Bar Txoko

Bar Txoko sits on Calle San Nicolás 12 in the heart of Pamplona's old town bar district — one of the densest concentrations of pintxos bars in all of Navarre. The bar's standing-room format is characteristic of the region's txikiteo culture: the Navarrese tradition of moving in small groups from bar to bar, taking a single glass and a pintxo before moving on. Txoko has refined this model into something local drinkers return to consistently — narrow space, high counters, a short but well-chosen selection of cold pintxos along the bar top, and a drinks list anchored by house wines and sidra natural, the dry Basque-style cider poured from height into a wide glass. The wine selection prioritises Navarra D.O. reds and rosados, with Rioja appearing as a complement. Draught beer is available for those not in a wine-drinking mood. Cocktails are minimal and not the focus — this is fundamentally a wine, cider, and pintxo venue. Hours reflect the dual rhythm of Spanish bar life: weekdays from 6:00 PM to 2:00 AM, catering to after-work and pre-dinner drinkers; weekends from midday to 3:00 AM, picking up a lunch crowd and transitioning through a long afternoon txikiteo session into the late-night end of Calle San Nicolás. No cover charge applies at any time. The crowd is a genuine local-tourist mix on weeknights and leans heavily local on Sunday afternoons — the time many Pamplona residents consider ideal for a slow txikiteo at their regular bars. During San Fermín, Bar Txoko becomes one of the epicentres of old town celebrations. The street outside fills, service extends across extended hours, and the standing-room model proves its efficiency. Visitors without festival experience are well advised to stop at Txoko first to understand how the pintxo counter works before moving deeper into the festival crowd elsewhere in Navarre.