Donostia
“Great selection of sherry and the telling sign of a good Spanish bar was that the tortilla was on point.”
“The montaditos were good, I'm not a big fan of fish so I got the esparago blanco and a plate of manchego and jamon serrano.”
“We got the artichoke pate – if you like artichokes, this is heavenly in terms of taste and texture!”
Donostia
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
6 reviews
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i went to Donostia with my husband last weekend. We sat at the bar close to the window. And you could feel that beautiful breeze and we could also do some spring time people watching. I ordered boquerones, Tortilla Española that is topped with a Padrón pepper and on top of a crostini drizzled with delicious olive oil and also a dollop of aioli. The dollop was a little heavy handed that day. I also ordered the octopus and it had way too much aioli. I pushed some aside and it was spectacular. I really loved all my food. I also ordered a glass of Rose and it was just what I wanted on a beautiful spring day with my husband.
Yesterday I returned with my sister. She lived in Spain and I knew she would enjoy the place. She and I both ordered the Tortilla Española and the bonito tuna tartellete. I also ordered an 8 oz Estrella Blonde. My sister was head over heels over the food. I was smitten with the tuna and the tart. the buttery tart complemented the fish perfectly. The Tortilla is always a home run in my book too (with the right amount of aioli of course). The waiter was super helpful too. He answered all of my sisters inquiries with a smile. He was genuine and excited about the food and that makes the biggest difference in our experience. I even heard my sister busted out our mother tongue and they were speaking Spanish when I returned from the going to bathroom and secretly paying the bill.
I also love the space itself. It is a long bar with some side tables, a private room in the back for an intimate celebration and some side tables by the kitchen for those who want to watch the action. My preference is always by the window. I love the iron light fixtures and the large, old map wallpaper. It's definitely an environment that reminds me of Spain.
There is still so much I want to try. I will definitely be frequenting this spot.
I've been coming here pretty regularly since it opened. It's a minimalist space, but that adds to a sense that you're in a bar in San Sebastián in the Basque region of Spain. It sits on the corner of Tompkins Square Park, which makes the view from the bar a real delight in late afternoons. There are few places like this in the city
They really don't have cooked to order food. They serve small plates. I recommend the olives, puréed artichoke, any of their conservas and their double decker tortillas. They are not a full bar, so you can have wine, beer, vermuth or cider. I discovered the greatness of Spanish vermuth here. When you're done here, you can bar hop among the many places along and off of Avenue C.
Sexy tapas bar with beautiful lighting and nice touches of decor. It's really quiet, even on weekend evenings. Great for an intimate date.
Tortilla de meat lover: tasty and sizable. I'd have preferred it warmer, but the flavor was spot on.
Montadito de brandada de bacalao: delicate chunk of cured cod towering over a small slice of toasted bread. Mmh.
Pate of artichoke: a huge jar over 6 pieces of bread.
Montadito de salmon: it was ok; the flavor was enhanced by honey.
Bocadillos de morcilla: not a great blood sausage; it was weak, and the skin too thick.
Bocadillos de pulpo: way too much mayo… the bread was literally soaked in it.
Overall, there were highs and lows, but I would go back to try more montaditos.
so disappointing as they intend to offer great basque/tapas cuisine.
First the taste is not there, we had pintxos: navajas, pulp and chaperones. Almost everything had the same taste, maybe because of the bad seasoning. (4/6/7 dollars for each)
And then mejillones en escabeche…nothing to remember. You are able to cook the same at home. 9 dollars for a small portion
The price is overestimated for what you get! Not only because of the taste but also because o the portion! Please look at the photos and you will understand…
It can 't be compared to real tapas!
KenScale: 7.5/10
Donostia is the Basque name for the city of San Sebastian in Spain. I've made a trip out to the Basque region last September largely to expand my culinary horizon, and had a lot of great food there. What particularly struck me about San Sebastian and the surrounding Basque region is that, in addition to all the great pioneering fine-dining establishments with multiple Michelin stars, you could have just as a memorable experience at all these smaller pintxos (Basque tapas) bars sampling a variety of small plates. Add to the fact that Spanish wine is one of the most underappreciated in the world, you could really have an amazing experience at these places without shelling out hundreds of dollars. After visiting Spain, I realized how the Spanish food in New York City is not quite like its original counterpart and have been looking for a more "authentic" place. Donostia has been on my radar as a restaurant/bar that has such potential. Overall, I did have good dining experience, but felt that it is probably the best place to go to sip some Spanish wine with a couple of bites, but not a full dinner.
Donostia's menu consists of a variety of small plates that are easily shareable. I started with a plate of jamon iberico de Bellota (two-year, salt-cured ham) that was pleasant but not overly memorable. Some dishes were quite nicely done without being fussy. I enjoyed each bite of alcachofa (artichoke) that was fresh and served as a great start to the meal, and finished quickly montadito (think tiny open-end sandwich) of tortilla con morcilla (with aioli and guindilla pepper) that was also quite delightful with a nice tough of tortilla. Bacadillo (think small sandwich) of pulpo (with Galician octopus, aioli, parsley and escarole) was also delicious and well-balanced in flavor and texture. Spain is well-known for cheese as well, and the 6 month aged smoked sheep's milk cheese (idiazabal) that I had at the end was very good. On the other hand, the more dishes I tried, I started finding some misses. I am a sucker for sea urchin, but the tartaleta with sea urchin pate, octopus, guindilla and aioli turned out to be less impressive than I had hoped. The server highly recommended montadito with smoked salmon and crema and local raw honey, but I wished the crema and honey were toned down to give more room for salmon to shine. I had high hopes for conservas (preserved food), but both chipirones (whole baby squid in ink) and navajas (razor clams) felt a little flat in freshness department. I can tell that the restaurant was trying to be more authentic in its approach to Basque/Spanish food, but the execution overall had something to be desired.
Donostia does have an impressive collection of Spanish wine and other beverages like cider. I do highly recommend sampling different drinks to get a full range of Spanish drinks. The restaurant doesn't take reservations, but I had no problem getting seated at the bar right away. The vibe is that of a typical tapas bar with intimate and cozy setting; if possible, sitting at the bar and talking to the bartender about what to order would probably get you the most of the experience. I do think Donostia is a good place if you're stopping by to sip on Spanish wine along with some bites; the overall consistency of food, however, didn't quite match the level that I had experienced on my trip to the Basque region.
I'm back in NYC, and started off my visit just right in this lovely, intimate bar that serves food from the Basque region of Spain. I think the marinated seafood is the true star of the menu. I recommend the Igueldo sample platter, it has a mix of mussels, sardines, anchovies & clams, along with marinated artichoke, olives, & peppers. From the pintxos offerings, the whipped salted cod with carmelized onions (brandade de bacalao) and the razor clams with white bean purée (navajas) were both tasty. The tortillas here are delicious (a vote for the leek & spinach one!), and they have an amazing selection of wines, savory olivey cider, and the best sangria I've ever had. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say the tinto sangria – with its hint of cardamom & other spices & a strong bite of ginger – alone is worth the trip. A beautiful, laid back, unpretentious cafe where the food shines.