Nighttime brings out cheeky chic at Arzak, in a residential part of town. The highly stylized modern gray dining room is staffed entirely by women, the atmosphere veers toward fantastic dinner party, and the dishes are intricately executed: The Lowtide Monkfish, for instance, looks like a diorama of a shell-strewn beach. Don’t arrive before 9 p.m., and by all means linger: Juan Mari Arzak, the godfather of New Basque cuisine, and his daughter Elena like to come out of the kitchen to say hello (Alto de Miracruz 21; 943-278465; entrées from $75).

One of the world's great culinary meccas, award-winning Arzak embodies the prestige, novelty, and science-driven creativity of the Basque culinary zeitgeist. The restaurant and its high-tech food lab—both helmed by founder Juan Mari Arzak's daughter Elena these days—are situated in the family's 19th-century home on the outskirts of San Sebastián. The ever-changing dishes (€250 for four courses or €280 for the tasting menu) are downright thrilling for their eye-popping presentations, unexpected flavor combinations, and rare ingredients.

Located just outside the city centre; the reputation of Arzak thrives under its head chef Juan Mari Arzak and his perfection of the Basque cuisine, with his innovations adapting traditional dishes to modern tastes. Arzak has broadened its culinary features in the last decade, seeking to remain true to Spanish cuisine at the heart of its dishes, while incorporating new tasty flavors. Arzak excels through the mouthwatering variety of flavors with an aroma library consisting of 1500 different spices.

The group of chefs that put Basque cuisine on the map in the 1970s (Arzak, Subijana, and more) were actually responsible for the rise of haute cuisine in Spain, which culminated in the famed El Bullí and shaped the country into the culinary powerhouse it is today.

The two grand old men of the scene are Juan Mari Arzak at Arzak (Avda. Alcalde Jose Elosegui 273; tel. 34/943/28-55-93; www.arzak.es), an elegantly modern renovation of his family's century-old tavern, and Pedro Subijana at Akelare (Paseo del Padre Orkolaga 56; tel. 34/943/21-20-52; www.akelarre.net), a seaside hexagonal villa on the western edge of San Sebastián. Arzak pays tribute to Basque tradition, but his willingness to experiment, with techniques like quick-freezing ingredients in liquid nitrogen or vaporizing liquids into a powder, inspired his protégé Ferran Adrià of El Bulli fame ; Arzak set up his own food "laboratory" to explore new techniques long before Adrià did. While the ingredients on Arzak's menu may be familiar -- oysters, foie gras, crayfish, squid, pheasant -- what Arzak (and now his daughter Elena) does with them continues to amaze diners.

Foodies interest in all things Spanish began with the rise of Spanish culinary geniuses like Ferran Adria of El Bulli Foundation, the Roca brothers and Juan Mari and Elena Arzak. It is these talented Spanish chefs’ abilities to modernize and some say revolutionize the way we approach food and dining, by taking the science of food as seriously as its flavors, that have attracted the attention of both food lovers and professionals worldwide. Some call this new food movement ‘molecular gastronomy’, others refer to it as modernist cuisine, both are just labels to capture a new culinary approach inspired by top Spanish chefs.

Elena Arzak, often lauded as ‘the world’ best female chef’, is a welcome exception. Elena and her father Juan Mari Arzak (one of the big beasts of New Basque cuisine) are responsible for Arzak, the triple-Michelin-star restaurant that has been in their family for 118 years and a standard feature of gourmet ‘must-try’ shortlists. It is set in central San Sebastián (across the river from Smith hotel Astoria 7), home to more Michelin stars per square metre than any other city in the world – possibly related to the fact it sits at the geographical and culinary meeting point of France and Spain.

Elena, the chef, upon hearing why we were visiting, invited us to come back and take a tour of the restaurant, cellar, and kitchens the next morning. When they took us into the test kitchen, it was so incredible to see all the different components of the amazing meal we'd just had the night before in-progress. I remember there was a crab course baked inside a bowl that had me thinking, "How did they make this?" Seeing how labor intensive all the dishes were was so cool, but feeling how welcoming and hospitable the people at the restaurant were was even better.

