Where to eat in San Sebastián

San Sebastián rewards a plan. The city holds more Michelin stars per head than almost anywhere on earth, but the best eating is often standing up, elbow to elbow at a pintxos bar that has done one thing perfectly since 1953. The trick is sequence: where to start, what to order before it sells out, and which reservation to hold for the last night.

We keep the tables that don't appear on any app — the kitchen pass at a three-star, the cider house that opens for private groups, the counter seat that turns over only by introduction. Two days, arranged in the right order, and you will eat better than you thought a city this size could allow.