More insiders tips around the gastro-hub of San Sebastian – See Part 1 here
Sardines in Myriad Guises
Bar Txepetxa in the Parte Vieja has long specialised in them, while Goiz Argi is known for its brocheta de gambas – prawn skewers. Ganbara is famous for its mushrooms, including grilled mushrooms with egg yolk, as well as excellent seafood. La Mejillonera is the place to think mussels.
Risotto Falso at Borda Berri
Then there are bars such as Casa Urola for classic hot pintxos and La Cuchara de San Telmo, where the emphasis is on hot, more elaborate pintxos cooked to order. Borda Berri is another well-known stop. Its ‘risotto falso’ is made not with rice but with small pasta and Idiazabal cheese – a lovely meeting of modern pintxos cooking and one of the great cheeses of the Basque Country.
These are the sorts of details that make a pintxos crawl more interesting. Look around, ask what the house is known for and watch what other people are ordering.
Being on the Bay of Biscay, seafood is naturally everywhere.
You might find prawns threaded onto skewers and cooked to order, octopus, squid, salt cod, anchovies, scallops or perhaps kokotxas – the wonderfully gelatinous flesh from beneath the jaw of hake or cod which is such a prized Basque ingredient.
Sea Urchin
Sea urchin in season is very special.
Then there is chistorra, the thin, fresh, paprika-spiced sausage so associated with this part of Spain, along with excellent jamón, cheeses and vegetables treated with the same respect as meat and fish.
This is what makes a pintxos crawl such fun. There isn’t one style of food. Traditional and modern sit happily alongside one another.
Txepetxa Bar
You can eat pintxos all over San Sebastián, but for a visitor the Parte Vieja – the Old Town – is irresistible. Its narrow streets contain an extraordinary concentration of bars.
Pescadería, Fermín Calbetón, San Jerónimo, 31 de Agosto – you could spend days exploring these streets and still find somewhere new.
There are plenty of classics to discover: Ganbara, Txepetxa, Casa Urola, Goiz Argi, Gandarias, Tamboril, Borda Berri and La Viña among them. Bar Antonio, just outside the Old Town, is another name worth knowing.
But I wouldn’t confine myself to the Parte Vieja. Cross the river to Gros and the atmosphere changes. There are old-school neighbourhood bars as well as inventive newer places. Bodega Donostiarra is a classic – its Indurain combines tuna with spicy peppers – while Bar Ricardo is known for mussel croquettes. Other names to explore include Matalauva, Bergara, Eguzki and Casa Senra.
Explore but have a few places in mind for specialities you particularly want to try. But leave room for serendipity.
Look through a doorway. See what everyone else is eating. If somewhere is buzzing, find out why. Then squeeze in and order.
And then there’s the cheesecake – but save room for other sweets in the next instalment
Or you might like to discover San Sebastián and the Basque country with me 19 – 29 May 2027
Sports Bar in San Sebastian
