What to Eat in San Sebastián: Pintxos, Where Locals Eat & the Best Food Tours

The short version: in San Sebastián, you eat standing up, bar to bar, in the Parte Vieja (Old Town): anchovies at Bar Txepetxa, a hot pintxo of braised beef cheek at Borda Berri, a slice of burnt Basque cheesecake at La Viña, and if you are quick, a portion of the famous tortilla at Bar Néstor. Across the river in Gros, Bergara is the local favourite. Drink txakoli, the sharp, lightly sparkling white from the coast, and in late winter and spring, cider straight from the barrel at a sidrería. And if you only have one evening, a guided pintxos tour gets you to the right counters in three hours. Below: what to eat, exactly where to eat it, what to drink, and the food experiences worth booking.

What to eat in San Sebastián, and where to eat it

Where to eat in San Sebastián

The rule in San Sebastián: one or two pintxos and a drink per bar, then move on. Cold pintxos sit on the counter and you help yourself; hot ones are written on a blackboard and cooked to order, so ask the staff. You usually pay at the end, and groups take turns buying rounds. Most pintxos cost a few euros each, hot ones a little more. Lunch is busiest from about 13:00 and the evening round starts around 20:00. Many bars close on Sunday evening or Monday, so check before you set out.

For pintxos in the Parte Vieja

Start at Bar Txepetxa, near Plaza de la Constitución, which has served anchovy pintxos since 1925. Borda Berri on Fermín Calbetón is the one for slow-cooked hot pintxos: beef cheek in red wine and an Idiazabal “risotto” made with orzo. La Cuchara de San Telmo, open since 1999, cooks its pintxos to order: seared foie gras with apple compote, crispy pig’s ear and slow-roasted suckling pig; expect a queue. Gandarias on 31 de Agosto is calmer, with a sirloin pintxo and a sit-down restaurant. Ganbara is listed in the Michelin Guide (Michelin listing) at its lowest price level, for mushrooms with egg yolk and crab tartlets. And at Bar Néstor on calle Pescadería, two tortillas a day are shared out from a sign-up list at opening, 16 portions each, so arrive early and put your name down; the rest of the short menu is txuleta, tomato salad and Gernika peppers. Finish at La Viña for the cheesecake: its creator Santiago Rivera retired in 2026, and his family now bakes it to the same recipe.

For pintxos in Gros

Gros, across the Urumea river by Zurriola beach, is where many locals go to avoid the Old Town crowds. Bergara on General Artetxe is listed in the Michelin Guide (Michelin listing) at its lowest price level, for the Txalupa, a mushroom and prawn gratin, and foie gras with grapes in Port. Bodega Donostiarra on Peña y Goñi is known for the Indurain, a skewer of tuna, anchovy, olive and pickled guindilla named after the cyclist. Gros is also a neighbourhood for pintxo-pote, when bars sell a pintxo and a drink together at a small set price.

For a classic dinner

Casa Urola on Fermín Calbetón has a busy pintxos bar downstairs and a dining room upstairs for grilled sole or turbot and hake kokotxas; it is in the Michelin Guide (Michelin listing) and closes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Along the same street, Bodegón Alejandro, also in the guide (Michelin listing), serves traditional Basque cooking such as fried anchovies and cod with spider crab, with a tasting menu.

For a local lunch

In Gros, Ikaitz on Paseo Colón is a family-run restaurant of traditional Basque cooking listed in the Michelin Guide (Michelin listing), with grilled octopus and braised oxtail; it closes Monday and Tuesday. In the Centro, Bar Antonio on Bergara street is one of the city’s best-known pintxos bars, and its tortilla is the reason to go.

For a cheap, fast meal

A pintxo crawl is the cheap meal here. Two or three anchovy pintxos at Bar Txepetxa, a gilda at Casa Vallés in the Centro, the bar where it was invented, open since 1942, and the Indurain at Bodega Donostiarra in Gros make a full dinner for little money.

For a special dinner

San Sebastián and its surroundings hold some of the most decorated restaurants in Spain. Three have three Michelin stars: Arzak (Michelin listing), which won its first star in 1974; Akelaŕe (Michelin listing), Pedro Subijana’s restaurant on Monte Igueldo; and Martín Berasategui (Michelin listing) in Lasarte-Oria. Mugaritz in Errenteria holds two stars (Michelin listing) for one experimental tasting menu, as does Amelia by Paulo Airaudo (Michelin listing) in the centre. In the Old Town itself, Kokotxa holds one star (Michelin listing) for market and tasting menus. All of them need booking well ahead.

