As part of his jump into the hotelier world, Pedro Subijana has added a (more) casual dining concept to his new hotel Akelarre, named for his three-Michelin-starred restaurant. Oteiza serves the kind of food you can imagine Subijana whips up at home: his signature sea bass with green pepper, vegetable Bolognese, and fried egg with potato “glass.” The terrace outside is one of the best along the coast, and is the perfect spot for a cocktail by the renowned Patxi Troitino.

Hometown hero Martín Berasategui goes casual at eMe Be Garrote, his latest venture, on the outskirts of San Sebastián. Here, the cuisine of Berasategui’s three-Michelin-star restaurant in town comes down to earth, with a market-based menu that dips into haute-cuisine techniques and presentations. The decor is a similar combination of traditional Basque and contemporary Nordic, which seems fitting for the formidable farmhouse and former ciderhouse. It’s a delicious mix; diners can eat a plain old Basque txuleta or take a turn for the modern with dishes like the crunchy oyster with grapefruit granita and walnut hollandaise.

An ever-changing menu under the direction of Dmitrii Modestov shows a preference for Japanese seafood preparations and homey Russian tastes, but with a nod to global trends, as in the house-marinated anchovies and a dish of hummus with Basque pork sausage. The glass-enclosed dining room features an open kitchen, a cellar loaded with organic wines, and a cozier bar area serving cocktails by Manel Vehí, one of Spain’s star mixologists. The ensaladilla rusa, or Russian potato salad, is a must.

It was no surprise when the power houses behind an ever-growing empire of bars and restaurants, including Atari and Sirimiri, took over another pintxo bar in the Old Town. The shocker came when they turned the basement of Txalupa into a reservations-only, clubstaurant. Book a table in advance and the waiters upstairs will buzz you in to the speakeasy-style spot. The food is a delicious mix of Spanish classics with a twist, like a creamy wild mushroom rice dotted with yuca and a Scotch egg made with blood pudding. An excellent cocktail and wine list and weekend DJ makes this a one-stop shop. 

At Misura you’ll find a mixture of Basque tradition, haute techniques, and organic ingredients. The stylish restaurant is part of the new Hotel Arima, located on the outskirts of the city, and has a fun approach to vegetable-centric cooking. Featured proteins and vegetables are available in several variations — order your cauliflower as a puree topped with roasted florets, with a sous-vide egg, or with salt cod and smoked olive oil.

Chef Paulo Airaudo comes to San Sebastián by way of Argentina, and his latest restaurant, Amelia, holds the most recently bestowed Michelin star in the city’s constellation. Here he strives for an international vibe, from the reservations-only, locked-front-door policy (you have to buzz to be let in) to the Italian sommelier Mario Giunti’s diverse wine list. With artful plating and dishes that reflect global trends — like the avocado, caviar, and creme fraiche ice cream starter — this is a restaurant that looks beyond local food in an effort to gain international attention.

For the last three years, the grand dame Hotel María Cristina has hosted a different star chef for a summer pop-up. This year (through October) it’s Francis Paniego (of Echaurren and Marqués de Riscal, for a total of three Michelin stars) at the helm. Choose from the two tasting menus (115 euros and 145 euros), whose dish descriptions (think “fresh herbs or tasting a high mountain meadow”) are meant to reflect “feelings that the 10 kilometres of nature surrounding the Ezcaray Valley transmit to us.” Most importantly, and a lot less flowery, the tastings include Francis’s mother’s uber-famous croquettes.

San Sebastián’s first successful attempt at a contemporary Latin American eatery comes from a surprising yet highly qualified set of hands: Andoni Luis Aduriz, head chef at Mugaritz. Inspired by his travels to Latin America, Aduriz says the mission of Topa is “to celebrate centuries of interaction between Basques and Latin Americans.” The cultures coexist happily in dishes like tacos filled with ink-tossed squid and cocktails like the Euskojito, which reinvents the mojito using a local Basque white wine. The cool concrete and raw-wood interior is dominated by a gigantic mural by local artist Judas Arrieta that fuses Baque imagery with Latin street style.

Chef Ismael Iglesias, of the chic Kata 4 oyster and pintxos bar, opened Rita in the locals-only neighborhood of Egia. Here you’ll find many typical pintxo bar offerings — charcuterie platters, fried calamari — but always with an upmarket presentation and top-quality produce. The focus is, however, on the menu’s full-size dishes, like salmorejo with basil ice cream or mackerel with paella socarrat and curry flan. Rita’s midday prix fixe, priced at 25 euros and also available in half-portions, is a price-conscious way to sample the menu.