You have probably heard that San Sebastián is a food lover’s paradise, but why? Well, it is the city with the most Michelin starred restaurants per capita in Europe and the second one in the world. But even beside expensive Michelin restaurants, the quantity of good quality affordable restaurants and bars is amazing. We went there in September and tried to taste as many different dishes as possible. We’ll give you an overview of what to expect there and what you shouldn’t miss!
San Sebastián’s Old Town has around 500 bars. Most of them are Pintxo bars, serving both simple, traditional and newer creative dishes. Chefs here love to experiment and combine local fresh ingredients in exciting new ways. This is the place to be adventurous and try food you wouldn’t normally eat, because chances are that you will like it. But even for a picky eater, there will be something, because often even the simplest of dishes, made out of good quality ingredients, are delicious. So, where to eat when in San Sebastián?
Continue reading to find what the Basque cuisine is all about, what to try and where the go-to places are in San Sebastián.
You also might find interesting:
The Ultimate One-Day Itinerary for San Sebastián
What You'll Find In This Post:
What are Pintxos?
Pintxos (pronounced pinchos) are small snacks of different local ingredients, traditionally held together with a skewer or toothpick on a slice of bread. They are usually eaten in a few bites and no cutlery is needed. The Pintxos are a big part of the social culture in the Basque Country. People usually snack on them while hanging out with friends.
Pintxos first appeared in the 1930-40s in a bar in San Sebastián. The owner wanted to attract more clients with little appealing appetizers, that were shown on the counter. After it was very successful, many bars started to offer them as well. It quickly became popular, and now they are the essence of the local cuisine.
What is the difference between Pintxos and Tapas?
Pintxos are often described as the tapas of the Basque Country. However, there are many differences between the two popular Spanish appetizers. Here are the main distinctions:
- While tapas are eaten either at lunch or dinner while having a drink, locals can have pintxos at any time during the day.
- You don’t have to sit down to have a pintxo, it is often eaten on the go. Just like Italians have their espresso quickly at a bar and then move along with their day.
- Tapas usually have just one main ingredient – olives, peppers, fried fish or potatoes, for instance. Pintxos, on the other hand, are more elaborated. They consist of many ingredients that often require a lot of preparation.
What are traditional Pintxo ingredients?
Every town in the Basque Country has their own traditional special pintxos that you’ll only be able to get there and San Sebastián, being the original pintxos place, is no different. That being said, there are some recurring ingredients that you can find all over the Basque Country:
- sardines/anchovies – one of the best bars in San Sebastián specialises in creating anchovy pintxos and you can read more about it below
- crab paste mixture – very smooth and doesn’t taste too fishy, which was a bonus for me
- croquets – you can find different kinds, everything from cheese, to different veggies, meat and fish
How to choose a good pintxo bar in San Sebastián – 3 tips:
- Go with the Spanish crowd. If a bar is very busy and especially if the majority of customers speak Spanish – it is a good sign and will probably be a good choice.
- Stay away from empty bars. We have made the mistake in the past to go into a restaurant, that had good reviews online, but it was totally empty on a Friday evening, whereas everything around it was full. Don’t! There is a reason some bars are empty.
- Don’t look for fancy bars. Many of the good ones are really tiny with very basic setting. The food, on the other hand, is heavenly.
What are the best Pintxo Bars in San Sebastián?
It is not easy to say which are the best bars, when there are over 500 bars in the Old Town alone. Most of them are quite good. I will list here three of my favourites, that have also been recommended to me from a local. However, feel free to explore other places, as well, just make sure to follow the tips above!
Gandaria
Gandaria is one of the most famous ones and the food is amazing. It is a restaurant and a bar at the same time. At the bar they have a variety of traditional pintxos on bread, but also a lot of small plates, like in the picture below. Even though it was very busy, it is possible to get a table, because people usually finish their pintxos quite fast. You order at the bar and there isn’t really a queue, so don’t be too shy.
Their scallops were to die for, and the meat was extremely flavourful and juicy. There were so many other things I would love to try next time around, because everything looked fresh and delicious.
