San Sebastian: Basque Cooking Class & Pintxos with Chef

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/21

Duration2h 30m

GroupUp to 10

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Basque food stories and pintxos making in a local kitchen

You’ll roll up your sleeves in a real San Sebastian kitchen with a local chef guiding you through classic Basque dishes—Gilda pintxos, tortilla, even burnt cheesecake—then sit down together for lunch with cider and wine pairings. Expect laughter over imperfect flips and stories behind every recipe. You’ll leave full (and maybe smelling of onions), recipes and apron in hand.

2h 30m

Step-by-step itinerary

Hands-on Basque cooking class

Arrive at historic family-run restaurant
Learn to cook traditional Basque dishes
Prepare Gilda pintxos and Spanish tortilla
Make Basque burnt cheesecake
Hear chef's tips and cultural stories
Enjoy meal with Basque cider and wine
Receive recipes and souvenir apron

The Experience

You know that feeling when you walk into someone’s home and immediately smell onions frying? That’s how our Basque cooking class in San Sebastian started — except the “home” was this old restaurant in Gros, opened just for us. The chef (Iñaki — he told us to call him that, no fuss) greeted us with a grin and handed out aprons right away. I fumbled tying mine, but nobody cared. There were only eight of us, so it felt more like friends than a class. The kitchen had these heavy wooden counters and the light coming through the window made everything look a bit golden. I kept glancing at the shelves lined with cider bottles.

Iñaki started us off with Gilda pintxos — anchovy, olive, pepper on a stick. He showed me how to twist the toothpick just right so it didn’t fall apart (mine still did). The smell of vinegar and brine hit first, then the tortilla came next: eggs, potatoes, onion. We all took turns flipping it in the pan — honestly, I was terrified I’d drop it but somehow managed not to embarrass myself. Someone asked about the burnt cheesecake and Iñaki laughed, saying it was invented here by accident (“like most good things”). While we waited for it to bake, he poured txakoli wine from way above his head — apparently that’s tradition? It splashed everywhere but tasted sharp and fresh.

By the time we sat down to eat what we’d cooked — pintxos lined up like little soldiers, warm tortilla wedges, cheesecake still jiggling in the middle — I realized how hungry I’d gotten. There was Basque cider too; dry and tart, nothing like back home. We swapped stories over lunch and tried out our best Spanish (or in my case, worst). Before leaving, they handed us printed recipes and an apron to keep — mine still smells faintly of onions weeks later. I keep thinking about that moment when everyone went quiet for a second after tasting the cheesecake.

What’s included

Your day includes hands-on instruction from a professional chef inside a private kitchen in San Sebastian’s Gros neighborhood.
all ingredients.
four dishes with drink pairings (full meal).
printed recipes.
and an apron to take home as your souvenir before heading out into the city again.

Good to know

Public transport nearby

Operated by Devour San Sebastian Food Tours