A Day in Hondarribia

During our stay in San Sebastian we visited the charming town of Hondarribia. Hondarribia is a colorful fishing village that is both rich in architecture as well as in gastronomy. It’s a feast for the eyes and also for the stomach. It was a cloudy and gloomy day but we were not going to let the weather spoil our day trip. We started by visiting the well-preserved Old Town with its beautiful and colorful houses. Green, white and red predominate which are the colors of the Basque flag. The font that you can see in the collage below is also typical of the Basque country. The font is inspired by the inscriptions in old basque tombstones and cemeteries. If you look closely you can see it on a few of the houses in these photos.

We stared at the beautiful buildings from under a canopy since it was raining cats and dogs. Oh well, we decided to look on the bright side, we were actually experiencing the north 100% since that's the typical weather. At lunch time we headed to the restaurant where we had made reservations. Are you ready for some mouth-watering pictures? 

After reading great reviews on TripAdvisor we had booked a table at Gastroteka Danontzat. A truly gourmet experience where we felt at home. Danotzat is a basque word that means "for everyone" which is the work philosophy of this restaurant. Gorka, is the friendly man who runs this business. He took the time to explain to us the characteristics and facts behind every dish we had and he does that with every single costumer. We started with sardines and anchovies, two delicacies that melted in our mouths. We kept asking for bread to dip it on the delicious olive oil.

Next we had txangurro spread, another delight. If you read the complete travel guide to San Sebastian you may be familiar with this term. Txangurro is a type of crab that you'll find in every restaurant.

The next one was ox tongue. A dish that is finished on the table with a blowtorch. I know the name may not sound very appealing but the taste reminds you of ham. The best thing to do is not to think about what it is and just enjoy it because it's delicious.

The last dish before dessert was octopus with potatoes and algae. Both my fiancée and I agreed that this was our favorite. Octopus is not the easiest to cook. Some people cook it too hard, others too soft. This one was the best we've ever had (sorry mom). It was crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. How do they cook it? I have no idea. The yummy sauce is also a well kept secret.
All dishes were paired with txakoli, the typical wine of the region.

Dessert was something we had never tried before: sesame ice-cream. Too avant-garde for us. It was really good but I expect ice-cream to be sweet and this was not. The presentation is amazing, don't you think?

After this unforgettable culinary experience we went to Parador El Emperador for coffee. Here we felt like we were back in Medieval times. If you follow the blog you know we are big fans of Paradores, a unique hotel chain committed to reclaiming the Spanish heritage. Check out this post and this one too for more information.

Sadly, it was time to say farewell to Hondarribia. We took one last walk around the promenade and we headed back to San Sebastian.

I still have one more charming Basque town to show you. Stay tuned for a post about Zarautz, another seaside town that is home to more culinary gems and breath-taking views of the Mar Cantabrico.

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