San Sebastián (also known by its Basque name, Donostia) is one of the most famous foodie cities in the world, boasting their delicious take on Tapas called Pintxos and Txokos gastronomy clubs. But, for me, Basque Cheesecake is reason enough to visit San Sebastián.
The best place to get your slice of Basque Cheesecake is the place it was born, La Viña. Current owner Santiago Rivera was destined to work at La Viña. After all, his mother, father, aunt, and uncle were the original owners who opened the restaurant in 1959.
By the late 80’s new fangled ingredients like cream cheese were being introduced to northern Spain. Santi, self taught, played around with the cream cheese and other ingredients until he came up with the recipe.
Unlike your typical cheesecake which is baked at a low temperature for a very long time, Santiago tried cooking his cheesecake at a high temperature for a much shorter period. He also eschewed the graham cracker crust. The resulting Basque Cheesecake is caramelized (some would say burnt) on the top and jiggly, not firm, on the inside.
Today, tourists and locals alike line up to get a slice.
Basque Cheesecake is available all over San Sebastián and the Basque region of Spain. But, the place to go is where the treat was born, La Viña. Decades after inventing Basque Cheesecake, Santi still works behind the counter, serving up slices and somehow smiling through all the chaos.
Food tours and social media blasted Basque Cheesecake into the stratosphere in the last few years and La Viña became a worldwide sensation. Today, lines snake out the door and it’s not uncommon to wait 30 minutes or longer before you can get close enough to the counter and try to get the attention of one of the harried but cheerful workers. Tell them how many you want, they’ll slice ’em up and put them in a plastic clamshell. Pay and then squeeze your way back outside with your treasure as everyone else looks on jealously.
Eating a slice of Basque Cheesecake is a life-changing experience. Perhaps I’m exaggerating just a bit, but, believe me, Basque Cheesecake is the best cheesecake in the world, bar none! Sorry, New York.
Somehow, they make it so light and fluffy, it’s almost like a mousse. And then, it is baked to perfection until caramelized on top. No cracking, either. Also, no graham cracker crust. Just cheesecake deliciousness.
The rookie move is to stand outside, utensil in one hand, plastic dish in the other, carefully trying not to drop the valuable pastry on the ground. My tip is to walk two minutes to San Bizente Eliza (San Vicente church) where you can sit on the concrete wall and inhale your Basque Cheesecake in peace.
Of course, there are now plenty of places offering authentic Basque Cheesecake in Donostia / San Sebastián. It seems every bakery window is filled with them. And, many are very, very good. But, to me, the original at La Viña is still the gold standard.
The San Sebastián airport is small with only a few flights within Spain and a couple to the UK. You’re probably better off flying into Bilbao which has many more flights (though nothing direct to North America). From Bilbao you can take a bus (the train takes much longer) or drive to Donostia / San Sebastián.
However, Bilbao itself is worth a couple days, if only to see the incredible Guggenheim Museum.
If you’re already in Spain, you can take the train or bus from Madrid or Barcelona. Even though Spain has some good high speed rail, it really isn’t all that fast to get to Donostia /Â San Sebastián, unfortunately. Driving is marginally faster.
Brent Petersen is the Editor-in-Chief of Destination Eat Drink. He currently resides in Setubal, Portugal. Brent has written the novel “Truffle Hunt” (Eckhartz Press) and the short story collection “That Bird.” He’s also written dozens of foodie travel guides to cities around the world on Destination Eat Drink, including in-depth eating and drinking guides to Spain. Brent’s podcast, also called Destination Eat Drink, is available on all major podcasting platforms.
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