Where to eat the best pintxos in San Sebastián
San Sebastián is the city of pintxos! If you go out at night, you're doing something wrong if you don't end up in one of the many pintxos bars in the old town, with a glass of txakoli (Basque white wine) in one hand and a plate of pintxos in the other. These little tapas remind me a lot of Venetian cicchetti, but they can vary in style and taste. The most classic ones are basically like cicchetti, various toppings on a small baguette, and cost around €2. The more elaborate the pintxos bar, the more fancy the pintxos you can choose from the menus behind the bar and they will be prepared in the kitchen and brought to you hot.
What they all have in common is that they taste amazing and the excitement of going from bar to bar, from pintxos to pintxos, is what makes San Sebastián so special!
You can find basic pintxos in all the bars in San Sebastián, but you can also find the highest number of Michelin-starred restaurants in the region (many more than in Biarritz, for example).
And often these Michelin restaurants offer their starred menus upstairs, while serving pinxtos at the bar for a fair price! So this guide is for the foodies who want to find the best pintxos in town!
All of these places are located in the old town of San Sebastián and can be visited in one night, so get your boots on and go!
Gandarias
Let's start with the basics: Gandarias is the perfect place to start your pinxtos hunt, as it has a huge counter from which you can choose some classic pinxtos. The classics are tortilla, baguette with iberico ham and cheese, baguette with duck confit and grilled scampi (all very good here!).
The place is always busy with people crowding around the outside standing tables, but don't worry about not getting a table as there is always fluctuation! Pinxtos are best paired with a fresh, slightly sparkling white wine from the Basque Country called txakoli, which costs 2.50 a glass.
Ganbara
This place also has its restaurants with their fancy menu downstairs, but on the ground floor there is a small, very busy but cosy pinxtos bar, which is famous for its stone mushrooms. We have never had stone mushrooms this good in our lives, and the rest of the menu was also divine, even though the stone mushrooms are the reason you cue for this place.
Cervecerias La Mejillonera
Further down the street you will come across another institution! This place is all about seafood! The atmosphere is very local, authentic and super fun. Order from the huge boards above the bar - I recommend the mussels and calamari. We’ve learned that Basque people throw their napkins on the floor when the food is good, so you'll see a lot of them on the floor here.
Casa Urola
This place has a restaurant upstairs where they serve their prestige menu, but a small pinxtos bar downstairs. They have some pinxtos on display, but it is better to order from their menu, which is written on the blackboard and changes with the seasons.
They are known for their lobster spoon (which is amazing) and their steak filet tapas. Both are around €5, which I find absolutely amazing considering this is a Michelin star restaurant.
La Cepa de Bernardo
La Cepa is the place where you can still satisfy your urge to eat your part of the ham of the leg - Jamon Iberico. Understanding the difference between the different Jamon Iberico is a whole science. We had to travel to San Sebastian to learn that there are different types of Jamon Iberico, varying in quality and price. Jamon Bellota is the most noble and expensive, due to the fact that the happy pigs eat only or almost only acorns, then comes Jamon Cebo, for which the pigs eat about 50% acorns. Fact is, I am not a big fan of Jamon Iberico or Serrano or whatever they are called in general - but the one in La Cepa I loved! It is so tasty that you want to order more than one plate. .... But the homemade tortilla is also a hit and the best we had in San Sebastian!
Bar Txepetxa
No idea how to pronounce it, but this is the place for you to eat anchovy pintxos and only anchovy pintxos! This place is an institution and they really know their stuff! You choose your anchovy from a menu at the bar (don't worry, there are pictures) and they miraculously make it in the kitchen behind closed doors and in 3 minutes you have your crunchy, salty, yummy anchovy baguette tapas! My favorite is the one with fresh peppers on top because it tastes so fresh and just adds that little extra to the anchovy!
La Vina
For dessert, you must go here and order a slice of their super famous Basque cheesecake and a glass of sweet white wine (dessert wine)! The cake is simply amazing, but a piece for 2 is definitely enough as it is so filling.
Hope you enjoyed your little pintxos tour of the old town of San Sebastián!
