Eating at…Akelaŕe

So about a year ago, I posted that I would “fly back to San Sebastián just to eat at Akelaŕe“. Well, I didn’t fly…but during the last leg of our Provence, Pyrenees and Pays-Basque trip, we stayed in Saint Jean De Luz, which is a mere 30 kilometers and 30 minute drive from this foodie town. So return to San Sebastián for Akelaŕe is exactly what I did.

Having dined at Akelaŕe twice now, I can honestly say that the food truly is amazing, the service is impeccable and the view of the Bay of Biscay while you indulge in eight courses can’t be beat. And it’s a nice touch when friendly, handlebar-mustachioed chef Pedro Subijana comes out and chats with each table (we might’ve hogged his attention for a bit.) However, if I make it back to San Sebastián for a third time, I think it’ll be time for me to try the other buzzed-about Michelin restaurant Arzak. That’s not to say that Akelaŕe’s food wasn’t as good as our first dining experience – but instead of saying “Wow” repeatedly after each dish like I did last year, this time I kept saying things like “Oh, I think I had this pasta dish last year. Remember our waiter who kind of looked like a better-looking Fabio last year? I remember this vegetable sea garden starter!”, and so on and so on. And honestly, when San Sebastián has more Michelin stars per square meter in the world (that’s 16, folks), then it’s probably a good idea to see what else is out there. But if you’ve never eaten at Akelaŕe, go!! You absolutely will not regret it, it’ll probably be one of your most memorable dining experiences, and honestly, you just can’t go to San Sebastián without ever having tried this restaurant. I highly recommend it.

Since I only posted one photo from Akelaŕe last year, here are a whole lot more. So I apologize for the following food porn…and to Rio for taking photos of every dish before letting him eat it.

 

Akelaré
Pasao Padre Orcoloaga, 56
20008 San Sebastián
Tél: 34-943-311-209
**Three prix fixe menus at 155 euros each. I had the Anorani menu (with some pescatarian adjustments) and Rio had the Bekarki menu.

San Sebastián Vacation: Day 2

We started off the morning by walking from the hotel, past Playa de Ondaretta to Comb of the Winds (Peine del Viento or Peine de los Vientos). Since it was pretty hot and it was already 11:58am, we naturally thought a nice ice cold beer was needed during our stroll.
Peine del Viento is a modern iron sculpture by Eduardo Chillida that’s embedded in the rocks at the water’s edge. It’s just west of town and has nice views of the city and the surrounding coastline. I definitely think it’s worth checking out if you’re in town.

After that, we walked to Monte Igueldo, which we had passed on the way to Peine del Viento, and took the funicular up. The funicular is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday to Sunday from 10am to 10pm and is only a few euros. Monte Igueldo has a nice view of the city, plus Monte Urgull, which we had walked up the day before. The two are must-visits.

On top of Monte Igueldo is also a cute old-school amusement park.

After all that walking and picture-taking, we were pooped and had lunch by Playa de la Concha. It was nice to just sit and relax. Then we headed back to the hotel to change and went to the beach – Playa de la Concha is literally two blocks away from our hotel Tryp Orly, which was nice. Boy was I surprised to see all the topless women and nude men on the beach! It did inspire me to try out the topless thing for a hot minute, but that’s about as much courage I had.

We ended the night with the most amazing meal at 3-star Michelin restaurant Akelaré. It was seriously the best meal I’ve ever had in my life. 8 courses for around 140 euros (a steal compared to other Michelin restaurants in Paris and NYC!) – and they even accommodated my vegetarian request. I would fly back to San Sebastián just to eat here. The handlebar-mustachioed chef also came out and chatted with each table, which was nice. Not to mention, the waiter was pretty hot. I asked Rio if it would be appropriate to ask him if he was on the tasting menu too – hahaha.

Akelaré
Pasao Padre Orcoloaga, 56
20008 San Sebastián
34-943-311-209