We stumbled across Pintxo when we took a wrong turning whilst trying to find our Bed & Breakfast in Fowey. I am so glad we did. As soon as we drove past I said to Steve “Look, a tapas bar. We have to go there!” I immediately put it on the list of places to visit.

After a brief look around Fowey and settling into our Bed and Breakfast we made a bee line for Pintxo. I was keen to try a glass of sherry as my evening aperitif. I have previously tried a few sherries whilst in London with my wine expert friend Becca. Sherry has been making waves on the London scene. Drunk very cold. Normally a Tio Pepe fino which is very dry and a polar opposite to what my Nanny used to drink at Christmas (or heavily applied to her trifle!). Those sherries were dark and syrupy. Normally served at room temperature from a bottle that had probably been open since the Christmas before!

I settled on the Manzanilla La Gitana. A sherry I hadn’t tried before. A dry sherry that is the lightest and most delicate member of the Sherry region and can only be made in the coastal town of Sanlacar de Barrameda set at the mouth of the River Guadalquivir. The Spanish tend to drink this sherry very chilled with a meal, tapas or simply like a wine.

I loved the flavours of this sherry with a dry, slightly salty taste. It was very drinkable and was absolutely perfect sitting outside in the early evening sunshine. It felt like I was sitting outside a bar in Seville not Fowey.

Pintxo itself is small and very reminiscent of bars I visited whilst in Barcelona last year. I immediately knew that I wanted to visit again before leaving Fowey. Steve and I had dinner plans so that first night it was a delicious sherry for me and an Estrella for him. Plus a complimentary bowl of frutos secos (mixed nuts).

After a brief conversation with the lovely staff whilst settling our bill, I mentioned that we would be back!

The next evening I was hankering for another glass of Manzanilla La Gitana. It wasn’t as warm so we sat inside. The decor is simple but everything I would want. Modern in style with brushed metal tables and wooden seats. The tables around the outside of the small room have some rather squidgy looking high backed booth style seating. The ceiling is plastered with Spanish newspapers that I found particularly interesting to look at. Pintxo only opened a couple of months ago so a lot of the newspapers had relevant news on them albeit in Spanish. I noted one documenting the death of the great David Bowie.

A simple menu was presented to us to choose a few little plates to have alongside our drinks. We had dinner plans again but I was determined to try some dishes as our starter before heading off. Both Steve and I are fish lovers so the anchovies and tomato on sourdough was a no brainer as well as a selection of olives, pickles and cornichons. It was just what we needed to complement our drinks. In all honesty I really didn’t want to leave but we had a dinner reservation that we couldn’t break.

I can safely say that Pintxo was a real highlight of my stay in Fowey and it will be my first point of call if I return to this charming little town. 

Pintxo is situated on the Esplanade, Fowey and well worth a visit for a delicious sherry, beer, a glass of wine or perhaps a glass of Cava. Make sure you try some of the little plates too. They really are too good to pass up.