Boutique hotels
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Astoria7 Hotel
- Style
- Film-star fabulous
- Setting
- Foodie-friendly San Sebastián
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Arguibel
- Style
- Daring design kaleidoscope
- Setting
- Coastal Basque hillside
Basque Country Eating, drinking and dancing
Restaurants
(+33 (0)5 59 26 80 76)
Chez Maya
Unchanged for decades, the family-run, antique-dotted eatery is as authentic as they come, serving rustic Basque specialities such as stuffed peppers in tomato sauce to a largely local clientele.
2 Rue Saint Jacques, 64500 St Jean de Luz, France
(+34 (0)94 364 2701)
Gran Sol Bar and Restaurant
This restaurant in Hondarribia’s old marina district specialises in innovative pintxos, and has garnered awards for its pains. There’s a formal dinging room for equally accomplished, more substantial Basque cuisine.
63–65 San Pedro Kalea, 20280 Hondarribia, Spain
La Ferme Ostalapia
Originally an old inn, the dining room is trad country in style with an enormous fireplace. The gingham-clothed tables on the terrace have mesmerising mountain views. Try the cod à l’espagnol or the veal stew with peppers.
2621 Chemin d'Ostalapia, 64210 Ahetze, France
(+33 (0)5 59 26 52 12)
Le Madrid
Don’t be fooled by the Spanish name, this Guéthary restaurant serves traditional French dishes such as côte de boeuf with béarnaise sauce and has a spacious terrace on the square.
Avenue du Général De Gaulle, 64210 Guéthary, France
(+33 (0)5 59 54 81 64)
Les Frères Ibarboure
Set in an 18th-century Basque house, this Michelin-starred restaurant in Bidart serves dishes such as lamb sweetbreads and madeira-laced foie gras – opt for the lofty, beam-ceilinged dining room by evening or the sunny terrace for lunch.
Chemin de Ttalienea, 64210 Bidart, France
(+33 (0)5 59 23 1312)
Philippe Restaurant
Run by flamboyant Ducasse-trained chef Phillipe LaForgue, this bold designer eaterie serves ingenious nouvelle Basque dishes and falls just on the right side of pretentiousness for us. The artworks on the walls are all for sale, too.
30 Avenue du Lac Marion, 64200 Biarritz, France
(+33 (0)5 59 54 92 89)
Restaurant La Cucaracha
Join the locals in enjoying prime beef cuts and super-fresh sea bream in the brightly painted seaside restaurant, decked with guitars, old photos and rustic murals.
Rue de l’Uhabia, 64210 Bidart, France
(+34 (0)94 415 7067)
Victor Montes
An essential stop on Bilbao’s daily txikiteo, this landmark bar-cum-restaurant-cum-deli not only serves a startling array of pintxos, but knows its way around grilled and roast meat, too. The wine cellar is stacked with a century-worth of Rioja vintages.
8 Plaza Nueva, 48005 Bilbao, Spain
(+33 (0)5 59 08 0123)
Zoko Moko
Set in an enchanting old building on the harbourside, Zoko Moko offers Michelin-starred Basque dining in minimalist surroundings. The three-course set lunch menu for €24 is a daily temptation.
6 Rue Mazarin, 64500 St Jean de Luz , France
(+34 (0)94 423 6396)
Zortziko
Pick a dining room – modern or classic are your two choices – then make a beeline for the tasting menu at this Michelin-starred Bilbao institution. Salt cod ice-cream may sound a hundred kinds of wrong, but, by Heston, does it work.
17 Calle Alameda de Mazarredo, 48001 Bilbao, Spain
Bars
(+33 (0)5 59 24 88 98)
Café Arena
Decorated in gleaming white and lit with upmarket-club-trademark purple, Biarritz’s hottest bar sits on a sprawling terrace overlooking a pretty cove. Open for meals, too.
Rue du Port Vieux, 64200 Biarritz, France
(+34 (0)94 410 4951)
Cotton Club
Black, red and sultry all over, this celebrated Bilbao nightspot only fits 100 people (and that’s at a squeeze), but it’s worth a visit for the staggering selection of whiskies behind the bar.
25 Calle Gregorio de la Revilla, 48010 Bilbao, Spain
(+33 (0)5 59 85 16 63)
Le Bar Basque
This ’20s-style hangout was once a haunt of Hemingway and the arty crowd. Linger over beers, try its famous Macca’b cocktail (with a ferociously guarded secret recipe), and listen to occasional live music, too.
22 Boulevard Thiers, 64500 St Jean de Luz, France
Les 100 Marches
A little bar in the middle of a grassy lawn high on the clifftop, overlooking the sea. Grab a drink and a patch of grass for the best sunset-viewing spot in town. Closed in winter.
Square Jean Baptiste Lassale, 64200 Biarritz, France
Cafés
(+ 33 (0)5 59 26 59 16)
Cenitz Ostatua
Bag a deckchair on the grass at fishing net- and buoy-draped beach café and let the lapping waves serenade your aperitifs. There’s also a small restaurant here, serving Basque speciality garlic-roasted squid (chipirons) but you’ll need to book one of their picnic-style tables.
Plage de Cenitz, 64210 Guéthary, France
