Best Pintxos in San Sebastian

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

So that you don't leave San Sebastian without trying the best ones, here is a list of the star pintxos in San Sebastian. You'll find everything from typical Spanish recipes, such as tortilla de patatas (potato omelette), to specific local creations, such as 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 12, in the centre 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 the mushroom and Idiazabal recipes. The former is the most common risotto recipe, but the latter has a very special flavour that is sure to surprise you. 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 you take a gastronomic tour. There are some that specialise precisely in pintxos and there are both day and night tours, although, for me, the best is a gastronomic tour for small groups in the old quarter of San Sebastian at night.

These tours have a special charm, they pass through the best taverns in the historic centre of San Sebastian and, thanks to the size of the group, they allow for personalised treatment. In addition, they usually include a wine tasting at the different establishments you visit.

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

I also recommend the Indurain, one of the most typical pintxos in 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 very special mix of flavours.

Apart from the above, if you have the chance, I also recommend you try the salted anchovies, the marinated salmon, the octopus in vinaigrette and the homemade hake pie. If 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 San Sebastian market. 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 around the city.

I'm off to the centre 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 all over Donostia for its potatoes with garlic.

Although it may seem like a simple dish, no one has managed 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 favourite 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 the bar El Bombín. This bar is located in the Gros neighbourhood, at number 53 Zabaleta street. It has a pleasant open-air terrace, ideal for the few sunny days in the city.

If you are a beer lover, I recommend that you accompany your pintxo with one of the many beers available at the bar. As a tapa, you have to try the very famous corned beef pastrami sandwich. If you like Japanese food, you'll be happy to know that there is a sushi menu.

In the famous Gros district of San Sebastian, on Calle del General Artetxe number 8, you will find the Bergara bar. It is one of the most famous bars in the city, thanks to its pintxos, both hot and cold, and its homemade desserts.

From the wide variety of pintxos to choose from, I recommend the Txalupa. This pintxo is a typical creation of Bergara cuisine and its name refers to a type of boat that is very common in the area. The Txalupa is a small boat of mushrooms and prawns with cream and cheese au gratin. I assure you that the combination of flavours is spectacular, not to mention its smooth 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 number 11 Arrandegi Street, you will find a small bar famous for its pintxo de tortilla de patatas (potato omelette). And when I say famous, I don't just mean in San Sebastian.

The tortilla de patatas at the Néstor 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 out.

Bear in mind that they make two omelettes all day, one at 13:00 and another at 20:00. There are only 16 portions of each omelette, so make sure you're there first. In addition to the tortilla de patata, Bar Néstor 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'll try in San Sebastian. The Sport bar is located at 10 Fermin Calbeton street. It specialises in both hot and cold pintxos. One of the most outstanding is the foie pintxo, the house speciality.

I also recommend you try the different sandwiches on the menu, as well as the txangurro (spider crab), squid and the delicious octopus. As if that weren't enough, the prices are very good and the value for money is excellent.

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 prawn brochettes, this small bar decorated with watercolours also has other specialities. I recommend you try the Marijuli, one of the bar's most typical recipes, which is nothing more than smoked salmon with green pepper and salted anchovies.

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

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

However, the Gavilla par excellence is that of the bar San Marcial, located at Calle San Marcial number 50. This bar is just 50 metres from La Concha beach and has been making the locals' lives happy with its wonderful Gavilla for more than 30 years.

I continue in the centre 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 specialised in Basque and Spanish cuisine.

Among all its pintxos, one of the favourites of the locals is the 'Delicia'. This is a piece of bread with salted anchovies, vinaigrette, hard-boiled egg, mayonnaise and Worcester sauce. Other delicacies include stuffed peppers, milanesa, ropa vieja de bonito and morro en salsa.

Of course, there are also more common Spanish tapas, 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 number 1 Pescadería Street. It is a simple establishment with a wide range 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 on a clay pot. In this way, you decide how hot you want to cook the fish.

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

It is not 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 the place to go. In fact, you can even order it to take away. If you go on a gastronomic pintxo tour in San Sebastian, you have to try this tapa.

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

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

In Calle Mayor number 6, 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 gambas a la gabardina you don't need anything else.

Every day, at hamaiketako time, the locals flock to Paco Bueno to savour this delicious pintxo. In case you haven't tried gambas a la gabardina before, it's a prawn wrapped in a flour and cornflour batter 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 number 18, Calle Mayor, opposite the Basilica of Nuestra Señora del Coro. It is an establishment that tries to combine traditional and avant-garde cuisine, 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 bar in Donostia would 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 suggests, prepares a large number of dishes on 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 infrequent in San Sebastian.

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

There are many pintxos, both hot and cold, that make Narru restaurant a renowned place in Donostia. However, my favourite 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 landmarks of the Old Part of San Sebastian and is located at Calle de San Jerónimo 21, very close to the Plaza de la Constitución.

Its pintxos and wine list are exquisite. Of all its dishes, the famous chistorra puff pastry stands out. Other specialities at this restaurant in Donostia include battered asparagus and crab tartlet.

To finish off, I suggest you give this list of the best pintxos in San Sebastian a sweet touch with La Viña's delicious cheesecake. This cheesecake is not only famous in San Sebastian, 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.