148 Gastroleku - San Sebastian

After being in San Sebastián for 3 months, and trying many different pintxos, 148 claimed a top 5 spot with their risotto. If you like mushroom risotto drizzled with truffle oil then run to 148, it will not disappoint. The taco and bonita were also magnificent. Mariano is wonderful and really cares about the customers and experience.

10/10. Best meal we had in San Sebastián. The Iberian pork is tender and so delicious. We had mushroom risotto that was the best I’ve ever had. And the grilled King Prawns were amazing- they came with fried salty garlic chips that really added another dimension to the flavor. Lovely.

One of the worst experiences when it comes to restaurants. Quantifying: 1. Food is good. Just good.....nothing to write home about. 2. Location is nice. However, this is where the the nice experience stops. 3. If you don't speak Spanish there is almost no communication with the waiters. Some of them don't understand a word of English. Some of them do......the least that could have been done is assign an English speaking waiter to guests who clearly cannot speak Spanish. 4. No wine list available. Waiter sends you to the bar to have a look at what's available ????? . Am I not paying to be served?! 5. When you choose the wine, and carry it, and the wine glasses, to your table, waiter opens it and pours it in glass......no chance of tasting the wine to check whether it's good. It seems that they simply don't care about this standard step! 6. I ask whether I can have some pintxos which where available on display at the bar. Bizarrely enough the answer is NO. These are to be consumed at the bar only, the waitress told me. But why? Why can't I just pay and consume what I pay for, say, in the middle of the plaza? We were going to order main dishes afterwards so it was not the case of occupying a table to eat a few nibbles......but as much as we tried to explain this, no success. Communication is extremely difficult. 7. THE CHERRY ON THE CAKE Any one eating outside, in the plaza, is charged an extra 10%.....just because the interior of the restaurant is small and their only option to increase covers and revenue is to sit people outside. OK fine..... restaurants have a right to put their policies in place. But I, as the client, have a right to be informed how much I am paying for the items chosen......including any extra charges, however ridiculous they might be. THIS 10% EXTRA CHARGE IS NOWHERE TO BE FOUND ON THE MENU PROVIDED. I contested this and insisted on paying the prices shown on the menu which was accepted. Imposing a charge on clients without informing them is cheating and tantamount of theft. I guess there are better places in San Sebastian! Attaching the menu provided to us as reference.

148 Gastroleku was one of my favorite places to eat. I loved the salmon egg pintxo and the mushroom risotto. It had a great truffle taste to it. Service was also great, though I recommend getting a reservation here due to it being crowded sometimes.

Buen restaurante para tapear por el centro de San Sebastián. Todo muy bueno y sabores direferentes a lo habitual.