April 7, 2024

Best Pintxos Tour in San Sebastian: Devour Tours Review

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. This means I may earn a commission if you click a link and make a purchase. There’s no extra cost for you, and I only recommend products and companies I use. Learn more.

As the city with the most Michelin-starred restaurants per capita after Tokyo, San Sebastián is a foodie’s paradise. It’s known for its Basque cuisine, which features a lot of meat, seafood, milk-based desserts, and wine. Aside from the many excellent restaurants that you can indulge in there, San Sebastián is also known for pintxos.

If you’re not familiar with pintxos, they’re bar snacks that date back to the 1940 – 1960s when bars started putting out a bit of food on the bar in order to compensate for the wine shortage that occurred after the Spanish Civil War. Today, pintxos are an important part of the drinking experience in Basque Country, as locals and tourists hop from one bar to another to drink and try some of the pintxos at each place. Pintxos take many different forms, although many are held together by a toothpick. They range from basic to elevated and cost just a few euros each.

One of the best activities to do in San Sebastián is to take a pintxos or food tour to discover the the city’s superb culinary scene. While there are many tour options to choose from, one of the best pintxos tour is by Devour Tours – here’s why.

Table Of Contents
  1. Overview
  2. Three hours of food, history, culture, and drinks
  3. Small groups mean a personal, intimate experience
  4. Our fun, enthusiastic tour guide
  5. Leave with additional recommendations
  6. More resources for traveling Spain

Overview

Three hours of food, history, culture, and drinks

Let’s start with what you can expect from Devour Tours’ pintxo tour. They run one tour during the day and one in the evening. Both are the same and last three hours, so it’s up to you as to whether you’d like to fill up on pintxos for lunch or dinner. The tour includes:

  • 6 places
  • 8 pintxos
  • 5 drinks

It may not seem like a lot of food and drink, especially since pintxos are small and can be devoured in a few bites. However, there are several stops where you’ll actually have more than one pintxo. For example, the group shared three plates of mussels and a plate of potatoes at the first stop on the tour. As someone who has a pretty big appetite, I was pleasantly satisfied at the end.

The food was definitely the highlight of the San Sebastián pintxos tour. Everything I tried was absolutely delicious. While I don’t want to give away everything that you’ll eat on this tour, some of my favorites were the mussels, Iberian ham, and sirloin steak. I actually went back to the bar that served the sirloin steak the next day to order it again.

In addition to all the food and drinks you’ll be having, you’ll also get a fascinating walk through the history of pintxos and San Sebastián, learn how to order pintxos like a local, and get an overview of some of the food products produced in the region. I loved getting this extra bit of knowledge and felt like I could now easily navigate ordering pintxos on my own (which I did the next day).

A metal bar with plates of mussels, a plate of potatoes, and a basket of bread
Pintxos of steamed mussels with assorted toppings, patatas bravas, and bread

Small groups mean a personal, intimate experience

Although I love walking tours, large groups can make it difficult to hear what the guide is saying. Devour Tours caps their tour groups at eight people, which means you’ll get an intimate experience where you can get to know the tour guide and ask them plenty of questions. You’ll also undoubtedly get to know other people on the tour, which is particularly great for solo travelers who are looking to meet other people.

Our fun, enthusiastic tour guide

You can DIY your own pintxos crawl, but it’s not the same as taking a tour because you’re missing a key component – the tour guide. Our local guide was friendly and energetic – not only with the group, but also with the servers and restaurant workers. She was clearly passionate about sharing the local culture and food, and created such a fun time for everyone. By the end of the pintxos tour, our group of strangers had turned into friends.

White, gray, and black plate with a pintxo of duck, cassava chips, and pineapple sauce
A pintxo of duck with cassava chips and a pineapple sauce

Leave with additional recommendations

You won’t leave the food tour empty-handed. Devour Tours provides a list of all the places that you visited and what you ate, along with recommendations for more pintxo places so that you can create your own pintxo crawl. Everything I had on the pintxo tasting tour was excellent, so I knew their recommendations wouldn’t miss. If I only had more time in San Sebastián, I definitely would have checked out everything on their list.

Now that you know why Devour Tours is the best pintxos tour in San Sebastián, what are you waiting for? Book your daytime or evening tour below now. 👇

More resources for traveling Spain

The Best Pintxos Tour in San Sebastian
Pin
Welcome

 

Hi, I’m Felicia. Ever since studying abroad in college, I’ve had a growing passion for travel. I love sharing those experiences with others, so you’ll find travel guides, packing lists, tips, and more here!