PintxoPote

A cozy little tapas bar with excellent food and delightful service. Hector and Maria make you feel at home. The quality of the food is wonderful from the serrano ham to the anchovies to the chef prepared dishes. It's a lovely place to spend an evening.

Wonderful fresh food, the nicest owners anywhere and they stop to talk to you. Transport yourself to the Basque region today.

My wife and I LOVE good food. To the point where we pretty much only travel because of the food. So when we got back from Spain in 2016, we immediately wanted to go back. So when we found this place, it was love at first taste. Seriously, this is one of the hidden gems of the Bay Area. Every plate they serve is magic and with the right wine pairing, it's a whole new world. I should mention that it's tapas style, so don't go in expecting large portions a la Cheesecake Factory (which is a horrible horrible place btw). Go in expecting to be wow'd. Expect to converse with the staff and their knowledge of the San Sebastian/Spanish culture and foods. My wife and I have eaten at some of the best restaurants in the world and knowing that an authentic Spanish restaurant is right around the corner is seriously great. This place is not to be missed. 11/10 - would eat again.

We were thoroughly impressed, a highly refined cuisine curated with uncommon expertise and attention to detail. It helps of course if you like anchovies! The Torta de Chocolate was exceptional.

One of our favorite restaurants in the South Bay. The food is high quality, delicious and authentic (way more authentic than the other Spanish restaurant down the street), and the service is always warm and attentive.

The best little restaurant that you could drive past and overlook. If you want some excellent food and especially tasty wine to match this place is your best bet. If you've ever been abroad to Spain it's a perfect execution, and if you haven't, a great excuse to live vicariously.

Lovely little place. Sat at the counter and got great service. Food is delicious and the owner is lovely.

Amazing and authentic tapas! Very friendly staff. We ordered about 10 dishes and we found all of them to be excellent. Highly recommend with the shortage of good restaurants in the South Bay.

Wow! I’ve been searching for a good place to eat since moving here from Oakland 3 years ago. I finally found it here! Hands down the best restaurant in Los Gatos. Every bite of food was exceptional. There wasn’t one dish that failed to impress. I hesitated writing this because I selfishly want to keep this place all to myself. I’d give it 8 stars if I could!

Very possibly my favorite restaurant in the entire south bay. Every single thing on the menu is delicious, often spectacularly so. The staff are also extremely sweet and welcoming. Perhaps their only weakness is a lack of variety in desserts. We will continue to return whenever we can.

This is the best restaurant I have eaten at in the USA in the past 19 months that I have been here. Chef Aitor is a master of taste and textures and has gone the extra mile, by specifically making additional dishes for the vegetarian guests - this was not requested, as the menu already has quite a variety of vegetarian options. I highly recommend this establishment.

If you love Basque pintxos (tapas), definitely come here! The service we received was so thoughtful and amazing, we were walked through the entire menu and advised on how best to order for our table of 4. We tried nearly everything on the menu, and it was all amazing! I love the portion sizes so you can really get a taste of a lot of different inspired dishes. We loved everything, but their signature dishes are the red and white anchovies (boquerones), served on a skewer in typical Donostia style - deliciously simple, refreshing, reminded me of San Sebastián. We also loved the hot dishes, especially the gambas, delicias, albóndigas, and cani cabra - highly recommend those! And we finished with cheese, jamón ibérico de bellota, and dessert. Wine selection was impressive and curated - loved it. Restaurant was styled simply, clean and elegant, bur still very comfortable. Great for meeting friend, a wine and snack at the bar, or a lovely romantic date. We will definitely be back!

Best and most authentic Spanish restaurant in the bay area. They use very high quality ingredients from Spain. The recipes are authentic and traditional. This restaurant is a real and a rare gem in the entire country, becuase its very hard to find a restaurant like this in the entire country. This comment is coming from someone who lived in Spain and misses Spain, is married to a Spaniard, and has traveled a lot in USA. EVERYTHING on the menu is great, I tried almost everything over my multiple visits. The chef is a great guy too, very nice and very friendly service. For those who are not familiar with Spanish food, come try it in this restaurant, you will save yourself a flight ticket to Spain. The restaurant atmosphere is very nice and relaxing, it's a great experience. It's a must go to restaurant, enjoy !

A fantastic place with unique dishes. Perfect for small bites, sharing plates, and high quality meats. The menu is limited in the number of items, but the quality is unlimited. And the owner, Hector, is charming.

This is probably the most authentic tapas place you can find in the bay area. Their cold items are exceptional. So are the rest of the warm tapas items. They have only 1 dessert menu and they have perfected it. We got two anchovi plates, pulpo, oyster mushroom, goat cheese, chorizo omlette and bacon wrapped dates. Everything is absolutely delicious. The service was excellent. You can tell they care about the food they serve you. They prepare the food as the order comes in and the wait is well worth.

Food is wonderful, just like so many other reviews have said. But here I want to tell you that the people there are even nicer. The crew are passionate about the food. They will be happy to introduce you to the material, the preparation and the food tradition they represent. They will also help you design the progression of the numerous small plates and the wine pairing. We sat at the bar for close to two hours and just had a great time.

