Bodegón Alejandro: a gastronomic experience in San Sebastián

Bodegón Alejandro is a restaurant where you can connect with Basque and San Sebastian identity. This Basque restaurant, located in the Old Town of San Sebastian, the kitchen of this rustic basement has managed to preserve the essence of Basque cuisine for decades. The birthplace of the Basque chef with the most Michelin stars to his name, Martín Berasategui, this old eatery next to La Bretxa market has been transformed over the years and now offers traditional cuisine adapted to modern times, connecting you with the San Sebastián of yesterday and today through its dishes.

Origin of Bodegón Alejandro

1970. La Bretxa is San Sebastián’s most vibrant market. Vegetables, fish, cheese, greens, legumes, meat, cold cuts, milk. The mountains and the sea come together in this market in the Old Town, where local products reign supreme. Butchers, housewives, charcutiers, fishermen, shepherds, and of course customers, frequent this gastronomic hub on a daily basis.

It was the 1970s: a time when local and seasonal produce reigned supreme, because there was nothing else available. A time when all food was sourced from the market, and when cooks were talented unknowns devoted to a profession that knew no schedules or holidays. In this context, amid the hustle and bustle of the Old Town, in a basement on Carrer Fermín Calbetón, very close to La Bretxa, a married couple founded Bodegón Alejandro: a popular eatery serving traditional dishes.

The birthplace of Martín Berasategui

In the restaurant, two sisters: Gabriela and María. The mother and aunt of Martín Berasategui, then a child, who developed a passion for cooking from an early age. The young man joined as an apprentice at the age of fifteen and gradually took on more and more responsibility in the running of the restaurant.

At the age of 20, he took over the restaurant. He renovated the premises, incorporated new cooking methods, and took the first steps in his career in the kitchen of the bodegón, while his wife managed the dining room. Six years later, Bodegón Alejandro received its first Michelin star (1986), establishing itself as a leading restaurant among the Michelin-starred establishments in the Basque Country. Berasategui later started his own business in Lasarte, where he continued to showcase his talent.

Over the years, that boy inspired by the good work of his aunt and mother at Bodegón Alejandro has become the Spanish chef with the most Michelin stars, while the Fermín restaurant continues on its own path without losing sight of its traditional origins, where Basque and San Sebastian dishes take centre stage. Today, it remains a shining example of a Michelin-starred restaurant in San Sebastian, reflecting its history and legacy.

Safeguarding Basque gastronomic heritage 

Bodegón Alejandro has been a benchmark for traditional Basque cuisine for decades, in the heart of San Sebastián’s Old Town. Although it started out as a classic San Sebastián restaurant, over the years, the establishment has modernised its offering and atmosphere without losing its essence and its identity as an authentic Basque restaurant. Because safeguarding the Basque gastronomic heritage is part of its roadmap.

Hence, when descending the stairs at number 4 Fermín Calbetón and entering the underground room, one connects with the culinary heritage of the region through photographs and elements that recall the gastronomic history of the city. The noble wood and paintings depicting scenes from another era transport visitors to the essence of the city without deception.

Fermín Calbetón Street: an unrivalled location

The location of this restaurant is key. Bodegón Alejandro is located at 4 Fermín Calbetón Street in the Old Town of San Sebastián. This street has always been home to many bars and restaurants. So much so that ‘la Fermín’ has been considered the heart of San Sebastián’s nightlife for decades, as it has been the favourite place for groups of friends to meet up and enjoy pintxos from La Bretxa to the port.

The Old Town itself is proof of the region’s passion for food, and a must-visit neighbourhood if you want to understand the socialising nature of Basque cuisine. Although gentrification has led to the homogenisation of many establishments on this street, the essence of Basque cuisine is still distinctive in some of them. This is the case at Bodegón Alejandro, this iconic restaurant in San Sebastian.

What can you eat at Bodegón Alejandro? 

The cuisine at Bodegón Alejandro is closely linked totraditional Basque recipes in general, andthose from San Sebastian in particular. Fish soup, San Sebastian-style txangurro (spider crab) or baked hake neck. The dishes at this restaurant capture the essence of Basque cuisine, establishing it as a leading Basque restaurant in San Sebastian. That’s why it’s a must if you want to understand how people eat in San Sebastián. But not only because of the products and cooking methods that faithfully reflect the culinary heritage of the area, but also because of the atmosphere in the dining room, where endless conversations, as is customary when someone sits down to eat at a Basque table, happen without even trying.     

It is worth noting that although the menu is based on traditional recipes in a clear commitment to reviving and respecting traditional Basque cuisine, the dishes of yesteryear have been revisited to reflect the evolution of gastronomy in each dish. Adjusting cooking times and preparation times has been a necessary cutting-edge technique in order to update the recipes of the past and adapt them to the new characteristics of the products. 

But this exercise in innovation has always been aimed at bringing out the full flavour of the product, not disguising it. That is why, at Bodegón Alejandro, as is customary in Basque cuisine, seasonings are used sparingly and the raw ingredients are of the highest quality and sourced locally. 

Menu from Bodegón Alejandro

Seasonal menu

As is customary in Basque cuisine, the dishes, and therefore the restaurant’s menu, are adapted to the products available in each season of the year. In spring: the vegetable garden takes centre stage, with asparagus and peas reigning supreme. In summer: the Cantabrian Sea reigns supreme with its northern bonito, begihandi squid and anchovies, as well as tomatoes and chillies from the vegetable garden. In autumn: game is the main attraction. And in winter: the coveted mushrooms, as well as wild mushrooms, artichokes and cardoons. 

Each season, this kitchen led by Iñaki Salvador devises two or three signature dishes to bring the Basque coast and mountains to diners. The aim? To emphasise local and seasonal produce, conveying the rural environment through its most characteristic products, as well as urban life in Donostia.

To achieve this, they exclusively use fresh ingredients from the market, which connects them directly to the rural environment and the season. Only in this way can they create memorable flavours in an atmosphere that blends tradition with contemporary service. This union between past and present is also evident in the details of the dining room, with décor that pays homage to local culture and envelops diners throughout their experience.

IXO Group: a collaborative gastronomic ecosystem 

Bodegón Alejandro belongs to IXO, a business group specialising in catering created by chefs Andoni Luis Aduriz and Bixente Arrieta. This culinary ecosystem includes the restaurants Muka, Bodegón Alejandro and TOPA (San Sebastián), Mugaritz (Rentería), Nerua Guggenheim Bilbao and Bistró Guggenheim Bilbao (Bilbao). Its main objective? To create culture through gastronomy with a restless, non-conformist and idealistic spirit.

Thus, this renowned restaurant in San Sebastian in the Old Town is part of a collaborative ecosystem where resources, a philosophy of gastronomic innovation, and professional experience are shared. This is because the group not only manages restaurants, but also participates in research, development, and the dissemination of culinary culture.

These links between the different restaurants translate into collective work, which allows for faster improvement and benefits from the culinary innovation developed by other restaurants in the group.

Photo source: Bodegón Alejandro