Best Pintxos in San Sebastian

One of the best things to do in San Sebastian is to taste its delicious gastronomy. In Donostia is very typical the pintxo culture, which are nothing more than typical tapas of the Basque Country.

So that you don't leave San Sebastian without trying the best ones, I leave you a list of the star pintxos of Donosti. You will find from typical recipes of the Spanish scene, such as tortilla de patatas, to specific creations of the area, such as the txalupa.

One of the best pintxos in San Sebastian is the risotto at the Borda Berri bar. This small pintxo bar is located at Fermin Calbeton Kalea street number 12, in the center of San Sebastian. Its star pintxos are risotto, ears and pork ribs.

As for risotto, the recipe changes depending on the season, but the best known versions are mushroom and Idiazabal. The former is the most common risotto recipe, but the latter has a very special flavor that will surely surprise you. In addition, octopus with quince jelly is also famous.

If you want to try the best pintxos in San Sebastian and soak up the gastronomic culture of Donostia, I recommend that you take a gastronomic tour. There are some specialized precisely in pintxos and there are both day and night, although, for me, the best is a gastronomic tour for small groups in the old town of San Sebastian at night.

These tours have a special charm, they go through the best taverns in the historic center of San Sebastian and, thanks to the size of the group, allow a personalized treatment. In addition, they usually include a wine tasting in the different places you visit.

La Bodega Donostiarra is a restaurant located in Peña y Goñi street, at number 13, in the center of San Sebastian. Its cuisine focuses on Basque gastronomy, highlighting its sandwiches, skewers and rice dishes. Among all these pintxos, the mini completo stands out, based on canned tuna.

In addition, I also recommend the Indurain, one of the most typical pintxos of Donostia. It is made from a piece of tuna, an anchovy fillet, a stuffed olive and a couple of chilli peppers. It is a cold pintxo, very nutritious and with a mixture of flavors of the most special.

Beyond the above, if you have the opportunity, I also advise you to try the salted anchovies, marinated salmon, octopus in vinaigrette and homemade hake pie. In case you want to try the most typical pintxos of San Sebastian, I suggest you take a pintxos tour.

One of them is the pintxos tour with a visit to the market of San Sebastian. You will walk through the 'Parte Vieja' of San Sebastian, pour cider in the purest Basque style and drink the best local wine. With this tour, you could try up to four pintxos in different bars of the city.

I'm going to the center of San Sebastian to take you to one of the most typical pintxo bars in the city. The Ciaboga bar is located at number 9 Easo Street and is famous throughout Donostia for its garlic potatoes.

Although it may seem a simple dish, no one has been able to perfectly imitate the delicious sauce that covers the potatoes, made with parsley, garlic, olive oil and cayenne. This irresistible dish is one of my favorite pintxos in San Sebastian, but the Ciaboga bar also has other delicious dishes, such as octopus brochette, potato omelette or stuffed mushrooms.

If you are looking for the best pintxos in San Sebastian, you can't miss El Bombín bar. This bar is located in the neighborhood of Gros, at 53 Zabaleta street. It has a nice open terrace, ideal for the few sunny days in the city.

In case you are a beer lover, I recommend you to accompany your pintxo with a good beer of the many that are in the bar. As a tapa, you have to try the very famous corned beef pastrami sandwich. If you like Japanese food, you will be happy to know that there is a sushi menu.

In the famous Gros neighborhood of San Sebastian, specifically at number 8 General Artetxe street, you will find the Bergara bar. It is one of the most famous bars in the city, due to its pintxos, both hot and cold, and its homemade desserts.

Among the great variety of pintxos you have to choose from, I recommend the Txalupa. This pintxo is a creation of the cuisine of Bergara and its name refers to a type of boat very common in the area. Thus, the Txalupa is a small boat of mushrooms and prawns with cream and gratin cheese. I assure you that the combination of flavors is spectacular, not to mention its soft texture.

In addition to this pintxo, I also recommend the cod ajoarriero, the scallop au gratin, the duck delights and the Itxaso, which is nothing more than a monkfish medallion accompanied by a seafood cream.

In the Old Part of San Sebastian, at 11 Arrandegi Street, there is a small bar famous for its potato omelette pintxo. And when I say famous, I don't just mean in San Sebastian.

The tortilla de patatas at the Nestor bar is famous all over Spain, which is one of the reasons for its long waiting lists. So, if you want to taste one of the best tortilla de patatas according to the rankings, go early so you don't miss it.

Keep in mind that they make two tortillas all day, one at 13:00 and another at 20:00. From each of them, only 16 servings are made, so make sure you're there first. In addition to the tortilla de patata, the Nestor bar is also famous for its chuletones (steaks) and pimientos fritos (fried peppers).

I'm moving to the Old Part of San Sebastian to show you one of the best foie pintxos you're going to try in San Sebastian. The Sport bar is located at Fermin Calbeton street number 10. It specializes in both hot and cold pintxos. One of the most outstanding is the foie pintxo, the great specialty of the house.

I also recommend you to try the different sandwiches on the menu, as well as the txangurro, squid and the delicious octopus. As if that were not enough, it has very good prices and keeps an excellent quality-price ratio.

This is a very simple pintxo, although it stands out for its secret sauce. The rest of the recipe has no more mystery: a slice of bread with a skewer of grilled prawns. The Goiz-Argi bar is located at Fermin Calbeton Kalea 4, in the Old Part of San Sebastian.

