick. I'd wander into Parte Vieja and bar-hop and eat pintxos instead.

Outstanding food, ambiance and service. Callos are to die for and the octopus/shrimp skewers are outstanding.Excellent.

The real deal for no nonsense/authentic local food. Welcoming staff and comfortable atmosphere with lots of outdoor seating. I stayed in a b&b right next door and ate here twice during my stay in San Sebastián. I also stopped back on my way to the bus for sandwiches--which was a great cal. Definitely stop by on your way to the beach for some amazing bocadillos. I was a fan of the "completa": tuna with anchovies, peppers, white anchovies and sardines. mmmmm. I ate a lot of really delicious things, here. There are no flashy pinxtos out on the bar, but everything coming out of the kitchen is super tasty. Stand outs: Stewed beef in tomatoes (like bbq pulled beef in a rich and savory tomato gravy), the house cured salmon, the grilled chicken wings (smoky and perfect, drenched in bright olive oil, crunchy salt and herbs). I have a feeling that anything coming off of the grill would have been special. I was a fan of this place, traditional and affordable dishes from the city with the best food ever. What's not to like?

Wow! I have heard so much about San Sebastian being the capital for food lovers.. My first meal here did not disappoint me. This place is across the river in the neighborhood Gros. It is just less than 0.5 miles. The food is amazing and the prices are not too bad tbh ( less than $5 for most tapas dishes). I ordered must have octopus in vinegrete, 1/2 of a tomato salad with tuna fish (big chunks), shrimp and egg and the pull beef in tomato sauce. First off, I devoured everything and sopped up the juices with the bread provided. My favorites are the octopus and tomatoe salad. They are so light and flavorful. I loved the pulled beef as well, especially eaten with the bread. My least favorite (do not recommend it) was the egg with shrimp (basically 1/2 boiled egg with some sauce on top and a boiled shrimp). My total bill including a beer was 22 euros. Not bad at all. Will definitely coming back here when I visit San Sebastian again

We ended up having lunch here (in the trendy Gros neighborhood) after dealing with a baggage/key/check-in logistical fiasco with our rental agency's office, which happened to be down the street. Donostiarra was packed, but we got seated outside pretty quickly and ordered a bunch of pintxos to share: the mixed salad, jamon, manchega/membrillo, and a tortilla. BUT. THEN. The people sitting next to us got this amazing tower of seafood with shrimp and octopus and peppers and the whole thing was dripping with oil and we just HAD TO HAVE IT. Luckily the tortilla never showed up and we ordered this magical seafood hanging skewer thing and it was heavenly, especially the grilled octopus on the bottom. Wine, bread, good weather, logistical troubles away. Service: not too bad actually! Highly recommend if you're in the area.

The food here was excellent. We liked it so much we went twice in our 3 day stay in San Sebastián. Highly recommend the octopus and shrimp skewer, the grilled tuna belly salad, and the marinated salmon! We also bought a couple of boxes of the course salt - it's locally produced and added the perfect saltiness.

Randomly discovered this place on our vacation, and it was a GREAT way to end the trip! We were using google translate to figure out the menu, and the incredibly busy waitress noticed and handed us the English menu. We tried the potato tortilla, beef skewers, and veggies. Everything was fantastic!!! I wish we could have ordered dessert as it looked delicious, but we were already stuffed. Very reasonable prices as well. A must try!!!

Omg, delish!!! We got so much. I'll update what we got later. Awesome octopus, jamin, pulled beef, potato pancake, anchovies were awesome! Got all 3 and those were my favor rotes!

Right off the train from BCN, and hungry for lunch. What to do? Head into town and look for a place that has a good crowd. Grab a seat, sit down, smile, get some wine and realize you are in Bodega Donostiarra. Start off with what ever the special of the day is. When we were there it was salmon stew/soup. Perfect on a rainy late spring day. Probably even better in the winter. A little Jamon bocadilla? why not. Another wine? Why not? A perfect little first lunch in town. the BD will always have a great spot in my memory for being the first meal in San Sebastian .

1) The service was very prompt and friendly 2) food: eggs, ham and salsa was decent, but nothing to die for. One of the pintxos (egg, potatoe and some kind of mayonnaise) was okay as well, but the coffee, champagne and omelet pintxos were really well made.

Splendid, mostly locals and an extremely warm environment. This is the non-turista side of the river, a neighborhood so it felt less like a hustle. Reasonable prices, great lively environment. Superb food. We shared a chicken skewer, and a tomato tuna salad. Each was delicious. They have copies of the menu in English. Highly recommended. Eat at the bar, at communal tables or outside (weather permitting.). This place is busy for a reason. It is good.

Excellent menu, laidback attitude, highly recommend for casual dining or lunching. Great service and friendly staff.

A great find outside the old city with great Basque dishes and wonderful service. Be sure to get the fish cake and squid.

I can't eat seafood, so the menu was very limited for me. The best thing I tried here was the pulled beef in tomato sauce. It was really good. I didn't like the omelet at all, and the only other thing I tried was the pan con tomate which was fine, but I've had better elsewhere in Spain. It was very, very crowded and noisy--even in the back at the tables--at 10:30pm, which, coming from the US, just blows my mind!

Very homey, welcoming restaurant. It was pretty crowded when we went, with some difficulty finding a table. However, we took that as a sign that their food must be good. They have both pinxtos (tapas) and larger dish options. I only tried their pinxtos, which all seemed to be very fresh from the ocean. I only really wasn't a fan of their tuna and anchovies, they were bland in taste and not impressively special. Otherwise, a good selection of drinks, well-prepared foods, and a great service staff that took the time to explain the menu in detail.

During our recent ten day visit to San Sebastián, we ate breakfast at Bodega Donostiarra nearly daily; Tortilla de Patata, cafe con leche and pan con tomate. The meal was always fresh and delicious and the service was friendly and efficient even though we did not speak Spanish. Highly recommended!

Pretty good pintxos. The grilled octopus is amazing, try out some tortillas, iberico ham. Good stuff

Friendly staff and good vibe. Completos and tortilla are tje specialties of the house.

Traditional menu, friendly staff even to non-Spanish speakers and excellent quality food. Atmosphere is lively and very crowded in a good way. Reservations recommended.

Never have I had such rude wait staff. They are all smiles to natives and total jerks to tourists. The food is not good either.

Founded in 1928 this place is a local institution. Come with a big group and get their a little early maybe 7:30pm for dinner as it gets very crowded. They have a prefix menu for lunch. Order a little bit of everything especially if it's grilled because it will be good. The insalate tomate con bonito (tuna and tomato salad) was fantastic as was the parillada de verduras (grilled veggies) and the brucheta de pulpo and longostinos (grilled octopus and prawns)-terrific! But not to be missed is the Chuleta de buey (grilled beef, rare). What nice staff and great food. The orders come out slowly and there's no rush to finish. We ordered chicken for the kids and very delicious chicken wings. Baked potatoes in the sauce of whatever you order them with come with almost everything. If you're in Gros don't miss it. They're closed on Sunday.

I went here 4 times in one day just so I could work through the menu. It was my favorite place in San Sebastian. The brocheta de pulp y langostinos is sublime and the mini completo is unique and driven by remarkable quality for something so simple. This place is awesome and not to be missed.