San Sebastian, Spain: How to do Pintxos like a pro.

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After our road trip through St Emilion & Biarritz, France we dropped our rental car off in Biarritz. (it is WAY more expensive to rent a car if you drop it off in another country) And hopped on a bus to San Sebastian. The bus was extremely easy, and had a gorgeous view as you'd drive along the coastline of Basque country. 

 
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While we were in Biarritz, someone mentioned to us that we would be getting to San Sebastian on Thursday night, aka - Pintxos Pote! Naturally I was excited... but also confused. 

What is Pintxo Pote?? 

First, lets start with a Pintxo. While most people think of Tapas for Spanish traditional cuisine, in the Basque region of Northern Spain, Pintxos (pronounced peen-chos) are their claim to fame. 

Pintxos were traditionally a slice of baguette bread stacked with any type of food. To hold it in place, a cocktail stick or 'pintxo' was used.   And Pote refers to a drink. 

So Pintxos Pote = A bit of food & drink

On certain nights in San Sebastian some restaurants will partake in this Pintxo Pote which means you can get a Pintxo & a drink for a certain (very cheap) price. (As cheap as 1 euro, or as expensive as 5 euros).

On these nights, the streets will be filled with hungry & happy San Sebastians (and tourists) enjoying the beautiful weather and delicious food. 

On a non-pintxo pote night (every other night of the week) there will still be plenty of pintxos out at the bars. But there may not be this 2-for-1 deal. 

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PINTXOS 101:

ORDERING PINTXOS:

  • The pintxos will usually be lined up all along the bar. Sometimes you'll see on a menu written above the bar for hot pintxos, and those you must order.

  • Some pintxos may cost more than others (2euros vs 4 euros), and sometimes there is no way of knowing which is which!

  • Typically you take a small plate, place whichever pintxos looks interesting on your plate, order a drink and pay. (some bars have you pay at the end).

  • Then either find a standing table in the bar or hang out outside, its all quite relaxed!
 
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WHAT TO ORDER:

  • Try to order something you wouldn't typically try- you'd be surprised! San Sebastian does meat really well, so be sure to try: Carrillera (beef cheek), pulpo (octopus), solomillo (steak), bacalao (cod)
  • Order some of the dishes that need to be cooked to order (written on the blackboard). They are usually some of the best! (more expensive but worth it)
  • If the bar isn't too hectic, ask the bartender what he recommends. 
  • Keep an open mind! This is the time to try something new because its only a bite size. When in doubt if you don't like it, you didn't waste an entire meal. 
  • You must try their hard cider or txakoli wine. One, they're delicious, and two is they have a unique way of being poured. The higher the pour, the better! (see the picture to the right)
 
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WHEN TO GO:

In Spain, people eat dinner quite late (starting at around 8:30-9pm). But on big pintxos nights (like a pintxo-pote night) it can get VERY crowded, so don't wait until 10:30 otherwise it may get too crowded to enjoy.

 

WHERE TO GO:

First, what I recommend (if you're visiting San Sebastian for only a few nights) is doing a Pintxo Bar crawl! Stay at each Pintxos bar for only 1 or 2 drinks/pintxos, that way you can taste a little bit of each restaurant. When in doubt, the next night you can come back to your favorite place. 

For the less expensive: 

  • You have PLENTY of options, and I honestly don't remember the names of the places we went to. 

For the more expensive:

  • La Cuchara de San Telmo (website (separate blog post coming soon, its that good) One of our absolute favorite meals while in San Sebastian. 
  • Zeruko: (website) Pintxos' are about 4-6 euros, but worth it. It gets quite crowded so be sure to make this your first or second stop of the night. 
  • Borda Berri: (website) recommend getting the pulpo (octopus) or the carrillera (beef cheek)
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Mastering Pintxos like a pro? That I can do. Learning how to skateboard in San Sebastian? Now that takes some work. (blog post here)


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