El Tamboril

It’s not always obvious when a restaurant is a Michelin restaurant from the food but this place it’s pretty obvious because it’s so delicious. It was jam packed when we got there but everyone just sort of squeezes in and makes it work. The service is fast and matter-of-fact. Stuffed Tuna Pepper, so good I ordered one on the way out Croquettes: A beautiful version of this classic Shrimp Gambas: YES!! Save bread for dipping Tomatoes: Simple perfection Salad: HOW IS LETTUCE AND ONIONS SO GOOD!?!! Not lying, plate haunts me. Necessary for the richness of the other items. Omelet: Fish omelet loving friend loved it Fried Fish pinxtos: it was ok Soft shell crab bake: YUM!!! Crudo: Absolutely fabulous

I came here on the recommendation of the locals. I tried several pintxos and pan-fried fish cheeks, and the fish dishes overall were simply outstanding. Perfect pairings with wine. If you make a reservation, you will be placed to the outside terrace. I’ll definitely be coming back

booked a table outside facing the courtyard for lunch and had fantastic pintxos experience. the battered prawn and croquettes were delicious, same with the cold dishes especially the potato, egg & asparagus. worth every cent!

Great location great pintxos, definitely get a reservation if you want to sit in the plaza. We got 6 pintxos and 1 tomato salad for 2. But you may need more if you’re mlre hungry

Our Spanish is non existent so we had difficulty ordering the food. The food was good when we got it, not quite as good as we have had but still good. When we arrived we were able to get a table which was good to be able to sit and watch the other patrons how they went about ordering and eating the food. Not as noisy as other pintxos’s that we have been in but still a good atmosphere. I would be happy to go back again

Came here to try this highly recommended restaurant, it’s just a small shop with a couple of bar seats. They have quite a few tapas selections here, and most tasted pretty good. The people serving were nice and friendly, not much issue ordering food here. Seating as I said is bar style, so not too comfy to sit for long.

We had dinner at El Tamboril hoping to enjoy some proper local cuisine. I really wish someone had warned us. We ordered cod tortilla, calamari, Russian salad and lamb chops. Let me start with the Russian salad: probably the worst I’ve ever had. Dry, sad, and made with ingredients of questionable quality. The cod tortilla wasn’t any better — it literally had pieces of eggshell inside. Something I wouldn’t even serve to my kids. Completely unacceptable and frankly unsafe. The calamari were another let-down. Most likely frozen, and they tasted exactly like that — a disappointment on a plate. And then came the lamb chops. Tiny, flavorless, and served on a pile of fries which, to be honest, were the only remotely decent thing we ate… and only because you don’t need to be a chef to fry potatoes. The punchline? €67.58. The price itself might not sound outrageous, but when you consider the quality… it’s absurd. You can find far better food for much less in the area. This is classic tourist-trap fare: low-effort dishes sold at high-end prices to people who don’t know better. A tourist might walk away thinking “I guess this is normal around here,” and that’s exactly the problem. This place survives by fooling people who just want a nice local meal and instead get served mediocrity. My advice: don’t waste your money or your evening. There are plenty of genuinely good restaurants around where you’ll actually get real Basque cuisine instead of this half-hearted attempt. Here, the only thing authentic is the disappointment. And to top it all off — when we sat down at 21:45, they told us the kitchen closed at 22:30. What they didn’t say is that at 22:30 they’d start clearing the entire terrace while we were still eating. So if you want a relaxed dinner with your family, without feeling rushed or pushed out, this is definitely not the place.

Simply marvellous - shoulder to shoulder upon entry but we luckily managed to grab a table. All food was top notch - special mention to the anchovies in vinegar, the Gilda, the pimiento de carne and the calamari. The anchovies were perfectly balanced, you could taste the quality ingredients in the Gilda and the calamari was delicately battered and cooked. The pimiento stole the show as it was the quiet performer - not the prettiest dish but once you sink your teeth in, you can taste the sweet peppers complimented by the tasty beef and soft dough on the outside. The service and atmosphere were traditional to the pintxos experience in San Sebastián. This was my personal favourite in my trip and I would highly recommend dining in at El Tamboril if you have the chance.

The staff is very friendly and efficient. The mushrooms were so good, and the tomato/tuna salad was the best. Tortilla with cod was good also. We loved the patio on the plaza!

Another stop along the Pinxto superhighway... I don't eat red meat, but the group really seemed to dig the batter fried meat stuffed peppers. I had extra of their famous mushroom pinxto and savored my Crianza from la Rioja

I generally don't like batter fried meat stuffed pepper, but this one was surprisingly good. Get one and move on to the next pintxo bar! :)

Definitely worth a stop for the txampis tamboril (mushroom pintxo). Such savory/fresh mushrooms with natural juices that ooze out and get soaked up by the bread. Highly recommended!

I came here for their mushroom skewer, Txampis Tamboril. It did not disappoint. Very flavorful marinade and grilled fresh upon order. It is worth stopping by Tamboril just to try their Txampis Tamboril special.