First-time visitors to San Sebastian might notice that the locals here eat in a slightly different way than the rest of Spain—as you’ll see the second you stroll into a bar in this handsome seaside Basque Country town. The bar area is crammed with small plates of boquerones, anchovies wading in a pool of vinegar, fried croquettes, and various morsels resting on baguette slices held together with a toothpick. For the food obsessed, or just plain hungry, it can be overwhelming.
What can also be overwhelming is the amount of tourists who flock to the epicenter of the pintxos paradise, Parte Vieja—San Sebastian’s Old Town—where the narrow streets are flanked by pintxos bar upon pintxos bar. The Parte Vieja is lovely but if you’re looking to steer away from the hustle and bustle, you can walk a few hundred yards (or meters) and you’ll find an equal amount of pintxos bars minus the hordes of tourists.
If this sounds like an edible Eden to you, then here are the top pintxos bars outside of the Parte Vieja to point yourself to. And keep in mind, if you’d prefer to have an expert local guide take you around to the best bars in San Sebastian, we’ve got you covered with our Ultimate Pintxos & Wine Tour of San Sebastian guided tour.
Bar Bergara
Located just across the Urumea River in the Gros neighborhood, where wide streets are flanked by 19th century apartment buildings and handfuls of great pintxos bars. One of those perfect pintxos spots is Bar Bergara.
Michelin three-star chef and local hero Juan Mari Arzak has long been a regular here, so that should tell you something of the quality at Bar Bergara. The bar began life as a regular sitdown restaurant but a few decades ago they switched to pintxos and it’s been busy ever since. The slice of foie gras sprinkled with balsamic vinegar and mango salsa is terrific here.
Casa Ricardo
No frills and with sometimes gruff service, Casa Ricardo is not going to win any design awards. But don’t be intimidated by the service nor the stodgy old Basque men who hang out at Casa Ricardo.
Ask for a glass of txakoli—semi-sparkling Basque white wine—and do yourself a favor by ordering Ricardo’s famed creamy mussel croquette, croqueta de mejillones in Spanish. This plus-sized edible wonder is crispy and creamy at the same time.
Casa Vallés
Located near the river and south of the Parte Vieja, Casa Vallés has been serving up pintxos since 1942. In fact, the bar takes credit for essentially inventing pintxos. The Gilda—a Manzanilla olive, a Cantabrian anchovy, and a guindilla pepper on a skewer—is often considered the first pintxo.
This mouth-sized delight was named from the 1946 film starring Rita Hayworth because, as they said at the time, the flavor profile of the pintxo met the same qualities described in the film: green, salty, and a tad spicy.
Bar Antonio
This bar near the Urumea River is a hit with locals who flock here in the morning for coffee and in the evening for a glass of txakoli.
Some of the best Basque bites to get here include a cream-sauce-topped langoustine ravioli, the slightly runny potato tortilla, and the mushroom/egg yolk/foie gras concoction are showstoppers. Bar Antonio is a must stop for anyone eating outside the Parte Vieja.
Zabaleta
Gros is home to one of the city’s best tortillas. And you can find it at Zabaleta (Zabaleta Kalea, 51), a nearly three-decade-old bar where lovers of the tortilla de patata flock.
The bar goes through around 700,000 eggs per year to make its near perfect tortilla, which is suitably mocosa, or runny. The bar is located a block from the sea.
Bar Txalota
Unlike a large handful of pintxo bars in San Sebastian that are famous for doing one particular thing very well, Bar Txalota serves up a lot of edible hits. Favorites among the regulars include the fried squid and the mussels wading in a shallow pool of tomato sauce.
For adventurous eaters and/or those that like eating various parts of the pig, the stewed snouts and tripe dish here is worth the stomach space.
Gerald’s Bar
We have to confess: the name Gerald’s Bar doesn’t exactly scream “authentic Basque pintxos.” In fact, Gerald’s Bar was born in Melbourne, Australia and then made the leap over to San Sebastian’s Gros neighborhood. Gerland, who hails from England, first opened his bar as a pop-up in Old Town in 2013 before settling here in Gros two years later.
And he serves some stupendous small plates. The steak tartare is stunningly good and so is the country pate made with unctuous pork belly and the hearts of ducks and rabbits. Unlike most bars here, Gerald’s has a wine list that spans the globe.
Ramuntxo Berri
Just a block from the Kursaal, the Rafael Moneo-designed conference center, Ramuntxo Berri serves a wide range of pintxos. Their secret weapon is that they have a Josper oven in the kitchen rendering meat and vegetables oh so tender.
A few recommendations: the grilled txipirones—baby squid—covered in caramelized onions and the juicy grilled txistorra sausage.
