Bodegón Alejandro

"This is a bit like a dungeon, but in a good and glowing way. Its proximity to Mercado de la Bretxa made it the bolthole of choice for traders, a place to tuck in to cheap fish and txakoli (sparkling dry white wine), pork and cider after work. Now very much upgraded, chef Inaxio Valverde still makes good use of the market’s fresh, local and seasonal produce. A menu weighted towards fish in summer – cold, marinated anchovy lasagne with gazpacho cream (€15.50), grilled hake in citrus vinaigrette (€21) – leans towards game through winter. The apple pie with rosemary trifle and lemon thyme ice-cream (€8.50) is a permanent fixture, along with the selection of local cheeses: Bidearte, Txapalak, Pikuñeta and Urdina (€11.50). Two main dining areas are dominated by an enormous luminous inky painting of the San Sebastián coast, the gleaming wooden tables are engraved with maps and quotes, and the lighting is conducive to a boozy lunch. The parents of multi-Michelin-star chef Martín Berasategui once ran this restaurant, and it was here, at the tender age of 13, that he started learning his trade."

— The Guardian article