Gandarias, San Sebastián: Pintxos in the Old Town - Review

Gandarias is one of the classics of San Sebastián’s old town: a busy pintxo bar at the front, with a long counter covered in pintxos, and a restaurant dining room behind it, with hams and copper pans hanging from the walls. It sits on 31 de Agosto, one of the two main pintxo streets of the Parte Vieja.

We had dinner there on our second night in San Sebastián.

What we ordered

We ordered a mix of cold and hot pintxos from the menu:

• Oysters, served simply with lemon.
• A creamy risotto.
• Pintxos with pork and peppers, and other hot dishes from the kitchen.

The menu is long: Ibérico ham, txangurro (spider crab), sea urchin, foie, grilled mushrooms, beef skewers, lamb and the classic txuleta (Basque steak) in the dining room.

Basque dishes on the menu, explained

If some of the names on the menu are new to you, here is a quick guide:

• Txangurro: spider crab, usually served as a baked gratin, sometimes in its own shell.
• Erizo (sea urchin): often served warm as a creamy gratin.
• Solomillo: a beef sirloin pintxo, grilled and served on bread. It is one of the most-ordered pintxos at Gandarias.
• Foie: a seared slice of foie gras, a common hot pintxo in San Sebastián’s bars.
• Txuleta: a thick, bone-in rib steak, traditionally from older cattle, grilled over charcoal, served rare, sliced and sprinkled with coarse salt. It is meant for sharing.
• Bacalao al pil-pil: salt cod in a sauce made by emulsifying olive oil with the gelatin from the fish, a Basque classic.

About 31 de Agosto street

The street takes its name from 31 August 1813, when San Sebastián was stormed and burned during the Peninsular War. 31 de Agosto is the only street of the old town that survived the fire, which is why it has some of the oldest buildings in the Parte Vieja today.

At one end is the baroque Basilica of Santa María del Coro, and at the other the church of San Vicente, one of the oldest in the city. In between, the street is lined with pintxo bars, and in the evening it becomes one of the busiest places in San Sebastián.

Bar or dining room?

Gandarias gives you two different experiences under one roof:

• The bar is the classic pintxo experience. The counter is covered in cold pintxos you can pick straight away, and hot ones are cooked to order from a list. You stand, eat and move on.
• The dining room is a sit-down restaurant with a full menu of starters, fish, meat and the txuleta. It suits a slower dinner, families, or anyone who prefers a table to elbowing in at the bar.

A good plan is to start with a few pintxos at the bar and decide from there whether to stay for dinner or continue the crawl.

How to handle a busy pintxo bar

At peak times, the bar at Gandarias is several people deep. A few tips:

• Be decisive. Know what you want before you reach the bartender.
• Order hot pintxos early, because they take a few minutes.
• Keep track of what you eat, because you usually pay at the end and the bartender will ask.
• Don’t camp at the counter. Step back once you have your plates, so others can order.

What to drink

Txakoli, the light, slightly sparkling white wine of the Basque coast, goes well with oysters and seafood pintxos. For the meat dishes and the txuleta, a glass of Rioja is the usual choice. A zurito, a small glass of beer, is the classic option on a long crawl.

Other bars nearby

The old town is compact, so Gandarias is easy to combine with other famous stops:

• Borda Berri, on Fermín Calbetón, for hot pintxos cooked to order.
• La Viña, also on 31 de Agosto, the home of the burnt Basque cheesecake.
• La Cuchara de San Telmo, on a small alley off 31 de Agosto, known for creative hot pintxos.
• Atari, next to the Basilica of Santa María, with a terrace facing the church.
• Txepetxa, on Pescadería, famous for its anchovies.

What Google reviewers say

Google rating: 4.3 out of 5 from 10,870 reviews (October 2026).

With more than ten thousand reviews, Gandarias is one of the most-reviewed restaurants in San Sebastián. Most are positive: friendly staff, fast service, good food and fair prices for the area, with pintxos, sea urchin and txangurro as the most-mentioned dishes. Several reviewers with coeliac disease praise how seriously the kitchen handles gluten-free requests. A minority find it touristy or not as good as smaller bars nearby.

Good to know

• Address: 31 de Agosto Kalea 23, Parte Vieja, San Sebastián.
• Bar or restaurant: the bar is first come, first served; the dining room can be booked.
• Busy times: the bar is packed from 8 to 10pm.
• Gluten-free: well regarded for coeliac diners.
• Quieter times: mid-afternoon, between the lunch and dinner rounds, is the easiest time to get space at the bar.
• Paying: in the bar, you usually pay at the end. Tell the bartender what you had.

Verdict

My rating: 4 out of 5. A reliable, classic stop in the old town, with a big choice of pintxos and a proper dining room if you want to sit down. The downside: it gets very overcrowded, especially in the evening, so go early or mid-afternoon if you want space at the bar.

FAQ

Where is Gandarias in San Sebastián? At 31 de Agosto Kalea 23, in the Parte Vieja.

Can you book Gandarias? The restaurant can be booked; the pintxo bar works on a first-come basis.

Is Gandarias good for gluten-free? Yes, reviewers with coeliac disease describe it as very careful with gluten-free food.

What is Gandarias famous for? Its long counter of pintxos, the beef sirloin (solomillo) pintxo, txangurro and sea urchin, and a classic Basque dining room serving txuleta.

What is txuleta? A thick, bone-in Basque rib steak, grilled over charcoal, served rare and sliced to share.

Is Gandarias expensive? Most reviewers describe the prices as fair for San Sebastián’s old town. Pintxos are priced individually, so the bill depends on how many you order.