Where: 31 de Agosto Kalea, 23
(Google Maps link)
Bar Txepetxa
This is a very small, but popular bar with a few high tables outside. It is always full, so you will need to manage your way to the bar to order. The staff is very nice and helpful. They specialize in fish pintxos and mainly anchovies. They also recently won the prize for pintxo of the year in 2022, and you can order the winning pintxo and try it yourself. I really enjoyed it. Further, you should definitely try some of their other specials with anchovies.
Where: Arrandegi Kalea, 5 (Google Maps link)
Bar Borda Berri
This bar has been around since 1949 and offers a lot of different takes on the pintxos, using just the freshest local ingredients. It usually gets quite crowded around the peak times, so it may be a good idea to get there some 10–15 minutes before it opens. The staff is friendly and handles the chaotic atmosphere quite well, so even if you’re late you should be able to order relatively promptly. The pintxos vary a lot and everyone should be able to find something they’d like.
Where: Fermin Calbeton Kalea, 12 (Google Maps link)
Where to try the original Burnt Basque Cheesecake?
Maybe you have already heard of the famous Basque Cheesecake, or you will, as soon as you step foot in San Sebastián, because it is literally everywhere. It has become very popular outside of Spain recently, there are multiple videos and recipes online in different languages, however none can really match the original. The cheesecake was invented here, in San Sebastián, in the 1990s, in a bar called La Viña in the Old Town and the recipe is kept secret.
Nowadays, it is served in many bars, restaurants and bakeries around town, but you can still try the original one at La Viña.
What makes the San Sebastián cheesecake more special than other cheesecakes? Well, the major difference is that there isn’t a base, it is all cream. The cream itself is velvety, juicy and soft in the middle, and it melts in your mouth. It isn’t too sweet at all. The edges are dark golden brown – hence the name – Burnt.
In my opinion, the Burnt Basque Cheesecake is definitely something to try when visiting San Sebastián. Whether it is the best cheesecake ever – I don’t think so, at least not for me, since I really missed the crunch of a cheesecake base, but nonetheless I’m glad I tried it.
Where: 31 de Agosto Kalea, 3 (Google Maps link)
Are there any vegetarian Pintxos?
Vegetarians generally struggle when visiting Spain, because the majority of the traditional dishes include either the famous Iberian ham, different types of meat or fish. It is no different here, in the Basque Country. The focus is mainly on cured ham or fish, but there are also a few meat-free pintxos. I can recommend the ones with stuffed paprika on top or cheese croquets.
Here are some of the best bars, offering vegetarian pintxos, with links to TripAdvisor:
Since most of the vegetarian options include eggs or cheese, it might prove extremely difficult for a vegan to find pintxos in the Basque Country. But maybe, this is going to change in the next few years.
Should you do a Pintxo tour in San Sebastián?
A pintxo tour is a great way for a visitor to get to know the local flavours and culture a bit more. There are many places, where you can find such a tour – like AirBnB or GetYourGuide. Personally, I find the tours offered there quite expensive (around 130 EUR p.p.), since most of the pintxos are quite cheap (2-5 EUR).
However, you get to spend the evening with a local, chatting about local culture, food and wine. We did a tour exactly for this reason in Bilbao (it was also a bit cheaper than the tours in San Sebastián), and we thoroughly enjoyed our evening with the guide. He explained way more about the pintxos than we would have otherwise learned on our own.
Overall, a food tour is a great way to delve deeper into the pintxo culture. That being said, it is not necessary to do one in every city you visit in the Basque Country – one food tour would suffice.
Conclusion
It has to be said that we were only able to scratch the surface of the food culture in San Sebastián in our guide and during our time there. As we mentioned in the beginning, the city boasts many Michelin starred restaurants you can try if you can afford to spend a bit more on food. Many Michelin starred chefs or people that worked in those kitchens, however, go on to open a pintxo bar themselves, meaning you can enjoy high-quality food for little money almost everywhere in San Sebastián. Hopefully, we were able to give you a good overview and a great starting point for you to go and discover on your own!
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