18 Best Pintxos in San Sebastian

One of the best things to do in San Sebastián is to sample its delicious cuisine. Donostia has a very typical pintxo culture, which is simply tapas typical of the Basque Country.

So that you don't leave San Sebastián without trying the best ones, here is a list of Donosti's star pintxos. You'll find everything from typical Spanish recipes, such as potato omelette, to creations specific to the area, such as txalupa.

One of the best pintxos in San Sebastián is the risotto at the Borda Berri bar. The recipe changes depending on the season, but the best-known versions are mushroom and Idiazabal cheese. The first is the most common risotto recipe, but the second has a very special flavour that is sure to surprise you. They are also famous for their octopus with quince, pig's ears and pork ribs.

If you want to try the best pintxos in San Sebastián and soak up the gastronomic culture of Donostia, I recommend booking a pintxo tour in San Sebastián. There are some that specialise in pintxos and there are both daytime and evening tours, although, for me, the best option is a gastronomic tour for small groups in the old town of San Sebastián at night.

These tours have a special charm, taking in the best taverns in the historic centre of San Sebastián and, thanks to the size of the group, allowing for a personalised experience. They also usually include wine tasting at the different establishments you visit.

• Where to find it... This small pintxo bar is located at 12 Fermin Calbeton Kalea, in the centre of San Sebastián.

The cuisine at Bodega Donostiarra focuses on Basque gastronomy, with an emphasis on sandwiches, skewers and rice dishes. Among all these pintxos, the mini completo, made with canned tuna, stands out. I also recommend the Indurain, one of the most typical pintxos in Donostia, made with a piece of tuna, an anchovy fillet, a stuffed olive and a couple of chillies. It is a cold pintxo, very nutritious and with a very special blend of flavours.

Beyond the above, if you have the opportunity, I also recommend trying the salted anchovies, marinated salmon, octopus in vinaigrette and homemade hake pie. If you want to try the most typical pintxos in San Sebastián, I suggest you book a pintxo tour in San Sebastián.

One of these is the pintxo tour with a visit to the San Sebastián market. You will walk around the 'Old Town' of San Sebastián, pour cider in true Basque style and drink the best local wine. On this tour, you can try up to four pintxos in different bars around the city.

• Where to find it... It is a restaurant located at 13 Peña y Goñi Street, in the centre of San Sebastián.

I'm heading to the centre of San Sebastián to take you to one of the city's most typical pintxo bars, Bar Ciaboga, famous throughout Donostia for its garlic potatoes. Although it may seem like 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 pepper.

This irresistible dish is one of my favourite pintxos in San Sebastián, but Bar Ciaboga also serves other delicious dishes, such as octopus skewers, Spanish omelette and stuffed mushrooms.

• Where to find it... Bar Ciaboga is located at 9 Easo Street.

If you're looking for the best pintxos in San Sebastián, you can't miss El Bombín bar. It has a pleasant outdoor terrace, ideal for the few sunny days the city enjoys.

If you're a beer lover, I recommend accompanying your pintxo with one of the many excellent beers available at the bar. As a tapa, you have to try the famous pastrami sandwich made with cured red meat. If you like Japanese food, you'll be happy to know that there is a sushi menu.

• Where to find it... This bar is located in the Gros neighbourhood, at 53 Zabaleta Street.

Bar Bergara is one of the most famous bars in the city, thanks to its hot and cold pintxos and homemade desserts. A classic if you book a pintxo tour in San Sebastián.

Among the wide variety of pintxos to choose from, I recommend the Txalupa. This pintxo is a creation of the Bergara kitchen and its name refers to a type of boat that is very common in the area. The Txalupa is a small boat made of mushrooms and prawns with cream and gratinated cheese. I can assure you that the combination of flavours is spectacular, not to mention its smooth texture.

In addition to this pintxo, I also recommend the bacalao ajoarriero(cod with garlic), the scallops au gratin, the duck delicacies and the Itxaso, which is simply a monkfish medallion accompanied by a seafood cream.

• Where to find it... This bar is located in the famous Gros neighbourhood, specifically at 8 General Artetxe Street.

This small bar is famous for its potato omelette pintxo, and when I say famous, I don't just mean in San Sebastián. The potato omelette at Bar Néstor is famous throughout Spain, which is one of the reasons for its long waiting lists. So, if you want to taste one of the best potato omelettes according to the rankings, go early so you don't miss out.

Bear in mind that they only make two tortillas a day, one at 1 p.m. and another at 8 p.m. They only make 16 portions of each, so make sure you're there first. In addition to the potato tortilla, Bar Néstor is also famous for its steaks and fried peppers.

• Where to find it... This famous bar is located in the Old Town of San Sebastián, at 11 Arrandegi Street.

I'm heading to the Old Town of San Sebastián to show you one of the best foie pintxos you'll ever taste in San Sebastián. The Sport bar specialises in both hot and cold pintxos. One of the most notable is the foie pintxo, the house speciality. You have to include it in your pintxo tour of San Sebastián.

I also recommend trying the different sandwiches on the menu, as well as the txangurro, calamari and delicious octopus. As if that weren't enough, the prices are very reasonable and it offers excellent value for money.

• Where to find it... This bar is located at 10 Fermin Calbeton Street.

