It’s impossible to go to San Sebastian without enjoying some pintxos! Pintxo (pronounced peen-cho) is the Basque word for tapas; if Basque has its own word for tapa, it’s probably because they do them so well.
We decided to take a wander through the Old Town (Parte Vieja) to sample some of the best that San Sebastian has to offer.
Ttun Ttun is a great place to get your bearings if you’ve never sampled tapas before. This big taberna has a long bar covered with different options. You can either serve yourself by picking one of the cold pintxos, choosing a dish to be heated, or order some of the hot tapas prepared in the kitchen to order.
(Here, these dishes are displayed on a chalkboard menu, but in some bars, you need to ask.)
We did a bit of all three.
Cold options include this shrimp and crab spread on toast. Simple and filling, it’s not the best choice in the house (the cold tapas rarely are), but it’ll tide you over while you wait for a hot bite.
I quite enjoyed this mini potato gratin, which was displayed on the bar but which the waiter quickly heated up for me. Creamy and rich, it was a tasty way to start the tour (though the bread suffers quite a bit in the microwave and is best left behind).
My favorite plate I tried here was this dish of txipirones with squid ink and an herbed vinaigrette. Prepared to order, it was fresh and rich in flavor without being overly heavy.
A special nod must be given to this sign in the taberna, reading “Daddy, why are all waiters named ‘excuse me’?” – Oscar, 5 years old.
There is a special place in my heart for the Cuchara de San Telmo, a little bar up a quiet street that nevertheless fills up quite quickly every evening. Diners have the choice of lining up at the (very narrow) bar or scoring a seat outside.
The bar serves pintxos, medias (half-portions), and raciones (full-portions), while at the tables, you must opt for one of the latter. We did so, sampling several medias, including these razor clams with white asparagus.
I’m a huge fan of octopus, and this one did not disappoint. The texture was spot-on, and the just-cooked cabbage was an excellent accompaniment.
The suckling pig roasted with beer was a suggestion from our waiter; he was absolutely right. Served with a slightly sweet quince gelée, this was like some of the best barbecue you’ve ever had.
But my favorite dish here – both in terms of wow factor and flavor – was the “ugly tomato” with beet purée and cheese. Far from ugly, this dish was rich and savory, perfect for this odd late-summer-early-fall weather we’ve been having in Europe.
The crowd at tiny Borda Berri pours out into the street: lucky for us, as while we were musing about what to order here, some fellow Anglophones chimed in:
“The risotto!”
Made, not with rice, but with puntalette pasta and Basque sheep’s milk cheese, this risotto was a very popular choice.
We also sampled the braised veal cheek – one of my favorite Basque specialties – served with a red wine sauce. (My apologies for the terrible photo… we were beginning to feel quite full and quite tired at this point).
But we were neither too full nor too tired for a bit of cheesecake at La Viña. (It should be noted that when we ordered “two cheesecakes,” the waiter first offered two. full. cheesecakes. before serving us two plates of two slices of cheesecake. And even though we were super full, we ate every last bite.)
Ttun Ttun -Â Â San Jeronimo Kalea, 25, 20003
La Cuchara de San Telmo -Â Santa Korda Kalea, 4, 20003Â
Borda Berri -Â Fermin Calbeton Kalea, 12, 20003
La Viña - 31 de Agosto Kalea, 3, 20003