Review of Euskal Etxea - Tapas/Pinchos Bar in Barcelona

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Metro: Jaume I (12 minutes walk from metro stop)

The Euskal Etxea is a stylish Tapas bar in the heart of old Town Barcelona, only a few minutes walk away from the Picasso Museum. I went there recently with two friends Paul and Louise to see what the food was like.

This bar serves excellent Pinchos (small rations of tasty food served on a small slice of bread) The word pinchos is Basque and similar to Tapas (Spanish). Pinchos is composed mainly of hams, cheeses or other meats or seafoods served on a slice of bread all held together by a cocktail stick. A single pinchos is called a "racion de pinchos" or just racion for short.

When you arrive at the bar request a plate and start to choose your pinchos. If you have never had Pinchos or Tapas before read our guide to the Etiquette of tapas dining.

There are many different types of pinchos including vegetarian pinchos. A few examples of vegetarian pinchos includes mushroom filled vol-au-vents, rice stuffed peppers or soft cheese pinchos wrapped in vine leaves.

The special thing about pinchos dining is that you'll experience a whole variety of flavours at one sitting and you can eat at your own pace.

It's a good idea to order a light refreshing drink that will clear the palette between raciones when you are pinchos dining. One such drink that fits the bill nicely is Txacoli (pronounced Chakolli) - a speciality white wine which is distinctive for this region. The bar man serves Txacoli by pouring the wine from the bottle about 1 meter above the glass. This aerates the wine and helps to release the flavour. It's best to stand a little further back when the barman is pouring Txacoli as sometimes his aim can be a little off.

If however you prefer another type of wine this bar is well stocked with over 25 different varieties.

Price

We each had 8 raciones de pinchos and 2 rounds of Txacoli. We felt it was a real bargain considering the excellent quality of the food and wine.

We had a thoroughly enjoyable Saturday afternoon in Euskal Etxea and can highly recommend this bar for pinchos and tapas.

Etiquette of Pinchos / Tapas dining.

When you arrive at the pinchos bar request a plate for your group. Normally one plate per group but if you are in a large group you may have to request additional plates. You can then select the tapas of choice from the plates that are on the bar. Pinchos have a cocktail stick in the center. This cocktail stick has two functions the first is to hold the food onto the bread and the second is to help you keep track of how many pinchos you have eaten. At the end of your meal the bar tender takes your plate and counts up the number of cocktail sticks on your plate and from this he can calculate the bill. Often you will have a drink to accompany pinchos. The bill for both the drinks and pinchos are calculated at the end of your meal.

When picking up a racion of pinchos or tapas - never pick it up only from the cocktail stick - if you do you risk dropping it and demonstrating that you are a "Gringo"

The best way to pick up a racion of pinchos is to hold the bread base with one hand and support it with the cocktail stick with the other.

The best way to pick up a racion of pinchos is to hold the bread base with one hand and support it with the cocktail stick with the other.