This is a very simple pintxo, but it stands out for its secret sauce. The rest of the recipe is no mystery: a slice of bread with a skewer of grilled prawns.

Although its star pintxo is the prawn skewers, 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 simply smoked salmon with green pepper and salted anchovies.

At the Goiz-Argi bar you can also try txangurro(spider crab), fried piparras (green peppers), pitufos (chickpeas), txipirones (squid) or stuffed mushrooms. Whatever you order, you're sure to love it.

• Where to find it... The bar is located at 4 Fermin Calbeton Kalea, in the Old Town of San Sebastián.

The Gavilla is a kind of croquette, except that it is filled with Serrano ham and cheese, covered with a layer of béchamel sauce and finally breadcrumbs. It is a very typical recipe in San Sebastián and you will see it in many bars if you book a pintxo tour in San Sebastián.

However, the Gavilla par excellence is the one from the San Marcial bar, which has been delighting locals with its wonderful Gavilla for over 30 years.

• Where to find it... The bar is located at 50 San Marcial Street, just 50 metres from La Concha Beach.

I'm continuing in the centre of San Sebastián to show you a bar with a special charm located on Calle San Martzial. It is a very modern bar with striking décor based on murals. La Espiga serves both pintxos and raciones, and its dishes specialise in Basque and Spanish cuisine.

Among all its pintxos, one of the locals' favourites is the 'Delicia'. It consists of a piece of bread with salted anchovies, vinaigrette, hard-boiled egg, mayonnaise and Worcester sauce. Other delicacies include stuffed peppers, Milanese, ropa vieja de bonito (shredded tuna) and morro en salsa (pork snout in sauce).

Of course, there are also more common Spanish tapas, such as meatballs and ham croquettes. However, I recommend trying typical Basque pintxos.

• Where to find it... The bar is in the centre of San Sebastián, specifically at 48 San Martzial Kalea.

Another of the best bars for pintxos in San Sebastián is Txofre Taberna, a family business that has earned a good reputation on the Donostia culinary scene for generations thanks to its Russian salad.

It's not that it's a different salad from the traditional recipe, as it contains the typical ingredients of this dish: potatoes, egg, tuna and mayonnaise. However, locals know that if they want a good Russian salad pintxo, this is the place to go.

You can even order it to take away. If you book a pintxo tour in San Sebastián, you have to try this tapa.

• Where to find it... In the Gros neighbourhood, at 2 Gloria Street.

This beer hall is a San Sebastián classic that you have to include in your pintxo tour of San Sebastián. Although its name might lead you to believe that its star pintxo is mussels, the truth is that patatas bravas are the real gold.

With their spicy kick, La Mejillonera's patatas bravas recipe attracts numerous locals every day, especially on weekends. Accompany this pintxo with a good local craft beer.

• Where to find it... It is located in the city centre, at 15 Calle del Puerto.

Simple and unassuming in appearance, Bar Paco Bueno is an unpretentious establishment, but with its gambas a la gabardina, it doesn'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, they are prawns wrapped in a batter made from flour and cornflour and fried in plenty of olive oil.

To try this and other famous pintxos in San Sebastián, I recommend taking a tapas-pintxos tour with a local expert.

• Where to find it... This tavern is located at Calle Mayor number 6, in the Old Town of San Sebastián.

The Atari bar is an establishment that seeks to combine traditional cuisine with 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 Atari's best pintxos is one of the star recipes of Spanish cuisine: croquettes. The ham croquettes at this bar in Donostia will blow anyone away. If you still have room, try the sirloin steak in red wine sauce with seasonal garnish.

• Where to find it... This bar is located at 18 Calle Mayor, opposite the Basilica of Our Lady of Coro.

The Txuleta restaurant, as its name suggests, prepares a large number of dishes on its menu with delicious steak. This is how its spectacular, incredibly tasty steak croquettes are made, with a soft texture and a crispy exterior. It has a covered terrace, perfect for rainy days, which are not uncommon in Donostia.

• Where to find it... This bar is located in the Old Town of San Sebastián, in Plaza de la Trinidad, very close to the Basilica of Nuestra Señora del Coro.

Narru restaurant is a sophisticated establishment with a contemporary feel. Its dishes are very elaborate, although they never stray too far from the roots of Basque cuisine.

There are many pintxos, both hot and cold, which make Narru restaurant a renowned spot in Donostia. However, my favourite pintxo is the torreznos, which are cooked to perfection so that they are crispy but juicy.

• Where to find it... The restaurant is located at 22 San Martín, next to the Buen Pastor Cathedral in San Sebastián.

The Ganbara restaurant has been making the residents of San Sebastián's mouths water for over 25 years. It is one of the great landmarks of the Old Town of Donostia.

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

• Where to find it... The restaurant is located at 21 San Jerónimo Street, very close to Constitution Square.

To finish off, I suggest adding a sweet touch to this pintxo tour in San Sebastián with the delicious cheesecake from La Viña. This cheesecake is not only famous in Donostia, but also internationally. In fact, even in Turkey and Japan they try to imitate the recipe for this cheesecake.

La Viña is a casual bar that is also very popular for its famous wines.

• Where to find it... The bar is located on Calle 31 de Agosto, next to the Basilica of Nuestra Señora del Coro.