Although it is not easy to demonstrate which was the first bar that started delivering pintxos (or “banderillas” as they were called back then) in San Sebastian, this honor, according to several sources, seems to belong to bar La Espiga. Located in the center district of the city, in San Marcial street, next to La Concha beach, this bar remains there and, what is more remarkable, is still owned by the same family that opened it on November 17,1928: the Castro family. The signs of the original façade are still preserved.
The always busy bar has been managed by three generations of this family, It has been reformed twice in their 90 years of existence: first in the 70s, and once again in 2008. From the latter, tiles used for the bar floor stand out, because they are the same used on the city sidewalks. Since a bar in this city is a mere extensión of the street for all those locals who practice the ritual of going out for pintxos.