Although its star pintxo is the shrimp skewers, this small bar decorated with watercolors also has other specialties. I recommend you try the Marijuli, one of the bar's most typical recipes, which is nothing more than smoked salmon with green bell pepper and salted anchovies.

You can also try the txangurro (spider crab), fried peppers, smurfs, txipirones (baby squid) or stuffed mushrooms. Whatever you order, you are sure to love it.

La Gavilla is a kind of croquette, except that it is stuffed with Serrano ham and cheese, a layer of bechamel sauce and, finally, breadcrumbs. It is a very typical recipe of San Sebastian and you will see it in many bars.

However, the Gavilla par excellence is that of the San Marcial bar, located at 50 San Marcial street. This bar is only 50 meters from the Concha beach and has been making the lives of the locals with its wonderful Gavilla for more than 30 years.

I continue in the center of San Sebastian to show you a bar with a special charm located in San Martzial street. It is a very modern bar with a very striking decoration based on murals. La Espiga serves both pintxos and raciones and its dishes are specialized in Basque and Spanish cuisine.

Among all its pintxos, one of the favorites of the locals is the 'Delicia'. It is a piece of bread with salted anchovies, vinaigrette, hard-boiled egg, mayonnaise and Worcester sauce. In addition, stuffed peppers, milanesa, ropa vieja de bonito and morro en salsa are also a delight.

Of course, there are also more common tapas from the Spanish scene, such as albondigas (meatballs) or croquetas de jamón (ham croquettes). However, my recommendation is to try pintxos typical of Basque cuisine.

In the Parte Vieja you will find many of the best bars and restaurants in San Sebastian. One of them is Zeruko, located at 1 Pescadería Street. It is a simple establishment with a large number of pintxos, both hot and cold.

Its star pintxo is 'la hoguera'. It consists of a piece of cod, which is placed on a grid over a clay pot. In this way, you decide the point at which you want to take the fish.

In the neighborhood of Gros, in Mirakruz street number 17, you will find another of the best bars to go for pintxos in San Sebastian. The Ezkurra bar is a family business that for generations has earned a good place in the culinary scene of Donostia thanks to its Russian salad.

It is not that it is a different salad from the traditional one in terms of the recipe, as it has the typical ingredients of this dish: potatoes, egg, tuna and mayonnaise. However, the locals know that if they want a good pintxo of ensaladilla rusa, this is where they have to go. In fact, you can even order it to go. If you go on a gastronomic pintxo tour in San Sebastian, you have to try this tapa.

This brewery is a classic in San Sebastian. It is located in the downtown area, at number 15, Calle del Puerto. Although its name might lead you to believe that its star pintxo is the mussels, the truth is that the gold medal goes to the patatas bravas.

With that spicy touch, the patatas bravas recipe of La Mejillonera attracts many locals every day, especially on weekends. Accompany this pintxo with a good local craft beer.

At number 6 Mayor Street, in the Old Part of San Sebastian, there is a small tavern with a simple and humble appearance. The Paco Bueno bar is an unpretentious establishment, but with its gamba a la gabardina it needs nothing more.

Every day, at hamaiketako time, the locals go to Paco Bueno to savor this delicious pintxo. In case you haven't tried gambas a la gabardina before, it is a shrimp wrapped in a dough based on flour and cornstarch and fried in plenty of olive oil.

To try this and other renowned pintxos in San Sebastian, I recommend you take a tapas-pintxo tour with a local expert.

The Atari bar is located at 18 Mayor Street, in front of the Basilica of Nuestra Señora del Coro. It is an establishment that tries to unite the traditional cuisine with the avant-garde, achieving a unique touch. One of the great advantages of Atari is that it has a terrace, which is great if you are lucky enough to go on a sunny day.

One of the best pintxos at Atari is one of the star recipes of Spanish cuisine: croquettes. The ham croquettes at this Donostia bar will knock anyone's socks off. If you still have room, try the sirloin steak in red wine sauce with seasonal garnish.

The Txuleta restaurant, as its name indicates, elaborates a great number of dishes of its menu with the delicious meat of the T-bone steak. This is how their spectacular steak croquettes are born, incredibly tasty, with a soft texture and a crunchy exterior.

This bar is located in the Old Part of San Sebastian, in the Plaza de la Trinidad, very close to the Basilica of Nuestra Señora del Coro. It has a covered terrace, perfect for rainy days, which are not few in Donostia.

The Narru restaurant is a sophisticated establishment with modern aromas. Its dishes are very elaborate, although they never stray too far from the roots of Basque cuisine. The restaurant is located at San Martín number 22, next to the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd in San Sebastian.

There are many pintxos, both hot and cold, that make Narru restaurant a renowned place in Donostia. However, my favorite pintxo is the torreznos, which are made just right so that they are crispy but juicy.

The Ganbara restaurant has been making the mouths of the people of San Sebastian water for more than 25 years. It is one of the great references of the Old Part of Donostia and is located in the street of San Jerónimo number 21, very close to the square of the Constitution.

Its pintxos and its wine list are exquisite. Among all its dishes, the famous chistorra puff pastry stands out. In addition, other specialties of this restaurant of Donostia are the battered asparagus and the tartlet of txangurro.

To finish, I suggest you give this list of the best pintxos in San Sebastian a sweet touch with the delicious cheesecake of La Viña. This cheesecake is not only famous in Donostia, but internationally. In fact, even in Turkey and Japan they try to imitate the recipe of this cheesecake.

La Viña is an informal bar located in 31 de Agosto street, next to the Basilica of Nuestra Señora del Coro. Its wines are also famous.