Where to Eat in San Sebastián: Pintxo Bars for Anchovies, Jamón and Cheese

San Sebastián's classic pintxo bars: the anchovy specialist, the birthplace of the gilda, the original burnt cheesecake and where to buy Idiazábal cheese.

By The Spain at the Table team · Updated September 28, 2026

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San Sebastián (Donostia) packs more good bars into its Old Town than most cities have in total. Here they’re called pintxo bars: small bites on the counter or made to order, one or two per bar, a small glass of wine or txakoli (the local sparkling white), and on to the next.

Last checked: September 2026. Bars close one day a week and some close for holidays in winter — check before you go.

At a glance

Bar Txepetxa

• Where: Old Town (Parte Vieja), Calle Pescadería · Map
• Order: marinated anchovy on toast with one of its toppings — the crab cream is the famous one.

Open since 1925 and devoted to one thing: the anchoa, served in a list of combinations on the wall. If you think you don’t like anchovies, this is where you find out you like good ones.

Casa Vallés

• Where: Centro, Calle Reyes Católicos, near the Buen Pastor cathedral · Map
• Order: a gilda and a vermouth or txakoli.

The gilda — an anchovy, a green olive and a pickled guindilla pepper on a toothpick — was put together here in the 1940s by a regular, and named after Rita Hayworth’s film Gilda: “green, salty and a little spicy”. The bar dates from 1942 and still has hams hanging over the counter.

Gandarias

• Where: Old Town, Calle 31 de Agosto · Map
• Order: the solomillo (sirloin) skewer with green pepper, and a plate of jamón ibérico.

One of the busiest bars in the Old Town, with a full counter of cold pintxos and a kitchen for hot ones. Ask for the hot pintxos from the board — they’re made to order.

La Viña

• Where: Old Town, Calle 31 de Agosto · Map
• Order: a slice of the cheesecake. That’s it.

The “burnt Basque cheesecake” that’s now on menus from New York to Tokyo was created here in 1988 by Santiago Rivera: dark, almost burnt outside, runny inside. You’ll see the cakes cooling on the counter.

La Bretxa market

• Where: Old Town, by the Boulevard · Map
• Buy: a wedge of Idiazábal, the Basque sheep’s milk cheese, smoked or unsmoked.

The city’s market since 1870. Buy cheese in the morning, when the stalls are open. → Idiazábal and other Spanish cheeses

How to do a pintxo crawl

• One or two pintxos per bar, then move on. The point is the crawl.
• Hot pintxos are listed on the board and cooked to order; ask for them rather than only taking from the counter.
• Pay at the end. Say what you had; honesty is expected.
• Drink small: a zurito (small beer) or a glass of txakoli.

Take it home

The Basque coast is Ortiz country: the family firm has been canning bonito and anchovies there since the 1890s. Pair a tin with a cheese board that includes Idiazábal.

→ How to serve conservas like a Spanish bar