San Sebastian market-to-table cooking class: Basque gastronomy

Market breakfast, hands-on cooking, pintxos, handball, and a full sit-down meal

A full-day cooking class in San Sebastian where you shop the local market with a Basque guide, cook a three-course menu together in a gastronomic society, and eat what you make. You start with breakfast and market tastings, prepare two pintxos and a classic regional menu from scratch, then finish with coffee and local liquor after the meal.

The experience

The day starts with breakfast before you head into the market and the old specialty shops of San Sebastian with your guide. A Basque native who has been running this experience for years. You taste different foods as you shop for the ingredients you'll cook with, moving through the stalls and vendors the way locals do. This is not a tourist walk. It is the working market where the city eats.

Once you have everything, you move into a gastronomic society, a private kitchen where Basque locals gather to cook together and share meals. You cook side by side with your guide, making two traditional pintxos to eat right away with local wine, then moving into the full menu: cabbage with red beans, chorizo and black pudding; a stew built on what the season offers; and a dessert of local curd with nuts and honey. The food goes on the table and everyone eats as they please. This is how it works here. Between cooking and eating, you step out to watch a handball game and grab a drink in a classic tavern, then return to the table for the meal you made.

After lunch comes coffee, a traditional local liquor, and time to sit quietly as long as you want. The guide speaks English or Spanish and can adjust the menu ahead of time if you have dietary requests or preferences. The experience runs about eight hours and includes liability insurance.

What’s included

• Breakfast.
• market tastings while shopping.
• two homemade pintxos with local wine.
• a three-course Basque menu you cook together (starters, main course, dessert).
• coffee and a traditional local liquor after the meal.
• liability and accident insurance.
• use of the kitchen, tablecloths and napkins.

Before you book

Days and timesMonday to Friday

AgesAdult (18 to 65 years) · Senior (66 and older) · Youth (13 to 17 years) · Child (7 to 12 years) · Infant (under 7): free

GroupUp to 6

Live guideEnglish and Spanish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

ConfirmationConfirmation within 48 h

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Wheelchair accessibleStroller-friendlyInfant seats availablePets welcomePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by AUPA HI!

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to cook and eat a real Basque meal in the way locals do, not watch a demonstration. The private format means the guide adjusts the pace and the menu to what you want, and the gastronomic society is a working kitchen where the food is the point, not the performance.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Spanish.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (13 to 17 years); Child (7 to 12 years); Infant (under 7): free.

What is a gastronomic society in San Sebastian?

A gastronomic society is a private kitchen where Basque locals gather to cook and eat together. It is not a restaurant. Members cook the meals themselves, and the focus is on top-quality ingredients prepared with care and shared as a community. This class takes place inside one, so you cook and eat as part of that tradition.

Do I need cooking experience to join this class?

No. The guide cooks alongside you and teaches as you go. The menu is classic Basque food (cabbage with beans and chorizo, pintxos, local curd with honey), and the instruction is built into the day itself.

What happens if I have a food allergy or dietary restriction?

Tell the guide before you start shopping. The guide is ready to personalize the menu and can adjust what you cook and eat based on your needs.

Is this a group class or private?

The class is private. You book it for yourself or your group, and the guide works with you alone throughout the day.

What does the market shopping part involve?

You walk through the San Sebastian market and specialty shops with the guide, tasting different foods at the stalls as you buy the ingredients for the day's cooking. It is a working market, not a tour. You see how locals shop and eat.