After spending a couple of days in San Sebastián earlier this summer, I was left wondering why the hell I had left it so long to visit!
Truly a paradise for food lovers, I could have stayed another month and still not have tried everything I wanted to eat!
Instead of eating a regular sized meal, diners instead make their way around several different “Pintxo bars”, enjoying several small “Pintxos” (little bite sized dishes, often served on skewers or a slice of toasted bread) in each location.
Here is a round up of a few of my favourite places to enjoy”Pintxos” in San Sebastian.
One of the fancier Pintxo places we ate at, Ganbara was also one of my favourites. Bourdain fans will recognise it from the episode of “No Reservations” filmed here (he ate: Iberico ham with mushrooms on toast, crab tartlets, seared wild mushrooms, and their signature foie gras with egg yolk)
The “Tartaleta de Txangurro” a mini tart filled with creamy spider crab, tomato and garlic (2.70 Eu) was by far the best I tried in San Sebastian.
They offer two different types of Mushrooms, both cooked on the plancha & served with a rich golden egg yolk on top. Whilst I enjoyed both, if I had to choose, I’d say I preferred the “Surtido de Setas” (19.50Eu) a plate of mixed mushrooms, to the “Hongos Plancha” (19.50 Eu) which was simple grilled Cepes.
Several types of peppers are also listed, our bartender steered us towards the “Guendillas” a spicy, long green chilli pepper (8.50 Eu) which had a far better spice to them than the sadly lacklustre Pimientos de Padron that just never seem to be spicy these days.
Wine starts at a ludicrous 1.80 Eu a glass, I stuck with the local “Txakoli” (pronounced Chak-o-lee) which is a slightly effervescent wine (like a Portuguese vinho verde) at 2.10 EU which was a top find of the trip!
A far less refined place for Pintxos (and HUGE sandwiches) but possibly my favourite of the trip, Bar Sport was the kind of spot I’d kill for to have as my “local”
Open from 11am-1am, you are best to avoid visiting at peak lunch or dinner hours as the tiny restaurant gets absolutely packed out and you won’t be able to get anywhere near the bar!
My favourite dish here was the outstanding “Erizo de Mar”, a sea urchin shell filled with a rich, Sea Urchin cream and topped with roe (3.50 Eu) and I found myself lingering nearer the bar to try to catch fresh batches coming out from the kitchen! Almost on a par, was their baby squid or “Txipiroi” served stuffed with crab meat and peppers (3.60 Eu) which I sadly only discovered towards the end of the trip!
Of the other dishes I tried, the “Txangurro Horno” baked Spider Crab (3.50 Eu) is worth a mention, (but not as good as those perfect Ganbara “Tartaleta de Txangurro”) as was the simple Pintxo of “Morcilla” a Spanish blood pudding, served with chargrilled peppers on a little piece of baguette.
La Cuchara de San Telmo is renowned for their modernist approach to Basque cuisine and no serious food lover should miss out on eating there.
Unlike the other Pintxo places mentioned here, La Cuchara is different in that you have to order from a large blackboard behind the bar, as opposed to choosing a dish from the counter top.
We shared Pimientos de Piquillo Asado, whole piquillo peppers that had been cooked over coals, then peeled and served with olive oil and a generous pinch of salt (6 Eu to 12 Eu) as well as a small portion of Pulpo Gallego Asado, smoky BBQ’d Octopus with tzatziki (6.50 eu – 24 eu) and a beautiful Cochinita Leitza Asado con Cerveza, BBQ’d Suckling Pig cooked in Beer and served with Quince Jam (6 Eu – 24 Eu)
Whilst La Cuchara de San Telmo is certainly a bit more expensive than the other pintxo places mentioned here, but the menu is quite different, and I really would recommend checking it out!
My friend D had done much of the research for our trip, and we managed to make our way to Bar Desy on our last morning in San Sebastian. Unlike the other Pintxo restaurants mentioned here, Bar Desy is in “Gros” and not in the old town.
Don’t be put off by the unassuming exterior, the Brotxeta de Pulpo (Octopus and Potato Skewer) was one of my favourite pintxos of the trip. Bar Desy is also unique in that they have a great selection of craft beer which was a nice change from the (surprisingly prevalent) Heineken and Txacoli we had been drinking.
We shared some Patatas Bravas (5.50 Eu) as well as ordering Croquetas, Pintxos of Mushroom, Pepper and Bacon on Toasted Baguette & the Octopus, all of which were very decent and a nice change to some of the other pintxos we had seen during our trip.
Chef Pablo Loureiro comes from a family of chefs (his Grandfather was the founder of famous local restaurant “Rodil” and both he and his parents worked there) and after success both at Rodil, and later Branka, he opened his first restaurant, Casa Urola, in 2012.
In addition to their classic selection of Pintxos they also sell a larger menu of seasonal dishes designed to highlight the best in regional ingredients, many of these coming from the charcoal grill.
I tried a few dishes at Cash Urola, including an excellent “Ensalada Tomate y Bonito” Tomato, Piquillos & Bonito Salad (4.50 Eu for a medium portion) their “Tartaleta de Hongos y Idiazabel” a tiny Mushroom & Idiazabel local cheese tart (2.20 Eu) and an outstanding “Pulpo y Sopa Patate” Octopus Tentacle in a rich, creamy potato velouté (3.90 Eu)
My meal came to around 25 Eu which included a beer and a coupe of glasses of wine, as well as a delicious dessert of “Torrijas” a sort of Spanish Pain Perdu.
Bourdain fans may recognise Casa Urola from his San Sebastian episode of “No Reservations”, where he enjoyed dishes of Seared mushrooms with egg yolk and pine nuts, grilled tuna, peas in a consommé of Iberico ham & squid.
Have you been to San Sebastian? Where were your favourite places to eat?
A British Girl Abroad 