Casa Urola

As head of a centre for gastronomic excellence in a city with Europe’s highest concentration of Michelin stars per capita, deciding where to take dinner guests is not a decision to take lightly. The Basque Culinary Center’s Joxe Mari Aizega often comes to this restaurant and pintxos bar, indistinguishable in its old-fashioned looks from others in Parte Vieja, but serving exceptional food. Its chef, Pablo Loureiro, is blessed with the confidence to simply unleash the deliciousness of fish like wild turbot and serve the whole thing buttery soft on a plate to be picked apart, shared and marvelled over.

Don't be put off by the outdated decor of this Parte Vieja icon—the kitchen at Casa Urola is easily one of the city's most adroit, whether you post up at the informal bar or sit down to a multicourse meal. In the dining room, savor appetizers made with hard-to-find regional vegetables like cardoon, borage, and caviar-like de lágrima peas before moving onto entrées like seared squab, presented with a pâté of its own liver, and roasted hake loin, served with white wine and clams. Save room for the signature torrija, custardy fried bread crisped in brown butter and dusted with cinnamon sugar.

Even though Basque Country has some of Spain’s most delicious vegetables, it can be surprisingly difficult to find them prepared simply when out to eat. Casa Urola manages to balance incredible grilled seafood and meat with the most exceptional vegetable dishes in the city. You’ll eat things like confit ruby-red piquillos, grilled white asparagus, and baby teardrop peas that crunch like caviar.

Just down the street from Bar Sport is another must-visit eating institution. Since 1956, family-owned Casa Urola has been the superlative spot for hyper-seasonal snacks. There’s a sit-down dining room upstairs (be sure to make reservations well in advance) and a ground-floor informal pintxos bar.

The line caught squid, served with a white bean cream and tomato-basil tartar, is featured at Casa Urola.Credit Daniel Rodrigues for The New York Times

€€€ · Traditional Cuisine

For another fine dining option (which basically sounds like almost everywhere that isn’t a pintxos bar in San Sebastián based on Tony’s visits), Bourdain heads to Casa Urola. Here he has an incredible multi-course meal of seared mushrooms with egg yolk and pine nuts, grilled tuna with Marmitako sauce, peas in a consomme of Iberico ham, and fish with white bean cream. It’s further evidence in the thesis he makes that San Sebastián might be the best food destination in the world.

Like Ganbara and Borda Berri, Casa Urola is a stalwart of San Sebastián food tours, and we saw loads of groups during our evening there. With a decor that looks like a living room on Desperate Housewives, it does not look anything like what I’d expect from a cutting-edge pintxos bar, but everything we tried was glorious. It is one of the few places with proper tables and chairs in the bar (there is also a dining room upstairs offering similar food at a huge mark-up).

A walk through La Bretxa market’s row of fishmongers is a parade of whole fish with the shiniest scales and glistening eyes, tanks of live lobsters and shrimp, and shells large and small. My favorite dish incorporating these fresher-than-fresh shellfish comes from Casa Urola, a block from the market. I’m talking about the vieira asada (grilled scallop), which gets a kiss of flame and comes atop a cool and creamy ajoblanco, Spain’s ancient silky almond-bread soup.

Casa Urola, a culinary gem in the heart of San Sebastián’s Old Town, has been delighting patrons since its establishment in 1956. Under the guidance of Chef Pablo Loureiro, the restaurant has experienced a renaissance, blending traditional Basque cooking with modern sensibilities. Chef Loureiro, known for his deep respect for local ingredients and seasonal produce, crafts dishes that are both rooted in tradition and innovative in execution.

If you’ve got younger ones in tow but don’t want to spend your holiday eating chips and ice cream, make a beeline for Casa Urola. This handsome two-storey pintxo bar does a wonderful line in confidently cooked, unfussy, reliably delicious food: local line-caught squid, served in a variety of ways, is a speciality, as is hake loin and cheek. The desserts are spectacular too, with caramelised bread pudding bound to please all ages.

Historic bar-restaurant located in the old part of Donostiarra, founded in 1956 and run since the summer of 2012 by chef Pablo Loureiro Rodil, who in 2019 received the Euskadi Gastronomy Award for "best restaurateur" by the Basque Academy of Gastronomy . They prepare a "renovated" traditional cuisine in which the nobility of the product is enhanced with the aromas and flavors of the charcoal grill , the house's hallmark.

At Casa Urola, the bar serves pintxos under jamon legs that hang from the ceiling. Large cubes of cooked tuna are topped with a salted anchovy, jalapeno and an olive, held together with a toothpick and doused in olive oil. Slabs of cured salmon sit on golden crostini; sticky grilled octopus, charred and unctuous, comes in a potato soup with crisp roasted Iberian pork jowl, sauteed cabbage and smoky paprika oil.

Casa Urola is one of those restaurants that has been around for a long time, since 1956 to be exact. However, in 2012 it was updated and handed over to the capable hands of Pablo Loureiro, a local chef who has trained in many of the city's top kitchens, from Rodil to Branka. What sets Loureiro and Urola apart, however, is an absolute and unwavering commitment to local, seasonal products of highest quality.

On our website we have already told you about the Urola Restaurant, but in addition, in its lower part, the one that overlooks the street, it also has a bar where you can taste its extraordinary cuisine. In its menu of pintxos we can find a wide variety of options although this varies depending on the season in which we are. The fresh tuna burger or the potato and pine nuts foam are finger-licking good.

Casa Urola is San Sebastian’s seafood HQ, and its specialty is anything and everything grilled with charcoal. Choose your vibe: an elegant bar or a formal dining room area upstairs (in case you wish to have a rest from all the pintxo-eating-while-standing-up experience). Their 2019 award-winning scallops with white garlic, nuts, and fried seaweed is a must, especially when paired with a local txakoli.

