Best Burgers in San Sebastián: Old Town & Gros

The best burgers in San Sebastián are in the Parte Vieja, the old town packed with pintxo bars between the port and the Urumea river, and in Gros, the surf district behind Zurriola beach. Centro, the 19th-century grid around the Buen Pastor cathedral, and Antiguo, at the western end of La Concha bay, round out the map.

Donostia, its Basque name, is known worldwide for food: one of the highest concentrations of Michelin stars per head anywhere, the Basque Culinary Center university, and bar counters lined with pintxos. Beef here means txuleta from older cows, grilled over coals. The cider houses of nearby Astigarraga serve it with salt cod omelette during the txotx season, which opens in January. A burger in this city competes with all of that.

Burgers in San Sebastián: key facts

• Barrios: Parte Vieja, Gros, Centro and Antiguo.
• Surf side: Gros and Zurriola beach, the surfers’ end of town.
• Markets: La Bretxa in the old town and San Martín in Centro.
• Basque cheese: Idiazabal (PDO), a sheep’s-milk cheese, often lightly smoked.
• Two names: Donostia in Basque, San Sebastián in Spanish, and signs use both.
• Cider season: txotx, from January into spring, at the sagardotegi (cider houses) outside town.

Every guide we publish on San Sebastián is dated and lists only venues, addresses, prices and ratings we could verify. Browse our burger restaurant guides by city to compare with Bilbao and beyond.