Everyone in Spain loves pinchos, paid or free, and several cities have delicious pincho trails.
What are pintxos?
Pinchos are small portions of food, often on a toothpick, cocktail stick (hence its name, pinchar means “to prick” or “to spear”), or on a small toast. They can be actually anything: from a simple tortilla to a small portion of a stew.
In the Basque Country, the word is written “pintxos” to make it sound more Basque (“tx” represents the “ch” sound in Basque language).
In some areas of Spain pinchos are given for free with your drink. In the Basque Country this only happens one day a week, usually Thursdays – this is called “pintxo-pote”.
Even though they are popular in other regions, pintxos are an integral part of the Basque culture – usually as a snack before a meal or while enjoying some wine, beer or cider in the evening.
Basque cuisine is incredibly delicious, among the best in the world. Cuisine here is first based on selecting the best ingredients and then combining them in the way that best enhances their flavour.
And in Donostia-San Sebastián pintxos are taken yet to another level. San Sebastián is the pintxo capital and actually a global foody centre. It is the city with most Michelin stars per capita in the world by far – but you can also enjoy an amazing food experience without spending so much.
In this post we will show you our favourite pintxos in the Old Town (Parte Vieja) of San Sebastián. Sure, you can eat great traditional stews and delicious fresh fish and meat, but pintxos are a more unique experience – or at least, what we really love to eat when we go there.
Cold or warm pintxos?
When you go out to eat in San Sebastián, what will first catch your eye will be those counters full of deliciously colourful small bites. These are cold or “counter pintxos” (pintxos de barra). The good thing of them is that you visualise what you are going to eat before you order it and they are readily made, so you don’t have to wait for your pintxo.
However, warm pintxos are generally the best stuff. These are readily cooked when ordered and usually more elaborate. They are also more expensive (5 € per piece is a typical price in San Sebastián) – but honestly you shouldn’t leave a good pintxos bar without trying at least one of them.
What should you drink with pintxos?
As pintxos can contain anything, the best match depends on what you are ordering. You can always have a beer, but wine is more common: a red Rioja or a white Txakoli (a slightly sparkling, dry white wine made with autochtonous grape varieties in the Basque country). If you haven’t tried it, you should definitely order a glass!
Cider is also typically consumed. Basque cider is much more acidic than British cider, and also worth trying.
Our pintxo trail in San Sebastián Old Town (Parte Vieja)
We love San Sebastián, the Concha Beach, its elegant architecture… and its pintxos. We like getting our pintxos in the Parte Vieja (Old Town) of San Sebastián, where we have already identified some amazing places we always visit.
Unfortunately, a few classics like Astelena have changed owners and lowered their quality and others – our favourite – has closed.
All pintxo trails in San Sebastián Old Town are centred around the streets 31 de Agosto, Pescadería and Fermín Calbetón, all of them parallel and around Plaza de la Constitución, the city’s plaza mayor where its most important festivals take place.
Calle Pescadería, 10.
Don’t miss: Kokotxa with foie, sea urchin pintxo.
Zeruko was a recommendation of a local friend and it became our favourite pintxo bar in San Sebastián. But the last time we wanted to visit it in September 2020… it was closed!
We haven’t found any information on whether this closure is only temporary, as the place is still there, but it seems it hasn’t opened for months. We hope it re-opens soon so we can enjoy their incredible pintxos during our next visit.
Its sea urchin pintxos disappeared really quickly from the bar, and they had some amazing warm pintxos: its kokotxa and foie pintxo was one of the best of the Parte Vieja (kokotxas are stewed throats and cheeks, in this case from cod). The duck filet was not to be missed neither.
Calle 31 de Agosto, 31.
Don’t miss: Mackobe
A Fuego Negro is the most modern pintxo bar in the Parte Vieja, with a chic underground style. The quality and originality of its pintxos make it a must when you travel to San Sebastián.
Their main focus is on warm pintxos and raciones (larger portions to share) and it looks a little bit more like a restaurant. Every year they release a new pintxo, making it more and more difficult for you to choose! Their pintxos also have a very original and fun presentation.
Their most famous pintxo is called Mackobe -a mini-burger made with Kobe beef. We have to confess we didn’t try it in our first visit, we didn’t feel like eating a burger. It was a big mistake, but we made amends our next time there.
Don’t miss their fried quail with home-pickled red onion, it’s delicious!
Another classic is rabrownie – an oxtail (rabo) “brownie”, with its “cream” and “cherry”. We have also enjoyed their porrupatathai (their twist on a street pad thai with potato and leek noodles).
Calle Pescadería, 5.
Don’t miss: anchovy with sea urchin, anchovy with spider crab
If you don’t like anchovies, you can skip this place.
But if you like anchovies, this place is a must when you are in San Sebastián.
Txepetxa has more than 10 different anchovy pintxos made with quality ingredients and very interesting flavour combinations: with spider crab (txangurro), with foie, sea urchin eggs… The latter is Anida’s favourite and won a prize to the “most seaworthy pintxo”.
For people who don’t like anchovies like Marcos they have mushroom pintxos and a few other stuff so you can eat something while your partner, family or friends enjoy this anchovy temple.
Calle 31 de Agosto, 23.
Don’t miss: Pork cheek pintxo (Carrillera de cerdo), Piquillo pepper stuffed with spider crab.
Gandarias is always really full (or, during a pandemic, it was the longest queue in the street).
This is not surprising, because they have an impressive counter full of beautiful and tasty pintxos.
Their warm pintxos are also really good, varied and for a great price (around €3-3.50).
There is also a restaurant area where you can eat regular dishes à la carte, but our mission here is always pintxos!
The Piquillo pepper stuffed with spider crab (txangurro) is one of their greatest hits.
Its pork cheek is really delicious too, as well as the Idiazábal cheese risotto (in the picture)… and something as simple as the ribsteak pintxo (the meat is wonderfully tender).
If you want something lighter, you can order some vegetables with egg yolk… there are pintxos beyond meat, foie gas and seafood.
San Sebastián is not only famous for its several Michelin stars and its pintxos, but also for La Viña’s cheescake. They have been selling it for 30 years now and their recipe is public. But they have become famous in the past 10 years or so thanks to the internet.
La Viña is a classic pintxo bar and restaurant in San Sebastián’s old Town – it opened in 1959. But it’s their cheesecake that made it really famous.
Other bars of San Sebastián have imitated their recipe, but their influence doesn’t stop there – it’s cheesecake is becoming popular in Istanbul and being recreated in Japan!
While you can find it in many places, the original one is that of La Viña, and that’s why there are always people there waiting for their dessert. Go and you will understand its success!
Next time in San Sebastián, we will visit our favourite places, but we also want to discover new pintxos.
That’s why we would really appreciate it if you gave us your recommendations of pintxos in San Sebastián by writing in the comment section.
