Donosti Pintxos y Tapas

Gem Tee

4.0

Loved the tapas and pintxos - everything had an authentic feel to it. Special mention goes to the pulpo, which is probably the best I’ve had here in Manila. Along with the pulpo we had at least four other tapas so by the time we got to the main course, we were stuffed. The paella was OK; I’ve had better. Their wine selection is good, although on the pricey side.

Fenny Pariensca

3.0

Food is really good,service is a bit slow,and the Conchinilla ( lechon) takes forever to come out and by then we were almost full,i would not order again the Iberico ham with bread with fresh tomato spread,it does not raste good,all others in the menu we ordered are very good but it is way way OVERPRIICED.will not come back,i cannot understand that just because of the Spanish owners’ presence that the reataurant would charge so much,the Iberico ham is very expensive,not worth it,i have tried others which is also very good but not that expensive

Jica Lapeña

4.0

DONOSTI is the name of the San Sebastián region in the Basque tongue, known to serve the best Spanish cuisine in Spain. It's one of the best Spanish restaurants in Manila specializing in San Sebastián cuisine.Here's our experience at Donosti, BGC...Donosti is located at the ground floor of the NAC building facing the Turf Footbal field. The ambiance is casually romantic at night and very conducive for conversations. They specialize in Pintxos or Tapas.Started off with a good full red wine to get us in an eating and talking mood. ✮ CYAN Tinta de Oro, Toro Spain 2003 (P1,695/bottle, P395/glass +10% service charge). Love this full-bodied Spanish Red Wine called Cyan.✮ Gambas al Ajillo (P535 +10% service charge). Garlic shrimps sauteed in olive oil. The Gambas was still sizzling hot when it was served. Each piece is very flavorful and a delight to eat. When all the shrimps are finished, you can dip your bread in the olive oil.Brandada de bakalao con tomate casero (P690 +10% service charge). Salted cod fish emulsified with extra virgin olive oil and tomato sauce. The Bacalao was very salty and creamy. The taste is balanced by the tomato sauce. Serving size is a bit small though, considering its price. ✮ Ensalada de Queso Fresco (P450 +10% service charge). Salad topped with fresh grilled cheese. Simply topped with grilled cheese, this is one of the best and most unique salads we've tasted. The service is very warm, pleasant, and well-trained. :)✮ Pulpo a la Gallega (P795 +10% service charge). Boiled & Grilled Octopus served with boiled potato, evoo, & pimenton. So good that you have to order this when you go to Donosti. The octopus was tender, with a bite like that of meat but with flavors of ocean. It's not chewy and each part is very flavorful. Sobrang sarap for an octopus dish!✮ PAELLAS (P450/order). Paella is the typical flat pan from Mediterranean Spanish Coast where we cook the rice mixed with producs from the orchard and the sea. At Donosti we cook it in the traditional way; for lunch & dinner, in a big paella pan, with Imported Bahia Rice grains from Spain and homemade fresh broth. The Paella was good, too, and the serving size per order is already good for 2 persons. Note that there's only a limited amount of paella available during lunch and dinner. One of the specialties in San Sebastián is Baby Lamb. Chef Borja gave us a sample and it was tender, flavorful, and cooked very well a la Caldereta. Will order the full serving next time.ENVOY 2008 Marlborough, New Zealand Riesling (P2,450 +10% service charge). If you like sweeter wines, order this Marlborough, New Zealand Riesling. It was a bit too sweet for me though and does not pair well with the Spanish dishes.Lubina a la Bilbaina (P1,250 +10% service charge). Bilbao style Chilean sea bass. The Chilean Sea Bass was silky smooth and juicy. But it was too expensive for the serving size. We tried the 1kg Black Angus Chuleton!Chuleton (P5,500 +10% service charge). 1 kg black angus, bone in ribeye steak dry aged 28 days grilled in Josper Charcoal Oven. We ordered it medium and was served with nicely grilled sides and still-red insides. The fat was still too raw, though. It was like a big chunk of blobby fat that you couldn't chew. But I loved the green chilis that came with the steak. The serving is good for 5-6 persons and according to the chef, it's best to order it medium rare.✮ Crema de Queso (P250 +10% service charge). Creamy cheese mousse with dry plums and sweet sherry reduction. Don't be fooled by the simplicity of this creamy cheese mousse. We all agree that this is the best dessert we've tasted. :)✮ Tarta de Santiago (P295 +10% service charge). Santiago almond cake. If you like to have a nutty milky finish, order this almond cake. Coulant de Chocolate (P285 +10% service charge). Chocolate coulant. A traditional coulant dessert with chocolate oozing out of the cold cake.We love the San Sebastián cuisine at Donosti! :) Be sure to order the Octopus, the different tapas, the paellas, and the Chuleton. Budget is P1,500 to P3,000/head, depending on whether you order the steak or not.