On the other side of the Urumea, Restaurante Arzak (273 Avenida Alcalde Elósegui. +34 943 278465. arzak.es) claims the only way to explain the avant-garde Basque menu of chef Juan Mari Arzak is to experience it. Under his instruction, Arzak's daughter Elena has her own restaurant, Ametsa, in London. Rounding out the trio of triple-starred destination restaurants is the remarkable Martin Berasategui (4 Calle De Loidi. +34 943 366471. martinberasategui.com), a short drive out into the impressive countryside that surrounds the city.

The city of San Sebastian and the province Guipúzcoa are full of excellent places to eat, from small bars serving delicious tapas (or pinxos, tasty tapas served on small pieces of bread) to designer restaurants such as Arzak, offering visitors the very latest in modern cuisine. Casa Valles is the oldest pintxos bar in San Sebastian. Best Dining in San Sebastian - Donostia, Province of Guipuzcoa: See 122,419 Tripadvisor traveller reviews of 877 San Sebastian - Donostia restaurants and search by cuisine, price, location, and more.

An urban city with three beaches, with its endless repertoire of pintxos in bars and restaurants with Michelin Stars such as Arzak, Berasategui, Aduriz and Subijana and its Basque Culinary Centre, to ensure the continuity of cuisine as a pole of innovation in the future. You can also enjoy the fishing port, the San Telmo Museum, the Aquarium, the Naval Museum of the city… Strolling through the Old Town full of interesting monuments, charming shops, bars and restaurants with a great variety of pintxos is a delight for the senses.

There are a great number of quality and famous restaurants in San Sebastian and its environs, including restaurants with Michelin stars, for example, Arzak (San Sebastian), Berasategui (Lasarte), Akelarre (Igeldo district), and Mugaritz (Renteria). San Sebastian is the second city in the world with the largest number of Michelin stars per capita, in this, it is second to the Japanese city of Kyoto only. In addition, two of the ten best restaurants in the world are located in San Sebastian according to ratings from 2013.

Why You Should Go: Father-and-daughter tandem Juan Mari and Elena Arzak are legends in the culinary world, one of the greatest forces responsible for putting San Sebastian (and Spain!) on the culinary tourism map. The tasting menu at their eponymous Arzak is one of the shortest out there– just 7 courses and snacks. And the dishes all embody “vision, message and taste.” Explained Elena, “For me, the most important is the taste– everything we do helps the flavor.” The recipes are developed at the Arzak Lab upstairs.

While it is also proudly Basque, this city restaurant is also very proud of its three Michelin stars, and that requires a level of luxury that holds no interest for a man like Bittor Arginzoniz. The restaurant acquired three stars in 1989 under Juan Mari Arzak, one of the fathers of New Basque Cuisine, but has never been better than it is right now under his remarkable daughter Elena Arzak. And after a flawless meal - from start to finish - I have to wonder why it has no place on the Fifty Best Restaurant list.

In a city with 17 Michelin stars, one for every 10,000 inhabitants, tasting the constellation becomes a high-ranking item on the to-do list. Arzak Restaurant, which holds three of the 17, is the best spot to start a dive into the starred cuisine. Juan Mari Arzak took the restaurant over from his family more than 40 years ago, and quickly morphed it from a run-of-the-mill, if respected, traditional dining spot into a white tablecloth establishment intent on refining and pushing Basque cuisine to its limits.

Considered one of the world’s trailblazers in gastronomy, the Arzak family’s eponymous restaurant in San Sebastian has held three Michelin stars since 1989. The Arzak restaurant runs four generations deep (first opened in 1897) with father-and-daughter duo Juan Mari and Elena Arzak continuing their legacy of combining Basque ingredients and avant-garde execution. The restaurant features an in-house “lab” for cooking experimentation and an enormous “wine cave” stocked with more than 100,000 bottles.

