How to enjoy the best pintxos in San Sebastian

Pintxos or pinchos, whatever you call them – these bite size delights are the basque take on spanish tapas and the ideal place to experience them is in San Sebastián.

One of the first things we thought wandering around San Sebastian (or Donostia as its known by the local Basques) was we must have died and woken up in foodie heaven. As two people who love to eat more than the average human should, there could be no place better.

For those of you who haven’t heard, let us tell you about an orgasmic Spanish (more specifically basque) snack called pintxos, found in abundance on bar tops throughout Northern Spain. Pintxos are delicious bite-size snacks served on bread with an endless number of mouth-smackingly good toppings. The experience of ordering pintxos in San Sebastian is just as fun as the act of eating them.

San Sebastian’s gastronomic delights don’t just stop at Pintxos (oven fresh cheese cake anyone?), the entire town is a food theme park with a variety of Basque treats that you’ll be talking about long after you’ve digested them.

Here’s a guide for how to enjoy a great night out eating the best pintxos, drinking sidre and dancing in San Sebastián.

Pace yourself

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When we saw those gorgeous pintxos lined up next to each other in all of their colourful glory in San Sebastian, I was like a dog who had forgotten I’d ever eaten before. Aaron had to pull on my lead to remind me of a little thing called restraint. Even then it took every inch of willpower not to load up three plates with one of everything (because I just don’t know when to stop). There’s not just one bar that serves them, pretty much every single bar in the old town does and if you’re like us, then you’re going to want to try them all, all at once. This also applies to drinking the sidre (cider) – don’t throw it down all at once. Go in for the long haul and make a night of it. Marathon, not sprint.

Try the local San Sebastián pintxos specialties

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As you can see, Pintxos look as pretty as a picture but I often had no idea what I was eating (nor did I care – ignorance is often bliss). Don’t miss trying the famous Gilda Pintxo (pepper & anchovies), salt codd and Txuleta (only eat this one if you’re into meat – which I am not). Oh, and pimento (cherry pepper) everything.

Eat all the ‘straight out of the oven’ fresh cheesecake

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Let me just say, it’s a good thing we don’t live in San Sebastian ‘cos we’d probably need to be crane-lifted out of our house. Why? San Sebastian is the home of probably the best baked cheesecake in the entire world (and we’re not even that into cake). As soon as we had a bite, we were looking at each other like we had found the Holy Grail of All Foods (we still talk about it almost weekly). We highly recommend a little place called La Viña in the heart of San Sebastian if you want the best in town. We visited every day for four days straight and somehow managed to get our way to the front of the bar the very second it came out of the oven. Melt in the mouth! Don’t save it for dessert, just mix it in on your pintxos bar crawl. Here you can see us enjoying it with a side of pimento. Strangely, the perfect match.

Throw the paper napkins on the floor

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It may feel unnatural if you’re the kind of person who frequently picks up other people’s rubbish in the street, but if you don’t want to look like a typical tourist you just gotta start throwing your napkin on the ground with gusto. Stand in the mosh pit that is the bar and enjoy every mouthful of pintxos before throwing your napkin on the floor. At the end of the night they get out their broom and sweep them away! It’s not littering, it’s efficient rubbish management.

Order from the menu

Yes the bars might be almost bursting at the seams with colourful pintxos, but some of the best food is made to order. Choose from platos or raciones depending on how hungry you are… that’s how we found ourselves the delicious goopy mushroom dish featured above. They come out steaming hot and made just for you.

Get amongst the vibe

…Otherwise known as feel free to try and get as drunk as you can on local wine and cider. We say try because when you’re eating all night long, there’s not much chance of this. Locals and tourists spill out of the smaller bar establishments onto the streets, people cram shoulder to shoulder at the bar, drinking, laughing. We made sure we made the most of the vibe, eating our pintxos on the street, dancing around the locals, and making friends at every turn. Aaron even put on a solo performance for the innocent passers and took “dance like no one is watching” to a whole new level. Because literally despite all the hundreds of people, no one was watching!

Eat now, pay later

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Bars in San Sebastian work on a trust system when it comes to payment (which is foreign to us Aussies!). Basically we loaded up our plates with as many pintxos as we could fit on, and then at the end of the night, we handed over our plates so they could count the toothpicks (which hold the pintxos together) and charge accordingly. Efficient, trusting and a great way to enjoy an informal dining experience.

If you can’t fit in the bar, party on the street

Whether you physically can’t fit in the bar because you ate too much, or there’s just not room in the crowd, no need to fear. We often found ourselves a great little spot on the street, a made-shift restaurant. You’re likely to pick up a number of friends on the street too (especially when you’re attracting as many strange looks as I did for eating off the footpath).

So where can you find these pintxos that dreams are made of? Pretty much everywhere! We’ll do another post on where to go one day soon, but whatever you do don’t forget La Vina – their cheescake really will blow your mind. Here’s a pic of us about 10 drinks and 100 pintxos in just to show you how happy you’ll be in San Sebastian.

Rosie & Aaron