Evan Hermanto

4.0

"May the food do you good and the drink do you no harm"--a Basque proverb. To start off our dinner, we had 4 types of croquetas, Gulas con Gambas (garlic "baby eels" and shrimps sautéed in olive oil), and Pulpo a la Gallega (boiled and grilled octopus served with mashed potato, evoo & pimentòn). I really liked the latter because the octopus chunks were really tender and flavorful.For our main, we had Lengua Estofada, Cuchifrito (crispy lechonnde leche chunks), Lubina a la Bilbaina (Bilbao style Chilean Seabass), and Paella. For their paella, they use Bahia rice imported from Spain. To complement our tea, we ordered Tarta de Santiago (almond cake with vanilla ice cream), Coulant de Chocolate (molten chocolate cake served with banana ice cream), Crema de Queso (creamy cheese mousse with dry plums and sweet sherry reduction). Among the three, I enjoyed the chocolate Coulant best. The Crema de Queso was a bit too sweet for me. The servers were very attentive, warm and polite. I really had a great dining experience and will definitely go back if I'm craving for Spanish food.

Frianky Augie Galistan

4.0

Really loved this place. Quite a romantic little haven for couples to wine and dine. It's a bit pricey but the food, ambiance, and personalized service make it worth every penny. A waiter would immediately be at your side with just a turn of the head and even before you even try to raise a hand to call on them. This is for those who appreciate fine dining and don't mind spending a little extra to get that "experience". We particularly liked the Pulpo a la Gallega (really really good octopus served so tender and tasty), Seafood Paella (if you appreciate a rich moist take on paella), Lengua, and Lechon de leche. Savor the dishes with wine on the side and you're all set for a great evening.

Eating My Way Through Cities

3.0

Firstly, this place is well decorated and modern. It’s quite small so it’s probably better to reserve before going. It’s quite a pricy and more formal restaurant than average.As for food, I would recommend the pulpo (it’s quite tender), paella (any of them will do) and the Gambas. The foie gras was dry and not up to its standards.

Ivy Cuejilo

5.0

Señor Pablo, the Head Chef of Donosti, particular about his Spanish ingredients, hails from Madrid. A delight to speak to, and humble about his passion - food.This town needs more places like Donosti, where you get to splurge once in a while, and not feel guilty about it.The ambiance is similar to a 5-star hotel cafè where the staff wait on you and as a plus, because I am a nerd, they have automated ordering. No memo pads and pens here.On to the food... Queso Salad, Lamb Chops, Callos, and their lovely tapas that romp around, especially at dinner time, add to the pleasure. Like all my 4.5 and 5 ratings, bring good company here. Relax, enjoy a glass of roseau or Spanish cabernet. Comida!

Alyaaf

4.0

I've only been here once, for a short business meeting. The place and ambiance was very good. We ordered 3 dishes only, the Pulpo a la Gallega, Gambas al Ajillo and the Chorizo Iberico. I was sick that time so I only ordered fresh pineapple juice for my drink.All those 3 dishes we ordered would have been better partnered with beer. However, they were still fantastic as they were, even when just paired with pineapple juice.The Pulpo (octopus) is what I like best. It was so good that upon leaving the place, I was already thinking of when I would be able to go back and dine again. The gambas were ok. Nothing special for me and too expensive in my opinion as you only get about 6pcs of shrimps. The chorizos were very good though. It's the 2nd best of our 3 dishes.The servers/staff were all great. I got nothing bad to say about the place although their prices are on the high side. If I'd think of having a drinking session with friends here, I'd be out of dough long before I'm drunk. But that's just me.All in all, this is a great place if you can afford the prices. I'm really looking forward to going back to order the Pulpo again and try other stuff.

P3tti3

3.0

I am a huge fan of Paella.. so the fact that the Seafood Paella is really good here, makes me super happy. We got the Croquetas sampler as one of our appetizers and while it was good, i found the inside to be too wet. I was under the impression that croquetas or croquettes were made of potatoes, but this one had the consistency of cream (not really sure what was in there) The Gambas was great, i just wish they'd use cleaner shrimp. I had to remove all the black stuff in the spine of the shrimp on every one of them before i could eat it.. the calamari was something unique as it had honey drizzled on them and made the dish sweet.. it took a little getting used to, but, really good. What was disappointing was the cochinillo dish which was basically chopped up cochinillo on top of pale french fries. The plating left a lot to be desired and really .. fries? There wasn't anything else to pair it with? Considering the price tag on that dish, it really wasn't worth it. All else, yum!

Viana Saraswati

5.0

The best restaurant for spanish cuisine! I liked the place, formal and romantic yet cozy. Tried their pulpo and it was really good. Going back really soon to try other dishes.