Bar Txepetxa — Restaurant in San Sebastián

If you are in Donostia, this is a place you must visit. Great quality pintxos, a fantastic and extremely kind staff and a fantastic atmosphere. Besides a wide variety of cold pintxos, there is a menu with many warm ones that are prepared on the spot. In this, you can find some traditional pintxos but also a list of "unusual" yet extremely tasty combibations. One example is the blueberry and anchovy pintxo... It really intrigued me and, once I tried it, I could not stop ordering it. The quality of the ingredient is cleary excellent, including the bread (a component often underrated, but extremely important for a pintxo in my opinion). In fact, the pintxos are made with a freash and toasted bread: this contributes in enhancing the taste even more. I speak Spanish so I had no issue communicating, but I was also traveling with an English speaking person who.was able to talk to the staff without any problem since they can speak English. Moreover, they are very useful whenever you need any suggestion/explaination. The steaff is also very fast and friendly. Extremely...

Yesterday, balmy weather in the 80s drew us to the water and a leisurely stroll along the broad beach packed with sunbathers. Next stop was in the bustling old town and a favorite destination: always crowded Paco Bueno, a pintxos spot renowned for fried shrimp. There, we shared a bench with a delightful couple from Madrid, Alberto and Rachel. We quickly bonded over our favorite restaurants and ended up joining them for their next couple of stops. They introduced us to tiny pintxos eateries we might never have discovered on our own. One was Bar Txepetxa, which featured marinated anchovies crowned with various (and often unusual) sweet and savory toppings, including foie gras and applesauce, spider crab, and tapenade. Delicious. Next time we visit, Rachel suggested we try the blueberry topping. Why not! No wonder culinary and movie stars make this shoe-box-size eatery a must-visit. Our wine of choice was the fizzy Txakoli, poured on high into a tall glass. A perfect match for the food, company, and fun on this...

Salt-cured anchovies are called anchoas in Spanish. These are the kind that most people are familiar with—anchovies that come in a tin—but high quality anchoas are vastly different from the cheap tins, with a rich umami flavor that isn't overwhelmed by salt, like the difference between jamón ibérico and jamón serrano.

Anchovies pickled in vinager are called boquerones, except in the north of Spain where they're just called anchoas en vinagre. These have less salt and a springier texture, like biting into a freshly cooked fish.

Bar Txepetxa specializes in anchovies and even has a few unusual toppings like coconut and blueberry.

My favorite is the classic with three filets of boquerón and one filet of anchoa, topped with a red pepper. The bright acidity of the boquerones combines with the deep umami of the anchoa, giving you the best of both worlds.

The boquerones topped with coconut was surprisingly good, while the blueberry one was a little weird...