Aratz

Thought I had discovered a hidden gem, but it was rather disappointing.We had squid in it’s own ink, that was amazing, but crab stuffed peppers was tasteless rather crab paste than real crab meat being stuffed. With trying basque dish thought on my mind, I didn’t order steak although they look amazing and quite popular. Clams in tomato sauce was very little to eat and sauce was made of some tomato paste and starchy water, same with the haddock, saying it’s with a green sauce but it’s rather just some chopped parsley with slurry, quite a disappointing, service was long and not very attentive, waitress poured each of us a sip of wine and just left our bottle in the ice bucket. We walked all the way from old town to the restaurant, thought would get something different and good.

I am unfortunately unable to leave a positive review for Aratz, despite being very excited to eat here having travelled across the world from Australia. When deciding on dishes to order, our waiter Jorge suggested to substitute our selection of Cod in Piperrada for Tuna in Pipperrada, which was the "fish of the day" which had a better taste. Firstly, the prawns we had ordered as starter were decent and tasted fresh, although still contained some sand after peeling the prawn. Unfortunately, eating the tuna immediately gave both me and my partner itching, swelling, and inflammation in the mouth, tongue, and throat suggestive of Scromboid food poisoning. Both me and my partner are deeply familiar with chili peppers as well as tuna, and this is not at all the typical response to this dish. A few minutes after eating a few bites, we also experienced chills, rapid heartbeat, nausea, and headache, which are further symptoms indicative of Scromboid food poisoning. Our waiter Jorge was gracious to give us a small discount to our meal, but overall prawns, the tuna, bread, and two waters was 60 euros, which is not at all acceptable considering our experience with the meal. Other reviews of the food seem positive, but none mention the tuna. Please keep this in mind if you plan to visit.

Highly recommend. We were thrilled to find an authentic Basque pescado dining experience! Wait staff was especially helpful in selecting special starts, mains, posters, and cafe. Kudos to the chef and staff for making our visit special. ¡Muy Delicioso!

As of my last update in September 2021, Aratz restaurant in San Sebastián, Spain, was a highly regarded culinary establishment known for its exceptional Basque cuisine. However, please keep in mind that the restaurant scene can change over time, and new information may have emerged since then. San Sebastián, a coastal city in the Basque Country, is renowned for its gastronomy, and Aratz was among the many outstanding restaurants in the area. Visitors often praised the restaurant for its innovative dishes, fresh ingredients, and skillful preparation, reflecting the rich culinary traditions of the region. The city's culinary landscape is often celebrated for its pintxos (small snacks), seafood, and Michelin-starred restaurants, making it a popular destination for food enthusiasts from around the world. If you plan to visit Aratz or any other restaurant in San Sebastián, it's always a good idea to check the latest reviews and ratings to ensure you have the best dining experience possible.

This was a fantastic place. We didn’t have reservations but we called and they got us in a table outside just 10 minutes before we arrived. The grilled mushrooms with foie gras was amazing as was the besugo for 2 and the solomillo was super tender. We had great desserts as well. Everything our server recommended - delicious!

A wonderful Basque restaurant near the Antigua neighborhood in San Sebastián. The atmosphere has it all; al fresco, a casual dining room and a separate room for white tablecloths/fine dining. Servers can come off a bit aloof but they’re honestly very nice, efficient and they do have got a lot of ground to cover. For our visit we ordered raciones the truffle asparagus in a vinaigrette, crab stuffed peppers and the squid in its own ink. The raciones are served with bread to dip in the raciones sauce. The asparagus was fantastic. Fat white and tender spears of asparagus served in a vinaigrette with a bit of truffle. The dish was outstanding and I could’ve eaten my weight in it. The stuffed peppers were very good as well. The crab filling had large chunks of crab meat that elevated the flavor of the crab itself yet was also very rich and decadent. The sauce was creamy and had a great red pepper aroma. The peppers themselves were perfectly cooked and the sweetness was a nice contrast to the rich filling and cream. The squid in its own ink was executed very very will. Great experience, would definitely return it

Was not expecting the food to be this good and the personnel so kind and open to suggest dishes. Will definitely come back again!

The lovely lady at the bar is full of welcoming smiles.

how is it that I dont have a place like this near me thats open 7am - Midnight every damn day?!?! More than happy to serve a tourist at 10pm on a tuesday. And I mean I stuck out quite well amongst everyone else because they were all locals. Luckily I speakt Castellano. The Euskera needs some work for sure though... anyways a good sized txuleta with salad and potatoes, dessert, a 75cl of local cider, a sparkling water and an espresso was like 35 euros. what. its like 20dollars for the cider if I got it at home. it had just turned out the night I went all the employees were female but they assured me that was just random. They let me practice my languages skills and taught me some Euskera to top it off...super nice staff for sure. the food was solid and it is something you expect from a popular locals place. the price performance value is just insane. Again why dont I have this near me????

Located in the suburbs this is an authentic Basque Restaurant. Service is brusque and efficient. You won't be making a new best friend in the North American style. Food was excellent both sea food and meat dishes. We went with inexpensive local white wines with 12% alcohol. However their wine list is extensive with some fine wines especially reds. We were a group of seven. I would suggest reservations for four or more as apparently this can be a busy restaurant....we chose a Sunday and it was closed in the afternoon but opened at 8.30. As for ambiance....fairly restrained and quiet on our visit. The Bar patio open all day was lively with locals. We don't speak Basque but Spanish, English & French translation available.