What to order at this legendary Spanish seafood restaurant near San Sebastian
The only place in: Pasaia, Spain
Where
Casa Camara
From where
Even when your attention is irresistibly drawn to the grilled seafood feast on the table in front of you, it’s worth looking at Casa Camara. It’s even worth drawing your attention away from the center of the room, where there is a large gap and a rope pulley, a system that raises and lowers a net basket filled with live lobsters and crabs resting in the water below. Because every now and then a ship enters and leaves the nearby port of Pasaia, and to do this it has to pass through the narrow passage that separates Donibane from San Pedro. When this happens, diners at the riverside Casa Camara can reach out the window and almost touch the hull of the massive ship hurtling past. When Casa Camara first opened, it wasn’t that spectacular, but it was truly remarkable, because that was 1884, and all ship traffic here was wooden-hulled. For over 140 years, Casa Camara has been grilling local seafood, preparing local wines, and offering guests warm hospitality and stunning views in this small Basque village. It’s only 15 minutes away from bustling San Sebastian, but it feels like another world.
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Order this
Casa Camara specializes in seafood, and it’s impossible to beat the mixed grill, a hefty plate of lobster, shrimp, scallops, oysters and crab smothered in garlic butter. Among the starters, the fish and seafood soup is a classic, and the “txangurro a la Donostiarra” mixed with brown crab meat, butter and sofrito and served with kid goat is superb.
eat here
We’re talking high-quality seafood with a view here, so opt for Catalina at Rose Bay in Sydney (catalinarosebay.com.au), head to Cerberus Beach House in Half Moon Bay in Melbourne (cerberusbeachhouse.com.au) and in Brisbane try Fosh Bar & Restaurant in Hamilton (foshportside.com.au).
More
Getting to Casa Camara is half the fun: Take a bus or taxi (or walk) from San Sebastian to Pasaia San Pedro, and then catch the small ferry to Pasaia Donibane. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner from Tuesday to Saturday (June to September), lunch from Wednesday to Sunday, and lunch from Friday to Saturday (September to June). Expect to pay around $200 per person for a large meal. Reservations are required and can be made online. To see casacamara.com
Ben Groundwater is a Sydney-based travel writer, columnist, broadcaster, author and occasional tour guide with over 25 years of experience in media and world travel. He specializes in food and wine—writing about it and consuming it—and at any given moment Ben is probably thinking of either ramen in Tokyo, pintxos in San Sebastian, or carbonara in Rome. Follow him on Instagram @bengroundwaterConnect via email.
