The best way to eat pintxos in San Sebastián is to keep moving: one or two pintxos and a small drink per bar, then walk to the next. Start in the Parte Vieja (old town), where dozens of bars sit within a few streets, and keep a second evening for Gros, across the river, which feels more local. Below is a route built from bars that food guides, critics and the city's tourism office mention again and again, plus how to order without feeling lost.
How pintxo bars work
- Cold pintxos sit on the counter. In some bars you ask the staff for what you want; in others you take a plate and help yourself.
- Hot pintxos are made to order. They are listed on a blackboard or menu behind the bar, and they are often the best thing in the house. Order them at the counter and they come out in a few minutes.
- Pay at the end. Most bars keep track of what you had and you settle up before leaving; tell them honestly what you ate. Some newer places take payment as you order.
- Drink small. A zurito is a small beer, a txikito a small glass of wine, and txakoli is the slightly sparkling local white, often poured from a height. Small drinks keep the route going.
- Stand up and squeeze in. Bars are tiny and busy. Stand at the counter, keep your bag close and move on after a round; nobody expects you to stay long.
Old town route
All of these are within a few minutes' walk of each other around Calle 31 de Agosto, Fermín Calbetón and the streets near the port.
- La Cuchara de San Telmo (Calle 31 de Agosto): small, behind the San Telmo museum, known for hot dishes cooked to order from the blackboard rather than for a cold counter display.
- Gandarias (Calle 31 de Agosto): a busy, classic L-shaped counter loaded with pintxos, plus a small dining room with a meat and fish menu if you want to sit (it fills up, so book).
- Borda Berri (Fermín Calbetón): a counter for hot pintxos, often praised for its Idiazábal cheese risotto and its rich meat dishes.
- Ganbara (Calle San Jerónimo): famous for grilled wild mushrooms in season (autumn is the peak) and for its spider crab tartlet, with a restaurant downstairs; listed by the city tourism office.
- Bar Txepetxa (Arrandegi): an old-school bar devoted to anchovies, served with different toppings.
- Bar Nestor (Arrandegi): a tiny bar with a short menu of steak, tomato salad, peppers and a tortilla that runs out fast. Only a couple of tortillas are made a day, one for lunch and one for dinner, and you put your name down in person at the bar about an hour before each is served; there is no advance booking for it. Sources disagree on exact hours and closing days, so ask at the bar.
- La Viña (31 de Agosto): end the route with a slice of its burnt cheesecake. See our La Viña cheesecake guide.
Gros route
Gros, the neighbourhood behind Zurriola beach, has its own cluster of bars on and around Calle Zabaleta, Peña y Goñi and General Artetxe.
- Bar Bergara (General Artetxe): a long-standing pintxo bar with a counter full of cold pintxos and hot dishes from the menu; many guides call it one of the pioneers of the modern pintxo.
- Bodega Donostiarra (Peña y Goñi): an old neighbourhood tavern, busy at all hours, open since 1928 and known for its tortilla and for bonito-and-pickled-pepper pintxos such as the Indurain.
- Bar Zabaleta (Zabaleta): another name that comes up again and again for tortilla de patatas.
Gros also has pintxo-pote: on one evening a week, participating bars offer a drink plus a pintxo at a set low price. The tourism office explains how it works and notes that Gros pintxos are more elaborate (and a little pricier) than in other districts; food guides put the Gros night on Thursday evenings, but check with the bars, as days and prices change.
Timing
- Lunch: roughly 13:00 to 15:30. Less crowded than the evening and good for hot pintxos straight from the kitchen.
- Evening: roughly 19:30 to 22:30. Peak noise and peak fun, especially Friday and Saturday.
- Closing days: most bars close one day a week, often Monday or Tuesday, and some close for holidays in winter. Check the bar's own page or Google listing before you build your route around it.
- Festivals: during Semana Grande in August and the Film Festival in September the old town is packed. See our events guide.
Beyond the route
For sit-down restaurants, cider houses and grill houses, read where to eat in San Sebastián. If you have a day, combine pintxos with the beaches, or compare with the Bilbao scene in our Bilbao pintxo route.
Staying connected
Opening days change, popular bars fill quickly, and maps are the fastest way to find the next counter in the old town's narrow streets. A data eSIM for Spain, installed before you leave, gives you local data as soon as you arrive while your own SIM stays in the phone, so you can check opening hours and reviews on the go. See how to install it.