Finally! We passed this restaurant so often on our evening dog walk that the route was officially dubbed The Sagardi Walk. (“Let’s grab the pup and go on The Sagardi Walk!”). We finally decided it was time to stop talking about it, and be about it.

Sagardi is a Spanish restaurant, and the focus is pintxos. These tapas-style snacks offer a seemingly endless variety of options, all on top of small slices of bread and held together by a toothpick; hence the name that literally translates to “thorn” or “spike”. They’re especially popular in the Basque country of Spain.

Sagardi has a dining room for formal, sit-down dinners with a menu full of delicious-sounding entrees, but there’s really no need to go beyond the bar area where the pintxos are lined up along the counters.

At Sagardi, you can choose to sit along the actual bar where the pinxtos are showcased or at a large communal table that offers enough room for different dining parties to be separated and comfortable. You basically serve yourself, grabbing a plate and piling it high with options ranging from thick slices of smoked salmon to wedges of tortilla española. I recommend taking it slow. Hang out for a while. As the evening progresses, piping hot pinxto varieties will be passed around the restaurant by the waitstaff, and you’ll be sorry if you filled up too quickly. Options like grilled squid and shrimp, mini-burgers with caramelized onions, and filet mignon with grilled mushrooms come out of the kitchen in a steady, tempting stream.

Pintxos are paid for individually at $12 pesos a pop, and your bill is determined by the number of toothpicks you’ve accumulated. Choose wisely!

SAGARDI – Humberto Primo 319 in San Telmo

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