While San Sebastián may be the more famous city in the region as it was where Spanish royalty and nobility vacationed and where most of the famed Basque chefs such as Arzak are based, Bilbao is the arts and culture hub of a formally industrial city built on the iron industry that boomed during the 19th and early 20th centuries. I’m here to spill the beans on why this lesser-known, but cultural, powerhouse deserves your attention. Grab a txikito, pour some white wine and goazen!

There’s a trio of Three-Star Michelin options – Arzak, Martin Berasategui and Akelarre. The latter, Pedro Subijana’s renowned restaurant, offers a sublime experience, from embossed goat’s butter to squid ink-infused octopus, grilled Iberian pork and a deconstructed gin and tonic dessert. It’s expensive, for sure, but not compared to many other Three-Starred establishments around the world, and it overlooks the Bay of Biscay despite being just a short taxi ride from the centre.

This iconic 3 Michelin starred Basque restaurant has been in the Arzak family for generations, but it was charismatic Juan Mari who revived the menu and set the standards for Basque fine dining for which he was awarded the Universal Basque award for "adapting gastronomy, one of the most important traditions of the Basque Country, to the new times and making of it one of the most innovative of the world". The venerable chef now co-runs the restaurant with his daughter Elena.

What started as a humble wine shop and bar back in 1897 is now one of the most iconic Michelin restaurants in San Sebastian. With four generations of culinary expertise under its belt, Arzak‘s revolutionary blend of tradition and innovation have earned it a whopping three stars—the highest ranking there is. Their market-fresh cuisine retains a traditional Basque spirit while incorporating avant-garde methods to create dishes you won’t find anywhere else.

There’s no better place to start our exploration of San Sebastián than at Arzak, visited three times by Tony in all three episodes filmed there. It’s here that on his first trip, he meets chef Juan Mari Arzak and his daughter (and chef de cuisine) Elena. This was a significant meeting in Bourdain’s life: he and Arzak remained close throughout the years, and had a deeply moving conversation during Tony’s return trip 15 years later at the same table.

When it comes to fancy multi-course meals, you won’t find a better option in San Sebastián than Arzak. This restaurant is where the Basque cooking movement of the ‘70s, nueva cocina vasca, started, which basically makes it the hub of fine dining in Spain. The meal will cost you around €300, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so sit back, pick something from the 100,000-bottle wine cellar, and enjoy your foie cromlech and the marbled egg.

Regarding good eating, the club includes –as expected– the three great culinary temples that guard the three Michelin Stars: Arzak, Akelarre, and Martín Berasategui. Arzak has boasted three stars since 1989 and that is no surprise: their cuisine is alchemy, with new organoleptic variations being researched, created, and developed in their kitchen. Their vast array of flavors is based on the thousand ingredients with which they work permanently.

The history of the Arzak restaurant in San Sebastián dates back to 1897, when Juan Mari Arzak's grandparents opened a tavern on the site where the restaurant stands today. Initially, this tavern was a simple establishment where local food and wine were served. Over time, it was transformed into a full-fledged restaurant under the management of Juan Mari's parents, particularly his mother, who was renowned for her traditional Basque cooking.

If your wallet can stretch to a Michelin-starred meal, then one of the most famous and revered restaurants is Arzak. Awarded three Michelin Stars, it offers a fusion of cutting-edge culinary techniques and Basque gastronomy, created by Juan Mari Arzak and his daughter Elena Arzak in their research lab. A classic item on the menu is capa de bogavante, a lobster salad wrapped in a thin carrot slice and garnished with wildflowers.

With a 18 total Michelin stars here in the city, it's safe to say that San Sebastián, objectively speaking, truly is home to some of the best food in the world. Three of those stars belong to Arzak, which began as a humble wine shop in the late 19th century and now regularly appears on lists of the best restaurants in the world. Arzak's cuisine has traditional Basque roots, but takes a modern, avant-garde spin.

The first Michelin guide to Spain appeared in 1973, but it was 1989 before the ultimate reward of three Michelin stars was bestowed on a Spanish restaurant – Arzak in San Sebastian. Two more establishments joined this elite club in the 1990s, both now closed: El Raco de Can Fabes and El Bulli. Yet no less than eight more restaurants have been granted three Michelin stars in Spain in the years since 2001.

