If there were an MVP of pintxo bars in San Sebastián, it’d be Antonio Bar. This three-table spot in the Centro shopping district has everything you want: a perfect Spanish omelet, a chalkboard menu of hot dishes, and a bar of cured seafood and mayo-y salads. Antonio stays busy at all hours, with locals passing through for a coffee or a pintxo before lunch or dinner, but the best time to visit is around 12:30 or 1pm for a slice of the 28-egg tortilla de patatas, which is one of the city’s best.

So, one of your friends doesn’t like anchovies. It may sound counterintuitive, but this classic bar in the old part of San Sebastián that’s devoted to the tiny fish is the perfect spot to take them. Txepetxa has been making their vinegar-cured white boquerón anchovies since 1972, and their family recipe has a 99% anchovy-hater conversion rate. Elbow up to the bar, shout your order to the barman, and enjoy the celebrity photo-lined walls featuring everyone from Gandalf to Spanish royalty.

You won’t see anything modern or fussy on Ganbara’s counter of pintxos, which takes up most of the tiny bar. What you will find is a crowd made up of locals, chefs, and other in-the-know visitors who all came for the top-notch fresh produce. The €20 plate of mushrooms might seem expensive after dropping less than €5 on pintxos at other bars, but it’s worth the price and the wait. Even the most basic pintxos, like the croissant with Spanish ham or the potato salad, are excellent.

When a bar predates color TV and is still packed, you know it must be good. That’s the case with La Espiga, which opened in 1928 and is run by the fourth generation of the founding family. Order the specialty, la delicia, a toast of cured anchovy with hard-boiled egg, vinegary onions, and a dollop of mayonnaise (get it with a splash of Worcestershire). And definitely try one of the fried bites, like veal with cheese, meat-stuffed peppers, and lamb brain marinated, battered and served piping hot.

If you weren’t specifically looking for La Cuchara de San Telmo, you’d probably miss it. This pintxo bar is down a nondescript alley and has a chalkboard with a brief but exciting list of dishes like seared foie gras, charred octopus, and tender beef cheek. This place pioneered the hot pintxo, and after 20 years, continues to prepare food that looks (and tastes) straight off the menu of any fine dining restaurant.

The owner of La Viña invented the Basque burnt cheesecake when he put this custardy dessert into the high-temperature ovens at the restaurant. This total culinary taboo ended up being one of the most successful dessert innovations of the century: the cheesecake melts in your mouth, gets slightly caramelized on the outside, and is ultra-creamy on the inside. La Viña's cheesecake has become a legitimate San Sebastián landmark, so there’s usually a line during busy months.

When it comes to fancy multi-course meals, you won’t find a better option in San Sebastián than Arzak. This restaurant is where the Basque cooking movement of the ‘70s, nueva cocina vasca, started, which basically makes it the hub of fine dining in Spain. The meal will cost you around €300, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so sit back, pick something from the 100,000-bottle wine cellar, and enjoy your foie cromlech and the marbled egg.

No matter what we write in this caption, you really need to see Mugaritz for yourself. Mold is a staple on the menu, sea urchin gets served with enzymatic molasses made from rye bread, and you might get to try a jellied, finger-shaped carrot. This dinner is going to be a wild and fun ride, and you never know what you are walking into—even though this is one of the fanciest spots in the country, you might eat your meal without any cutlery. Book months in advance, and get ready to be surprised.

Casa Urola manages to balance incredible grilled seafood and meat with the best vegetable dishes in the city. You’ll eat things like confit ruby-red piquillos, grilled white asparagus (when in season), and baby teardrop peas that crunch like caviar. The whole place is a family affair, as the restaurant is owned by a husband and wife duo. Go for dinner in the upstairs dining room and order literally anything that’s in season—you won’t be disappointed.

Zazpi started as a bar in the center of town, but was always destined for more than pintxos and small plates. You can now find them in the San Telmo Museum, in a space that gets a ton of natural light and is one of the best places in the city for a long lunch. The menu changes seasonally, but Zazpi’s strong points are its proteins, so split a fish of the day or go for the pigeon served with pigeon pate and a dollop of tomato chutney. The tasting menu has all the greatest hits for €70, too.