East of the Urumea river, Gros operates at a different frequency. Zurriola beach faces the open Atlantic, catching swells that La Concha's sheltered bay cannot, and the neighbourhood has absorbed the energy of the surfers and young professionals who claimed it. The Kursaal congress centre, with its two luminous glass volumes by Rafael Moneo, gives the beachfront an architectural gravity that balances the wetsuit-and-flip-flop casualness of the surrounding streets.
Calle Zabaleta and its tributaries hold pintxos bars that rival anything in the old town — Bar Bergara, Topa Sukalderia, Hidalgo 56 — without the elbow-throwing crush. The neighbourhood feels residential in the best sense: balconied apartments above, bakeries and small shops at street level, playgrounds tucked into side streets. At low tide, Zurriola reveals wide stretches of sand where surf schools set up their boards.
At high tide, the waves reach the seawall and throw spray across the promenade. Gros is where locals eat on their night off, which tells you everything about its quality.