Bar Txepetxa
Calle Pescadería 5
20003 San Sebastián, Gipuzkoa
Spain
TripAvdisor

I was hesitant to come here.  Upon my research, the food porn for this place was just not appealing to me.  It was so highly recommended from multiple different sources, so I felt obligated to check it out.  Txepetxa specializes in variations of marinated anchovies atop a sliced baguette.  It doesn’t sound like much, but simplicity is the name of the game here.

Anchoa con Crema de Centolla anchovies with spider crab (left)
Anchoa con Huevas de Erizo y con Txangurro anchovies with sea urchin and txangurro (right)
The spider crab and uni were pretty light on their natural flavors.  I wished for more punch.  The anchovy was not as fishy as I was expecting.

Anchoa con Foie y Compota de Manzana anchovy with foie & apple compote
The seafood flavors of the first 2 bites contrasted with the sweeter choice here.

Montadito de Bacalao al Ajo Gratinado
Bacalao or salted cod fish is a ubiquitos food in Basque country.  It was fancied up with garlic and cheese.  I probably preferred this over the anchovy bites.

Overall, Bar Txepetxa was a unique experience.  I can’t say I’ve had anchovies prepared in this way.  I tried hard to really love the food here, but in the end it just was not my thing.  It just seemed like anchovies topped with different things that didn’t really impress me too much.  This may be one aspect of Basque cuisine that I just can’t appreciate unfortunately.

10 – You NEED to eat here
9 – Awesome
8 – Very good
7 – Good
6 – OK
5 – Average
4 – Not bad
3 – Not good
2 – Terrible
1 – Do NOT eat here