Names link to Google Maps for directions. We checked these places in October 2026. Opening days change, especially out of season, so check before you go.

The markets

La Bretxa, on the Boulevard at the edge of the Old Town, is the historic market where the city shops for fish, cheese and vegetables. It opens Monday to Saturday; go in the morning, when the fish stalls are full. In the Centro, the San Martín market, in a new building since 2005, is the everyday market of the shopping district. Both are good places to buy picnic food for the beach.

What to drink in San Sebastián

Txakoli is the local wine: a light, dry, slightly sparkling white, from the Getariako Txakolina appellation on the coast west of the city, made mainly from the Hondarrabi Zuri grape and usually 9.5 to 11.5 per cent alcohol. Bars pour it from a height to lift the bubbles; order a glass with anchovies. The harvest is in late September or early October. The other local drink is sagardoa, natural Basque cider, which you drink at a sidrería (cider house) in the hills of Astigarraga and Hernani, just south of the city. In txotx season, from mid-January to late April, you stand by the giant barrels and catch the cider in your glass as it is released, between courses of the classic cider-house menu: salt-cod omelette, cod and steak. Petritegi in Astigarraga is a large historic cider house with tours and tastings, and Zelaia in Hernani serves dinner Tuesday to Saturday and lunch on Fridays and Saturdays. To learn how cider is made, visit Sagardoetxea, the Basque Cider Museum, also in Astigarraga. In town, beer drinkers order a zurito, a small glass, to keep pace with the pintxos.

Food experiences to book in San Sebastián

The Old Town has dozens of bars on a few streets, and the best ones are known for one or two pintxos each. A guided pintxos tour solves that on a short visit: a local guide orders the right dish at each counter, explains the hot and cold pintxos, and pairs them with txakoli. These are the best-rated options on GetYourGuide.

Our pick: the The Ultimate Pintxos and Wine Tour, rated 4.9 (648) on GetYourGuide.

Ratings as shown on GetYourGuide in October 2026. Check the listing for live prices and availability.

Food day trips from San Sebastián

Two food trips are easy from the city. West along the coast, the fishing town of Getaria is the home of txakoli: wineries such as Txomin Etxaniz run visits with tastings of Getaria anchovies and tuna, and Elkano holds a Michelin star (Michelin listing) for whole turbot grilled over coals. Inland, the cider houses of Astigarraga and Hernani are a short taxi ride away and best visited during txotx season. To get the most from the city itself, see our guide to the best San Sebastián pintxos tours.

Planning a longer trip? Our 4-day San Sebastián and Rioja itinerary links pintxos in San Sebastián and bodegas in Rioja into one suggested route, with the tours and tastings worth booking along the way.

Frequently asked questions

What is the one thing to eat in San Sebastián?

A pintxo crawl in the Parte Vieja, with anchovies at Bar Txepetxa and a hot pintxo at Borda Berri, then the burnt cheesecake at La Viña.

Where do locals eat pintxos?

In Gros, at bars such as Bergara and Bodega Donostiarra, and at the Old Town classics early in the evening before the crowds arrive.

How do pintxos bars work?

Take cold pintxos from the counter, order hot ones from the blackboard, and pay at the end. Have one or two in each bar, with a txakoli or a zurito, and move on.

How do I get the tortilla at Bar Néstor?

Arrive before opening and put your name on the list. There are two tortillas a day, 16 portions each, and they go in minutes.

When can I go to a cider house?

Txotx season runs from mid-January to late April. Petritegi in Astigarraga opens for lunch and dinner beyond the season too.

Do I need to book in San Sebastián?

Not for pintxos bars, which mostly take no bookings. Book the dining rooms at Casa Urola and Bodegón Alejandro, and the starred restaurants such as Arzak, Akelaŕe and Kokotxa weeks ahead.

Is a San Sebastián pintxos tour worth it?

Yes, on a first visit: a guide knows which pintxo each bar does best and how to order. Compare them above or on our San Sebastián pintxos tours page.

Plan your San Sebastián food trip

San Sebastián pintxos tours · Best San Sebastián pintxos tours