When you arrive to Casa Nicolas (20 minutes from San Sebastian) from the outside you are not sure what to expect until their door takes you into steak heaven. Our first trip to Tolosa made us feel as if it is remote yet it isn’t, and given the proximity to San Sebastian it is close to some nice local restaurants.

Unassuming as are the best steak shops across the globe, this is a unique pit stop for any steak lover but beware it is not for vegetarians. And the chef owner Pedro Ruiz is a master chef, he flips, taunts and cuts the steak at your table: http://www.asadorcasanicolas.com/presentacionInicial/

Pedro was young when it all began in the 1950’s with Bar Montetxe in Tolosa’s Chinatown. Here Nicolás Ruiz taught himself to work the grill and today his grandson Xabier is carrying on the steak tradition with his Dad Pedro.

I adore the family, Pedro is one of a kind original and when focuses on his work, he makes it look so easy, almost effortless concentrated on his Asador behind a shield of glass. There is a kind of kinship, not to mention I am a serious meat lover, no mustard just wholesome sirloin with some green salad and white asparagus.

The meat today is a dairy cow, premium meat, not what you’ll find anywhere else, hand selected and aged in his meat locker: https://mesubim.com/2019/11/14/asador-nicolas-tolosa-video/ and if you doubt the experience just be prepared for a meaty mouthful of perfectly cooked steak.

And don’t fill up, try the other small easy foods such as Iberian Lomito, some of the finest you’ll taste, red peppers, and this time I tried the baked cod with green peppers, it was excellent.

The menu is simple and to the point, no fuss and no pretension just a marvellous local Tolosian atmosphere, no fuss whatsoever and Basque hospitality is the best. And the dolce, anyone who travels to Basque knows desert is never a let down, and the chocolate souffle is awesome *don’t miss it or the Pepita cheesecake, wow that’s a killer !

Thank you Ruiz family for the excellent experience, service, and for providing the best meats

/Bravissimo/