The old town of San Sebastian is a wonderful place, full pintxos and bars and people, drinking and having fun. But, as its popularity has grown, the danger of turning into a sort of Disney-fied version of itself has become quite real.

That’s why, when a place like Bells Bar opens, it really is cause for celebration.  A restaurant’s greatness is always in direct proportion to how much its owners and chefs care. And this small bar-restaurant is the dream of a couple turned into a reality.

Lancelot and Sara opened Bells Bar a few months back. It’s located in an old mattress shop tucked into one of the nicest corners of the old town of San Sebastián, right on the steps of San Vicente. 

Lancelot comes from England and has been working in kitchens his whole life. His strong foundation in modern kitchens and knowledge of technique is mixed with an insistence on taste, a preference for food that is simply delicious. He came to San Sebastian 10 years ago and cooked in some of the old town‘s most famous and popular bars, like Atari and Sirimiri .

Now, at this bar, he uses this experience along with the reverend he has for the small plates of San Sebastián and make it his own. It often takes a foreigner to realize how special pintxos, and the act of eating pintxos are. I love the fact that there are people that want to keep it alive, people who want every single little bite to be delicious, fresh not frozen, real and not a factory for clueless tourists.

Bells Bar is meant to be local spot. There are some exquisite pintxos in the bar—not too many, just enough, ranging from an egg with bechamel and truffle to salmon with crème fraiche.

There is an exquisite tortilla, perfectly creamy on the inside, that is placed out on the bar every day at 1 PM. You’ve got to try it ..it’s definitely vying to be one of the old town’s best tortillas.

The menu of 10 to 12 dishes can be ordered as a pintxo, a media ración, or a full ración. Go with a group of friends and order one of everything. The dishes feature touches from Lancelot’s native England and Sara’s native Colombia, like these croquetas de sancocho.

The menu feels local with a twist, featuring dishes such as spider crab a la donostiarra, perched on top of a crumpet (something I never would’ve thought of)— the perfect spongy bread to soak up all of the delicious bisque-like sauce.

There’s also a plato del día that changes weekly. Last time I was in, it was garbanzos with blood sausage made in the town where Sara grew up in Extremadura. There was also a kimchi and oxtail bao, which Lancelot mentioned would be in rotation with different fiillings.

It’s not big. It’s not a Michelin star. But Bells Bar is exactly the kind of place that we need more of in San Sebastian, and especially in the Old Town. 

Bells Bar
San Bizente Kalea, 9
20003 Donostia, Gipuzkoa
Thursday - Monday
+34 680 61 50 27