One of the great traditional pintxos bars of the Parte Vieja, Bar Martinez has been holding its corner of Calle 31 de Agosto with the steady confidence of a place that never needed reinvention. The counter is classic Basque — cold pintxos displayed like edible architecture, hot ones emerging from the kitchen in a steady rhythm. Perched on the most pintxos-dense street in the old town, it benefits from the foot traffic without ever pandering to it, serving the same honest preparations to tourists and locals alike.
Location
Parte Vieja, San Sebastián
Map
Insider Intel
The foie pintxo and the txangurro (spider crab) are the signatures. The gilda is textbook. Hot croquetas when available. A zurito of beer or a glass of txakoli poured from height — the bar does both with practiced ease.
Lunchtime between 1pm and 2pm for peak counter, or the evening session from 8pm. Calle 31 de Agosto is the most pintxos-dense street in the old town, so Martinez fits naturally into a crawl.
Bar Martinez is a local institution on the most important pintxos street in San Sebastián. The bar operates on trust — you take what you want from the counter, order hot items, and settle up at the end by declaring your count. The system works because everyone here has been doing it their entire lives. No reservations, no pretension, no English menu necessary if you can point.