Pintxos are the Basque counter ritual taken on by Barcelona's pintxos rooms: small bites pinned to a slice of bread with a toothpick, paid by counting the picks at the end.
Where to eat it: 3 restaurants across 1 city.
The pintxos format arrived from the Basque country to Barcelona in the 1990s with Sagardi and Euskal Etxea. The Basque ritual: bar staff bring out plates of pintxos in waves, customers grab what they want and stack the toothpicks on their plate. At the end the bartender counts the toothpicks and tells you the bill. Each pintxo is typically 2 to 3 euros, and the trick is to keep pace with the new plates as they arrive. Barcelona's two best Basque rooms are Sagardi on Carrer de l'Argenteria and Euskal Etxea on the Plaçeta de Montcada, both running the canonical toothpick counter from 19:00 every weeknight.
Common allergens: Gluten, Fish
Tip from the editors. Pintxos are about contrast: salty fish on sweet pepper, soft egg with crunchy bread. Build them on the work surface, then serve all at once.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
Sagardi in Barcelona's Born is the Basque pintxos chain with a charcoal-fired txuleta room in the back: order pintxos by toothpick, count at the end.
Signature: Txuleta steak, Pintxos counter
Order: Six pintxos at the bar, then a shared txuleta in the back.
Tip: No reservations for pintxos. The grill room books out Fri-Sat.
Euskal Etxea in Barcelona's Born is the cultural-centre pintxos bar where the Basque counter runs from 19:00 with cider, txakoli and tortilla toothpicks.
Signature: Pintxos toothpicks, Txakoli pours
Order: Four pintxos and a glass of txakoli poured from height.
Tip: Bar opens 19:00. Closed Sunday-Monday. Pay at the end by toothpick count.
Maitea in Barcelona's Gracia is the long-running Basque pintxos counter with a back-room txuleta-fire grill, popular for the after-work tapeo turn.
Signature: Pintxos counter, Txuleton
Order: Six pintxos and a Rioja Crianza by the glass.
Tip: Bar pintxos walk-up; book the grill room ahead. Closed Sunday and bank holidays.
More cities are in research. Want pintxos at the counter covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.