Casa Urola where I had the scallop and foie gras pintxos (while girls played video gams unber the bar!). They serve pintxo downstairs and have a seated restaurant as well, which can be booked. Closed Tuesday and Wednesday / Casa Urola Jatetxea – Restaurante Casa Urola Jatetxea / Fermin Calbeton 20, 20003, Donostia – San Sebastian (Old Town) / +34 943 44 13 71

Casa Urola has been serving pintxos in San Sebastian since it first opened its doors in 1956. Located in one of the old quarter’s bustling streets, Casa Urola features a lively pintxos bar on the main floor and dining room above. I ordered the chef’s two most popular pintxos: Mushroom Idiazabal Tart and Beef Steak with Red Peppers and Potato Foam for 8 EUR.

One of Anthony Bourdain´s favorite bars in the city, this bar-restaurant located in the Old Town, serves traditional Basque food cooked always with local and seasonal products with a innovative twist. From their best seller grilled scallop with pine-nuts and white garlic praliné to a simple tomato salad, the good quality and excellent taste is guaranteed.

Savour the deliciousness of a charming 1956 restaurant, offering delightful vegetarian options including a home-made mushroom tart. Join them for lunch Thu-Sat, 12:00 pm-3:15 pm, and for dinner Thu-Mon, 7:00 pm-11:15 pm. Experience a delightful ambience while indulging in exquisite local cuisine within the Old Quarter of Donostia-San Sebastian.

Casa Urola (Fermin Calbeton Kalea, 20) Wi-Fi Ramping up the quality a little, Casa Urola is another popular place (although not as popular as some on the tourist trail). I had their ‘Espárragos Frescos con Mahonesa’ (white asparagus with mayo) & their excellent ‘Cazuelita de Ajoarriero’ (‘Mule driver’s casserole’ made with cod & garlic).

Casa Urola manages to balance incredible grilled seafood and meat with the best vegetable dishes in the city. You’ll eat things like confit ruby-red piquillos, grilled white asparagus (when in season), and baby teardrop peas that crunch like caviar. The whole place is a family affair, as the restaurant is owned by a husband and wife duo.

I was just about to give up hope and was feeling quite sad about our prospects when Alejandro's searching skills came up with Casa Urola. A quick search on my part (I had to double check his skills!) came up with a nice website, good reviews, and moderate prices (for a T-Bone steak in San Sebastian!). We booked right away.

In addition to having a great selection of pintxos, Casa Urola also has a menu with larger dishes. Oysters are particularly popular here, along with other seafood such as oily, cured fish that go perfectly with a glass of txakoli. Address: Fermin Calbeton Kalea, 20, 20003 Donostia, Gipuzkoa, Spain ( map)

Recently listed by the London Guardian as one of the 10 Best Restaurants in San Sebastián, Casa Urola may well be on its way to a Michelin star as well. This landmark restaurant, located in the Old Town, was first opened in 1956. The current chef, Pablo Loureiro, is the grandson of the original founder.

Casa Urola is another fantastic pintxos bar/restaurant with some killer a la minute tapas. They do a fantastic job at serving traditional gastronomic dishes into a smaller, pintxos format. On the bottom floor you’ll find a bar area and above, on the first floor, a proper restaurant with table service.

Chef Pablo Loureiro comes from a family of chefs (his Grandfather was the founder of famous local restaurant “Rodil” and both he and his parents worked there) and after success both at Rodil, and later Branka, he opened his first restaurant, Casa Urola, in 2012.

Fermin Calbeton Kalea, 20, 20003 Donostia | +34 943 44 13 71. Casa Urola, founded in 1956, is a place that uses some of the best local produce and continues to be loved by locals. Situated in the old town, it embraces old recipes and Basque cooking traditions.

This restaurant located in the old part of San Sebastian, founded in 1956 and run by chef Pablo Loureiro Rodil, offers traditional Basque food, based on grilled meats, but also offers a wide selection of hot and cold skewers “Pintxos” that we highly recommend.

An outstanding spot for the exceptional quality of their fish. However, a word of warning: the ground floor is the pintxos/tapas bar, which you should avoid unless you're short on time. The service is poor, and they only serve a portion of the menu's dishes

I did enjoy a lesser known bar called Casa Urola, where I tried a wider range of dishes over two visits, but I barely scratched the surface of the pintxos scene here. You can safely skip Branka, a place with stunning views but mediocre cooking ability.

For fancier pintxos head to Casa Urola and try the pintxo de viera or scallop or the grilled octopus. This bar is known for using high quality and seasonal ingredients. Meaning, that the menu usually changes within the seasons.

These were: Gandarias Jatetxea, Bar Nestor, Casa Urola and Atari Gastroteka. I visited all four steakhouses/pintxos bars within a 48 hour period between Friday and Sunday night, eating over 3kg of steak.

The restaurant is known for its first-class Basque dining experience and authentic atmosphere. Founded in 1956 and run by chef Pablo Loureiro Rodil since 2012. Adress: Fermín Calbetón Kalea, 20

Fermin Calbeton Kalea, 20 20003 Donostia, Gipuzkoa, Spain (+34) 943-44-13-71. Bourdain ate: Seared mushrooms with egg yolk and pine nuts, grilled tuna, peas in a consommé of Iberico ham, squid

Elegant century-old restaurant with a rustic stone interior. Specializes in simply prepared local fish and seafood. Known for dishes like hake kokotxas (hake cheeks).

Casa Urola is in the old town; it produces food of an incredibly high quality. Order the bacalao al pil-pil or bacalao con pimientos fritos here.