There are different reasons that I do not want to go into detail that I had been disenchanted with Arzak (under Elena—although we want to give it another try after having heard positive reviews), Berasategui and Akelarre. We figured that we could have 5 meals maximum and wanted to repeat the old favorite Zuberoa. We were also interested in the 2 rising stars: Fagollaga and Mugaritz.

Its chef and founder, Juan Mari Arzak, holds the world record of maintaining 3 Michelin Stars since 1989 (and was a good friend of the beloved Anthony Bourdain). He describes his cooking as “signature cuisine, Basque cuisine that’s evolutionary, investigatory, and avant-garde.” Today, Juan Mari Arzak and his daughter, Elena, cook together with knowledge and passion.

If dinner hadn’t been at the three-Michelin-starred Arzak, I probably would have gone to bed without even showering. But the father-daughter team of Juan Mari and Elena Arzak are royalty in these parts, and you don’t stand up royalty. In the 1970s, Juan Mari helped define the New Basque cooking, a movement that paved the way for places like the legendary El Bulli.

Arzak, the restaurant that began the trend of new Basque cuisine, has lost some of its sheen, dropping gradually to Number 94 on the global list and now off the list. The restaurant’s fame began under Juan Mari Arzak and continues today under his daughter, Elena Arzak. Juan Mari was responsible for the culinary revolution in the Basque Country begun in the 1970s.

Alcalde Elósegui 273 20015 Donostia, Gipuzkoa, Spain (+34) 943-278-465 / (+34) 943-285-593. Bourdain ate: Marinated prawns on lemongrass and mint with beetroot and crunchy krill, roast pigeon with mastic and potato, grilled hake jowls served in a bamboo leaf, grilled monkfish with pecan paste, squid with walnut-ginger paste, psyllium sauce with black tomato

It is a paradise for food,” says chef Elena Arzak, who runs the lauded Arzak with her father and creator of Nueva Cocina Vasca (New Basque cuisine), chef Juan Mari Arzak. “It’s very mixed between the local people who adore food and food lovers from all over the world,” Elena says. “There has been generated, in this area, a gastronomic tourism.

San Sebastián boasts numerous Michelin-starred restaurants, including the world-renowned Arzak and Akelarre. However, the true heart of Basque cuisine can be found in the city’s pintxos bars. These small, flavorful snacks are a staple of the local culture, and hopping from bar to bar in the Parte Vieja to sample them is a must-do activity.

Akelarre was closed this week, but I revisited Arzak and Martin Bersatagui, with unexpected results. On my last visit here I very much enjoyed Arzak but was unimpressed by Martin Bersatagui, but on this trip Martin Bersatagui delivered a much-improved meal, whereas Arzak had a distinctly off night compared to my two prior experiences here.

The story of Arzak dates back to 1897, when the grandparents of Juan Mari Arzak built the house that is now the restaurant. His mother then turned it into an eatery serving stews and traditional Basque food. In 1966, Juan Mari Arzak took over the family business connecting his own recipes of traditional Basque dishes with a gourmet twist.

There are plenty of other gastro notables in the area too, including the Michelin three-star winners like Akelarre, Arzak, Martín Berasategui, and two-starred Mugaritz. There are also plenty of one-star places, including Alameda, Amelia, Elkano, Eme Be Garrote, Kokotxa, Mirador de Ulia, and Zuberoa. Check this local blog for more ideas.

One of the finest restaurants in San Sebastian is undoubtedly Restaurant Arzak, and if your budget allows, then it is crucial to try it at least once. Chef Arzak and his daughter are masters at the best Nueva Cocina Vasca. Quickly scoring 3 Michelin stars, Arzak can be pretty exclusive, though, and you will need to make a reservation.

San Sebastian offers an excellent concentration of Michelin-starred restaurants, including the famous Arzak, Martín Berasategui, Akelarre, Mugariz, Kokotxa, El Mirador de Ulía, Zuberoa, Alameda, Amelia and MB Garrote. Logically, it's not suitable for all pockets, but if your passion is gastronomy, you should book a day to go to them.

