Hi,

I figure that the internet is the place to come to learn everything you ever wanted to know about tapas but were afraid to ask (except from behind an anonymous screen name).

I've actually been in several Spanish cities, and I'm frustrated that I've never figured out when and where and how I should order tapas or pintxos. Now I am on my way to San Sebastian and also the Costa Brava, and I would like to become an expert.

Where would you go in San Sebastian to eat pintxos? What time of day? How would you order if you were a party of two? What would you drink with them? Would you choose your pintxos to go with your drink, or your drink to go with your pintxos? Would you make a whole meal of them? Can you do this without speaking the native language?

That should get us started!

Muchas gracias!

Pintxos & tapas are like Greek mezedes, they are small appetizer - like portions of different dishes. Basically, they are served to keep the patrons from getting very drunk.

In Spain I have eaten them in the afternoon standing up at the bar. Just walk into a bar. Typically there will be dishes of tapas displayed. Just point out to the bartender which ones you would like. (I especially recommend the little shrimps in oil served hot!) Order a cervaza or sangria and enjoy!

In Barcelona I have also eaten them as dinner sitting down in a restaurant with cava (the local white sparkeling wine).

In Greece I had mezedes in a cafe with a couple of glasses of wine sitting down at a table. It was early afternoon. Sort of a light lunch.

So in answer to your questions:

1. I have never been to San Sebastian so I cannot recommend a specific place but you can eat them in a bar or restaurant.

2. You can eat them any time of day or night.

3. Ordering for two - Since the dishes are small order 2 or 3 and share. Keep ordering 1 or 2 at a time until you don't want anymore. Remember these are appetizers meant to be shared.

4. I would choose my pinxtos based on what I enjoyed eating and what I was drinking.

5. You can make a whole meal out of them if you wish.

6. You can do this without speaking spanish. Pointing always works.

I don't know where you are from but here in Chicago there are several tapas restaurants. Perhaps there is a tapas restaurant near you? That way you can try it out before you go?

Lucky you! Two beautiful places.

Maribel's guide to San Sebastian will help you out with suggestions there. www.maribelsguides.com

I think as long as you can i.d. some food by sight, point, and smile you should do okay. It doesn't hurt to learn "I would like . . ," "please," "thank you," numbers, and words for food that appeals to you.

The Rough Guide has a nice small phrase book with a section on food. Actually it could be Lonely Planet (I think I have one for France and the other for Spain) yes, think the LP guide is specifically about food and has food vocab. Also, the DK guides have pictures and descriptions of regional specialties.

But pointing and smiling will work in a pinch (or a pintxo -- sorry, I couldn't help it) too.

type "tapas" into the search and you will get a lot of great threads on this. I will, however, make things easy for you and say that in Sanse, the best place to go is El Gorriti.

I spent much of an afternoon in the old town of San Sebastian going from one tapas bar to another, trying just about everything. My favorite place I guess is Txalupa, bar Iatetxea, on Fermon Kalbeton Kalea just off San Juan Kalea, more of a square than a street. There are scores of these places and it's personal choice for ambience and tapas selection.

The tapas are small open face sandwiches. It looks like they use something like a bagette for the bread. Toppings can be seafood to veggies with sauces.

Each place has the tapas laid out on the bar. The bartender will get a plate for you and you indicate what you want. Most cost about one euro but some of the seafoods cost more. Pay when he hands you the plate.

I had no language problem. Many of the bartenders speak English, and if not someone at the bar will help you out. The locals are very friendly.

Each bar has a huge ice bucket with maybe a dozen open bottles of wines. The bartenders display their skill by pouring into the glass on the bar from shoulder height or higher. Have your camera ready because it only takes a few seconds.

Can someone describe how to pronounce pintxos? The Basques seem to put an x in every other word. Is it silent, or ...?

Good morning, everyone! Thanks for all the help. And a special thanks to hopscotch for the vivid description. I did try, laclaire, a search for tapas on the site and what turned up were discussions of places to go in Barcelona. I found on the web a great site for San Sebastian called "Todopintxos." (Do you know it hopscotch?) I think it will really help me with the Basque terms. (I have managed to all find on the web one with Spanish terms.)

I, too, would like to know how to pronounce "pintxos." Can anybody help?

Any why do some El Gorriti to Txalupa or elsewhere? Ambience or variety or quality? What makes a tapas bar good for you?

Many tapas places specialize in one thing or another. So people might go to one for the mushrooms and another for the shrimp.

Ahh. That's good to know. Apart from reading up beforehand, is there an easy way to know the house speciality before you go in? Or might it be up an blackboard? Or do you just have to live in San Sebastian all your life?

