All the Pintxos!

All the Pintxos. That was our motto when visiting País Vasco. Unsure of what really a Pintxo was, I did some light exploring on the difference between a tapa and a pintxo. The only time I've ever heard of a pintxo was at my favorite Spanish restaurant in Chicago, Café Ba Ba Reeba. There, pintxos are just one, small, bite-size piece of a stuffed olive or chorizo wrapped date. At least, that's what the waiter told us on my last brunch on Chicago before heading here. Although small, they are delicious! I mean, everything there is, let's be real. But the tapas there are definitely meant to share since the portions are bigger.

So what are pintxos? 

Pintxos in Spain are usually small snacks eaten at northern bars so, similar to tapas, but pintxos are usually spiked with a skewer or toothpick on a piece of bread (Pinxto literally means "thorn" or "spike".) You can find croquettas or tortilla skewered onto a piece of bread as a pintxo or find more elaborate mixes of ingredients on top of it. I wouldn't consider myself a "foodie" by any means, but I am always excited to try the local cuisine of any place I visit — I was especially pumped to try pintxos in San Sebastian since this city is known for its gastronomical experience. Apparently, it has a high concentration of Michelin chefs, but you know #Ballingonabudget, so the pinxto bars would have to do. (Also, discovered what a Michelin chef was while reading and trying to curb my appetite before heading North). 

The experience 

Upon entering the bar, the pintxos are usually just lined up on the counter and you pick and choose, which ones you want to try. We really took my Dad's motto, "it's a marathon, not a sprint" to heart since we went on a pintxo crawl and hopped from bar to bar eating our way through San Sebastián. Do as the basques do, right? Well, the food did not disappoint. Some favorites included a spicy meatball, goat cheese topped with caramelized onions and walnuts and a few other ones that we had no idea what they were even after asking the waitress. We (sometimes) remembered to take some pictures before devouring and indulging. Check out some pics below (thank you to my friend, Christine, for her amazing lens!) Still daydreaming about the next time I head North to have more of this amazing cuisine.