A trip to Spain is simply incomplete without enjoying a few tapas.
Tapas, also known as Pintxos in Basque, are served from 7 PM to 12 PM, and are meant to be eaten as appetizers; a precursor to a very late dinner. It is not uncommon for locals to "hop" from one tapas bar to another, sampling each bar's specialty as they go. While tapas bars were once seen as small and cheap eateries, they are quickly gaining popularity and recognition in the gastronomic world.
During my stay in San Sebastian, I knew I had to fully experience this so-called tapas crawl at some point. The city is notorious for hosting a range of exceptional cuisine and dining; there are more Michelin stars in the city per square foot than any other city in the world! (crazy, huh?)
I began my walk towards San Sebastian's old town at around 9 PM. The worn streets, filled with locals and tourists alike, smelled like a mixture of beer and olives. Although I carried a map with me that highlighted the specialties of each tapas bar, I decided it would be more fun to pick the bars at random. With that decision made, I began my crawl.
After entering a few bars, I noticed that each eatery presented their tapas differently. While some bars took the traditional approach to presenting the delicacies, others used marble slabs and an edgy presentation to display their tapas. The pictures above highlight the differences in presentation and construction of different tapas.
Overall, I had a lot of fun experiencing the crawl. I would, however, recommend doing some research before venturing out into the streets. Although it was fun to sample different tapas at random, there were some bars that seemed much more popular than others.
XOXO,
Em
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