One of our very top pintxos bars in Donostia. Small and family run. Specializes in tartaletas, which are mostly comprised of shellfish mousse. Must also try Brick de Bacalao, fried bacalao wrapped in fried caramelized onion bow with drizzle of reduced vinegar. It's a favorite stop for the Arzak family." —Miller and Yarza of Donostia

The legendary 3-Michelin-star restaurant of Arzak is one of the best restaurants in the city in its own right and a manifestation of the family’s history. The restaurant has known how to adapt and innovate, while staying true to its culinary heritage. Its extensive offering includes multiple tasting menus and an à la carte menu.

Chef Juan Mari Arzak and his daughter Elena run the show at Arzak. Juan Mari took over a tavern that belonged to his grandparents and transformed it into one of the best restaurants in San Sebastián. It seems that the passion for food runs in the family with his daughter earning the title of the World's Best Female Chef in 2012.

This restaurant's story began with Juan Mari Arzak's grandparents who built the house in 1897, originally as a wine cellar and tavern. Paquita Arratibel, Juan Mari's mother, turned it into a restaurant serving traditional Basque and Donostian dishes. She was his mentor and taught him everything about traditional Basque cuisine.

Elegant, family-run restaurant from 1897 and Michelin-starred since 1974!. A culinary mecca located in a century-old family mansion with a father-daughter team behind the wheel. Together, Juan Mari Arzak and his daughter Elena have succeeded in expertly fusing surprising gasto innovations with traditional Basque cuisine.

With his big mustache and a bigger smile, Subijana is a person that boasts optimism. Born in 1948 in San Sebastian, he opened Akelarre in 1975after having worked at some top restaurants like the famous Zalacain in Madrid and having been an active participant in the new basque cuisine movement led by Juan Mari Arzak.

One of the world’s most famous restaurants, home to one of the best known chefs on an international level. You may find it difficult to get a table at this multiple award-winning restaurant, so make sure to book well in advance. Step inside the chef’s own house to discover a welcoming, contemporary dining space.

Of Spain’s nine restaurants with three Michelin stars, three are located in San Sebastián and the surrounding area: Arzak, Akelarre, and Martín Berasategui. Check out the other Michelin-starred restaurants in the area: Mugaritz and Amelia, with two stars, and Kokotxa, Alameda, and Elkano, with one each.

We visited A Fuego Negro Bar, recommendation of Elena Arzak, the daughter of the famous Juan Mari Arzak, who took Basque cuisine to the world. Their pintxos were tasty, but, unfortunately, the space was more like a nightclub in the early hours of the morning, when it was filled with the smell of alcohol.

Juan Mari Arzak and his daughter Elena are living proof of the way Basque cooking has evolved over the last five decades. Their restaurant has been the base for 4 generations of chefs and continues to transform the traditional Basque repertoire into a compendium of essences that is recognised worldwide.

Also not pintxos, I decided on a special treat: We’d go to Arzak for lunch. This region has a very high concentration of Michelin-starred restaurants, and while I don’t eat at fancy Michelin-starred places much—it’s not my thing, Arzak is a special place. Led by Elena Arzak, you’ll be warmly welcomed.

Three establishments alone (Arzak, Akelarre and Martin Berasategui) share nine between them. A notch down from the top, but no less celebrated, is Rekondo, which boasts the best wine cellar in Spain. There are more than 100,000 bottles of wine on site and the wine list runs to a staggering 300 pages.

This famous restaurant is an addition to the list of numerous Michelin star restaurants in San Sebastian, Spain. It lies in a large house which dates back in 1897. Juan Mari Arzak took over the family business with the help of his mother who showed and taught him how to cook Baque food.

On the other side of the city, near the Intxaurrondo neighbourhood, Juan Mari Arzak is the fourth generation since 1897 to be in charge of the Arzak restaurant. A creative and avant-garde signature cuisine with which to experience the Basque essence through totally disruptive dishes.

