Da Filippo

The Verdict

If you are looking for a serious tasting menu dinner in San Sebastián that does not cost €€€€ and does not require booking months in advance, Da Filippo is the strongest case in the city right now. Chef Paulo Airaudo — who also runs Amelia by Paulo Airaudo and iBAi by Paulo Airaudo — uses this space to cook Italian food at a level most trattorias in Italy do not attempt. Michelin has awarded a Plate here two consecutive years (2024, 2025), and Opinionated About Dining placed it at #454 in Europe in 2024, climbing to #504 in 2025 on the Casual list. At €€€ per head, that is a credential-to-price ratio that is hard to argue with. Book it for a date night, a celebration dinner, or any occasion where you want a single focused experience rather than à la carte choice.

The Space and the Experience

Da Filippo occupies the former premises of Amelia restaurant, which means the room carries the bones of a fine dining space without dressing itself up as one. The physical setting leans intimate , not the kind of room where you feel exposed across a large floor, but close and composed in a way that works well for two people and is well-suited to a special occasion. For a meal built around a single tasting menu, the spatial intimacy reinforces the format: there is no distraction, no noise bleed from a bar crowd, and the progression of the evening has room to breathe.

The format itself is worth understanding before you book. Da Filippo describes the experience as centred around a single tasting menu , there is no à la carte option here. If you want flexibility or the ability to order around a table, this is not the right choice. But if you commit to the format, what you get is Italian cooking that is firmly contemporary and sits at a considerable distance from the familiar trattoria register. Think fresh pasta with precision and intensity rather than rustic generosity. One dish cited by Michelin inspectors specifically was duck, butter and thyme cappelletti , described as intense yet delicate , which tells you something about the register: technically controlled, flavour-forward, not a crowd-pleaser in the generic sense.

The Drinks

The wine list at Da Filippo earns specific mention because it is genuinely constructed rather than decorative. It draws from both Spanish and Italian producers, which makes sense given the context: an Italian kitchen in the Basque Country, a city with serious wine credentials and proximity to Rioja and Ribera del Duero as well as northern Italian appellations. Critically, the list includes a well-developed selection by the glass, which matters at a tasting menu format. If you are dining as a couple with different preferences, or want to work through multiple pairings without committing to bottles, the by-the-glass range gives you real options. For a city with as strong a wine culture as San Sebastián , see our full San Sebastián bars guide and our full San Sebastián wineries guide , Da Filippo's list sits comfortably within the local standard. It is not a destination drinks program in the way some Italian-format restaurants in other cities have built theirs (compare, for example, the wine depth at 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana in Hong Kong or the pairing ambition at cenci in Kyoto), but for what Da Filippo is , a focused tasting menu restaurant at €€€ , the wine program is well-matched to the food and to the occasion.

Ratings and Recognition

• Michelin Plate , 2024 and 2025
• Opinionated About Dining, Casual in Europe , Recommended 2023, #454 in 2024, #504 in 2025
• Google rating , 4.4 from 430 reviews

OAD trajectory is worth reading carefully. Moving from Recommended (2023) to #454 (2024) to #504 (2025) suggests the ranking has stabilised rather than continuing to climb, but the sustained presence on that list at the Casual tier confirms that the kitchen is performing consistently. For a Spanish city where Arzak, Akelaré, and Airaudo's own Amelia sit at the leading of the pile, landing a Michelin Plate and sustained OAD recognition at the casual tier is a genuine achievement.

Booking and Practical Details

Reservations: Booking difficulty is rated Easy, meaning you do not need to plan months ahead , a window of one to two weeks is typically sufficient, though weekends (Friday and Saturday) book faster than mid-week given the limited opening hours. Hours: Monday, Tuesday, and Friday evenings only (7:30–9:30 pm); Saturday and Sunday offer both lunch (1:30–3 pm) and dinner (7:30–9:30 pm); Wednesday and Thursday are closed. Budget: €€€ per head , meaningfully below the €€€€ pricing of Airaudo's other venues and the city's Michelin-starred fine dining tier. Format: Single tasting menu only; no à la carte. Dress: No stated dress code, but the setting and price tier suggest smart casual is appropriate , neither formal nor relaxed. Groups: The intimate space and fixed tasting menu format make this less suited to large groups; parties of two or four are the natural fit here.

For broader context on dining in the city, see our full San Sebastián restaurants guide. If you are building a longer trip, our full San Sebastián hotels guide and our full San Sebastián experiences guide cover the rest of the visit. Spanish fine dining beyond the Basque Country is well-represented at El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, Azurmendi in Larrabetzu, Martín Berasategui in Lasarte-Oria, Aponiente in El Puerto de Santa María, Cocina Hermanos Torres in Barcelona, and DiverXO in Madrid.

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