So you’ve heard of Spanish tapas, how about pintxos (pronounced “pinchos”)? Served on toasted bread and layered with a number of ingredients, pintxos are Northern Spanish sharing plates that derive their name from the skewer that holds the whole thing together. There are a few places in Barcelona that specialise in them and the culture is steadily gaining in popularity, with everything from succulent Iberico ham to fried artichokes topping off these tasty bites. Skip the hefty dinner and head to one of the following places below for a unique dining experience – don’t forget the wine.
Image sourced via Maitea
Maitea, which means love, is a popular favourite for pintxos and fuses together the best of Catalan and Basque cuisine. With a pintxos list to die for with over 100 skewers up for grabs, you can get everything from omelettes topped with piquillos to goat’s cheese served with berries and Iberico ham. Mixing together both hot and cold pintxos in a welcoming atmosphere, you’ll be spoiled for choice here.
This pintxos joint is so popular, they’ve opened not one but three different branches across Barcelona and even have other restaurants globally. Bringing chic, modern interiors to a Northern Spanish tradition, their hot and cold pintxos draw a diverse crowd and the restaurant fills up very quickly. If you’re in the mood for something more filling afterwards, they have a restaurant menu renowned for their fish and meat.
You know the pintxos are good when the chefs come from San Sebastián. Taktika Berri started life as a football bar, but quickly swivelled direction when they realised their pintxos were being snapped up left, right and centre. Since then, they’ve created a modest menu of some truly winning pintxos with options like decadent foie gras, cod omelettes and classic favourites like anchovies and blood sausages. Always busy, make sure you grab some of the hot pintxos as soon as they come out of the kitchen because they go fast.
Image sourced via Grupo Sagardi facebook
As one of Barcelona’s first pintxos eateries, Euskal Etxea brings all the classics to the table with a splash of cider to boot. This cosy bar, complete with quirky nautical decorations, is open all day and boasts more than eighty different pintxos on their menu. They pay close attention to the change of seasons and introduce different dishes accordingly, ranging from artichokes to octopi. Keep an eye out for the hot pintxos as they come out of the kitchen every ten minutes and feel free to peruse the restaurant menu if you want something a little more substantial.
With over twenty years in the business, IRATI has earned its place amongst Barcelona’s best eateries by both sticking to true classics and pushing the envelope where they can. As one of the slightly more expensive choices on the list, it’s worth every extra Euro with keen attention paid to every ingredient and over 80 different kinds. New creations revolve around what’s in season – try the scorpionfish cake pintxos, it’s incredible.
16th November 2017 by Barcelona Pass Blogger