PS, Molloy95, I meant to say thanks especially for that link to the Maribel Guides. Great for me.

Pronouncing "pintxos" the tx combination is like the Spanish "ch" or in english the first sound in cheese pronounced a bit more strong

Thanks, kenderina!

Tapas and hygiene was a good thread. Most of the ones that turn up for the "tapas" search are Barcelona because a lot of fodorites were headed there recently, however they have good info on what a tapa is. Also, might you be headed to BCN? If so, a good tapas place is La Tramoia. It is certainly not some Sanse mom and pop (which are awesome), but it holds its own.

Thanks, laclaire. I'll take another look at that thread.

I'm only going to be in Barcelona for a day before flying out (I've been there before) and I thought I would eat a lunch in the Barceloneta if the weather is nice and then a very nice dinner somewhere near the Plaza de Catalunya. Do you have any recommendations. (Also, why do like El Gorriti in San Sebastian?)

Back to pintxos for a second: I read twice in the Maribel guides that in San Sebastian, people help themselves to pintxos, rather than point and have the bartender serve them. Is that people's experience there? In El Gorriti?

We were planning on staying in ST. Jean de luz and driving to San Sebastian for a few hours. Thanks for all of the great info--now I think we should plan on spending the entire day in the area. Maribelsguide.com is so helpful.

I speak very adequate French--do you think anyone will understand me?

El gorriti is a Sanse institution. It is this litle place that has hundreds of litte pintxos on the bar. You go in and take them and they count up your toothpicks when you are done (I have been when it is not busy, so I have no idea what they do when there is a crowd). The bread used was fresh, the ingredients very good, the flavors just what I was looking for and it was a very local place.

La tramoia is just a block from Plaza Catalunya on the SE corner of Gran Via and Rambla de Catalunya. I really like their food and it is a nice place for a dinner.

Tapas comes from "lid" and pintxos comes from the same root word for "pinch". Tapas are not open face sandwiches, although some may take that form. The Tapas tradition developed from the habit of putting a lid over beer glasses to keep flies away. Typically, pieces of food were placed on the lids; most of it were scraps from sliced hams, pieces of old bread, discarded veggies stems, etc...This developed into the fun and tasty tradition of tapas. It is also a very practical tradition; it holds the workforce from mid-afternoon till late supper (around 8:30-9pm).

Thanks, laclaire! Thanks especially for mentioning I should save my toothpicks (and for the recommendations.)

Thanks, viajero2 for the history. Do people eat dinner earlier in the Basque country than further south in Spain? I have traveled in Madrid, Barcelona and Andalucia, and 9:30pm was for early birds, and 10pm seemed to be the preferred hour.

Viajero2, you wrote:
"The Tapas tradition developed from the habit of putting a lid over beer glasses to keep flies away."

The "lid" item came up the last time we cussed and discussed tapas on Fodors. IIRC, the final consensus was that the "lid" was to keep fruit flies out of wine glasses. Fruit flies love wine.

Well, I don't know what the final consensus among Fodorites was, but my Grandma, Cadiz born and bred, is the one who told me about the lid on beer glasses. BTW, she also calls "montaditos" the open faced mini sandwiches, not Tapas.

Montaditos, as far as I know them, are miniature sandwiches with a top and bottom of bread. However, in the south I have noticed that the lingo changes, so maybe in Cádiz. . .

Tapas are just the one piece of bread with stuff on top.

Raciones come with a side of bread and are often served hot.

Hi! I´ll try to answer your questions about pintxos in San Sebastian!

Where would you go in San Sebastian to eat pintxos? Most of the Pintxos bars are in the Old part, mainly in Calle Fermin Calbeton and Calle 31 de Agosto. But other parts of the city
like Barrio de Gros, has a very good selection of bars, too.


What time of day? Before and during lunchtime 1pm-3pm and at in the evening 8pm-11pm.

How would you order if you were a party of two? If you want one pintxo from the bar, you just take it with a paper napkin. If you want a special pintxo, the house speciality or something on the blackboards you´ll have to ask for it to the bartender.


What would you drink with them? the typical drinks with the pintxos are wine (red: tinto, that could be house wine or crianza, white wine: blanco, or rosé: rosado.Another type of white wine is Txakoli a special white wine from Basque Country.) Beer: Cerveza (small is called zurito, and regular is called caña). Cider could be asked too but problably 1 botle, that could be too much just for 2!.Normally you order your drink first and then your pintxos.

Would you make a whole meal of them? Of course!

Can you do this without speaking the native language? You can do it with basic spanish:

Uno/dos de estos/esos: One/two of these/those.

Una caña/txakoli/tinto por favor: One beer,txakoli, red wine,please

Me cobra por favor?: How much is it, please?