Arzak has been featured in the Michelin Guide since 1974 and is thus an institution in San Sebastián. The restaurant is run by Juan Mari Arzak and his daughter Elena. Together, they deliver innovative Basque dishes in a modern style that has earned them three Michelin stars.

In the heart of San Sebastián, Arzak restaurant redefines haute cuisine with its innovative and creative approach. Led by renowned chef Juan Mari Arzak, this three-Michelin-star establishment offers a dining experience that defies expectations and leaves diners in awe.

Instead of going for a fine dining experience (with Arzak, Mugaritz,Martin Berasategui and Akelarre being the most prominent options), I opted for txikiteo, i.e. going bar hopping for pintxos and a glass of txakoli, a slightly sparkling Basque white wine, in each.

who: Juan Mari and Elena Arzakwhat: Basquewhy i like it: It's a classic. You get the family vibe upon entering, and to frank, the dishes are just delicious. Perhaps a bit over the top, a bit too playful at times, but they bring a strong game.

In the first place, it was a wine cellar and tavern, but later Juan Mari Arzak’s parents turned it into a food house of some relevance and refinement, where their stews and basic elaborations of the Basque and Donostiarran recipes stand out.

San Sebastian’s world-famous three-Michelin-star restaurant (since 1989!), run by Juan Mari Arzak and his daughter Elena Arzak, who won the prize for the world’s best female chef in 2012. There cellar holds some 100,000 bottles of wine.

For a lab-tested tasting menu with as much panache as Picasso, reserve well in advance for world-renowned Arzak, or consider Akellare (with boutique hotel attached), Mugaritz or Martin Berasategui. All are silk tie and sequin worthy.

At €125 including tax and service, the tasting menu was about half the price of the those offered at the best restaurants in New York, and considerably less than a meal at other top restaurants nearby, like Mugaritz or Arzak.

A father and daughter duo taking Basque cuisine to a whole new level… Credit: Arzak. Father and daughter Juan Mari and Elena set a worldwide standard. The inventive cooking and three Michelin stars speak for themselves.

One of the founding fathers of the culinary revolution, Chef Juan Mari Arzak (who started cooking in the 1960s), still keeps this focus – running the Michelin-starred Restaurant Arzak alongside his daughter, Helena.

Overview: Arzak, established in 1897, is a pioneering restaurant led by renowned chef Juan Mari Arzak and his daughter, Elena. The restaurant blends traditional Basque cuisine with contemporary cooking techniques.

In Parts Unknown San Sebastian, Anthony Bourdain went on a txikiteo (Basque term for bar crawl) with Juan Mari Arzak, Elena (Juan Mari Arzak’s daughter) and Gabriella Rinelli. Their first stop was at Tamboril.

Arzak, a three Michelin Star, is one of the most renown restaurants in San Sebastian. Not only offers one of the best gourmet experiences in town, but it is also featured on the World 50 Best Restaurant list.

Arzak, Akelarre and Martin Berasategui charge between €210 and €260 + booze (with IVA at 10% added on top on everything I believe) per head for their tasting menus and then you have the tip.

Akelarre, Arzak, and Martín Berasategui have secured their place in the upper echelons of the gastronomic world, an honour that few establishments can claim.

Attached to its roots and with a constantly evolving creative spirit. It is signature cuisine. Every dish that comes out of Arzak's kitchen bears his stamp.

Arzak is the most famous of the three Michelin starred restaurants on offer. But you’d be hard pressed to choose between them, Akelarre or Kokotxa.

Situated on the top of a fill in San Sebastian, the family-owned restaurant has been at the forefront of innovation for over 100 years.

Arzak – Run by Juan Mari Arzak and his daughter Elena, Arzak is a household name in the city and has been awarded 3 stars since 1989.

Arzak – one of San Seb’s most iconic Basque restaurants – demands a spicy $269 for food, before any drinks. Tap water for me please.

Arzak – with 3 michelin stars, this is one of the top restaurants in the world and thankfully they can cater for coeliacs!