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Next, we went to Bar Bergara, an award-winning restaurant. Here, we tried both hot and cold pintxos. Cold pintxos are the ones sitting in the glass displays at the front of the bar. They are already prepared and ready to be eaten. Hot pintxos, on the other hand, are made in the kitchen when you order them and often have more intricate preparation and presentation. Although different, both are delicious and show the bars\u2019 unique creations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the locations we passed by was the road along which the traditional bar-hopping way of eating pintxos was born, called Zabaleta Kalea, or Zabaleta Street, as Professor Zabalbeascoa explained. It has a group of restaurants whose owners tried to bring in business during Spain’s Great Recession by offering a drink and a pintxo for around two euros while limiting every person\u2019s order to that one drink and pintxo. This encouraged customers to keep moving throughout the other restaurants to get their fill of pintxos. They would move down the rows of restaurants, bar-hopping from place to place, which caught on and become the traditional Basque way of eating pintxos. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We tried several other pinxto locations, such as a tortilla place, a place with jam\u00f3n ib\u00e9rico and octopus, and we finished off the tour with gelato. These dishes were delicious as well, and they also exist outside of the Basque country as Spanish cuisine in general. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I enjoy trying new things, especially food, and having the opportunity to eat such unique dishes that I would not have discovered on my own was incredible. I tried so many new flavors, and I absolutely loved them, even if I felt hesitant about eating some of them at first. The mentality behind trying pintxos can be applied in your day-to-day life as well: even if you are nervous or uncertain, it\u2019s worth it to try something new. This tour encouraged me to continue studying Spanish and even some Basque, as understanding the language is a key aspect of understanding a culture and society, and it also allows you to engage with locals and their craft in a way that wouldn\u2019t be possible otherwise. I started the study abroad shy and a little hesitant about being in an unfamiliar place, but the more we explore and immersive ourselves in the culture and the language, the more inspired I feel to keep learning and keep interacting with the unique culture and culinary traditions of not only this region, but the world. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Pintxos are the staple food of the Basque Country. They are small, flavorful creations sitting in the glass display cases of bars that you can\u2019t help but marvel at as you pass through the streets of San Sebasti\u00e1n. Unlike tapas, which are often served with a drink as free appetizers, pintxos are the main highlight and the pride of a bar; they are individually crafted, unique to each bar and restaurant aside from a few classic recipes, and are a representation … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/san-sebastian2-summer-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/234\/2026\/06\/PinxtosTour2.jpg\")