Recently ordered for pickup — on two different occasions — a different menu in each case — and we ordered the wine the Chef recommended. Delicious (!) and the wine(s) matched perfectly! Great service and at a great/reasonable price. Was yummy - gourmet and sophisticated — and we enjoyed many courses at our pace. Don’t know how it gets better than this!

Quaint neighborhood eaterie. Comfortable seating at either tables or at the bar. Just a few folks on staff, but were in constant purposeful motion taking care of all the customers, walking through and explaining the menu. The tapas were excellent, just note anything with anchovies were salty (as to be expected). The rib eye was so tender and delicious. It takes a while to prepare, so order it immediately. A wonderful experience. We'll certainly return. Prices are on the high side.

Very good tapas place! Everything we had was great. Recommend the fig bacons, the shrimp, the cheese plate. Pretty much everything was great except maybe the octopus which was just OK. Since these are small plates, I suggest you also get the lamb chops - served with their wonderfully crispy fries! They only have one dessert (I think) but it too was great. Service was wonderful - the waitress took the time to explain every single thing on the menu, and service was prompt and attentive. Highly recommend.

PintxPote continues to be one of the best hidden gems that you can find in a town like Los Gatos. They are friendly. They love the food that they make, which you can taste in every bite. Sometimes if you become a regular you can ask one or two weeks in advance to see if chef Hector is willing to make one hit of his amazing paellas. These are not on the menu so you definitely would have to reserve in advance. Otherwise the menu is always absolutely fantastic. Try the pintxos. Try the main dishes such as lamb or beef or octopus. When peppers are on the menu, try those as well. Specials are on the menu when there is something in season or chef Hector is moved to try out a new dish. Come regularly to see what's new. Reserve ahead of time for a Tuesday or Wednesday, and ask if the chef will be able to make a paella for you -- and let him make recommendations. Personal favorites include "delicias" (bacon-wrapped dates), house made potato chips that are served with meat dishes, and Spanish tortillas. If you enjoy wine, they have quite a nice selection of Spanish wines, including cavas and tempranillos. They are always willing to discuss your preferences and see how well they can match your preferred wine. I don't usually write this kind of review and recommendation because I always want to make sure that whoever comes to what I recommend will have the kind of experience that I describe. In this case, I cannot recommend highly enough. If you love this type of Spanish food, this is the place to go. Note: This is a lightly updated review as of January 2026.

What a gem! We got to try so many small plates here and loved everything. Hector and his wife are amazing hosts. I highly recommend sitting at the bar. The decor is very simple here - the food is the star of the show. We got about 7 dishes for 2 people and it was plenty. Don’t miss the goat cheese dish. We also loved all the anchovy dishes we tried. Can’t wait to come back!

There are a many good restaurants in Los Gatos…not many make you feel like you are on vacation abroad with amazing food and hyper personalized service- even if you can still see your local Walgreens across the street. Anchovies are not my immediate go to, but given how prominent they were on the menu, I gave them a shot and wasn’t disappointed. It was the difference between food that tastes generically good and food that feels deliberate, flavorful, and thought-provoking. We’ll definitely be back!

Came here about seven years ago and never went back. Friends and I dined here for a girl’s night, but this time, it was me and the hubby. He was so proud of himself bc he found this place himself; usually I do all the research and make all the reservations, but not this time. We arrived at 6:45pm and this place was almost fully packed. We tried to ask if we could switch to the bar, but it was already filled for the night. Angie initially took our order and helped us with the menu (she is soooo thorough with her descriptions of each item). As it got busy, Hector also helped serve our table; both were awesome. We had some ideas of what to order, but Angie’s descriptions of everything was soooo good we just kinda let her pick most of our stuff. EVERYTHING we ordered was delicious. Note that this is Spanish tapas, so portions are small and meant to be shared and eaten in one or two bites. I did remember that when we first came some years ago, service was slow, and although it was not as bad this time, they can benefit from another server. The manager came by later to thank us for coming in and explained that they had not been this busy since the pandemic. I’m glad to hear they are doing better, and well. Some side notes: Corkage is $25 although they have an extensive list of offerings. Parking is easy; there is a stand-alone lot. Will definitely come back. This is as close as it gets to SPAIN!

My boyfriend and I came on a weekday and sat at the bar. We had an amazing time, from the nice service to the delicious food. My favorites were the indurain blanco, delicias, pulpo, and the chocolate cake. We ordered more tapas throughout our dinner since each dish was pretty small. The chefs told us what the best way to eat some of the dishes were, which was a neat experience. We were also adventurous in ordering and it was fun to eat food we have never tried before. We will definitely come back!

One of the most authentic tapas restaurants in the Bay Area. Chef Hector is very welcoming and passionate, I highly recommended the lamb chops. They are one of the best ones I tried in my life.

Wonderful dinner at PintxoPote. Angelita served us well with explanations and suggestions. We’re adventurous and enjoyed all the small plates, with a lovely Rioja.

We do not eat lamb, but we eat it at PintxoPote! The `costillar de cordero`, a moruno spiced rack of lamb prepared medium rare is pure joy. Come hungry and order it as soon as you land and it will cap an evening of exceptional pintxos and tapas. PintxoPote is just delightful and the food is just delicious. Be sure to check out the `brocheta de gambas` (wild shrimp, roasted garlic, lemon, and arbequina evoo) and the simple comfort of the `tortila española` (potato and onion omelette) or `esparragos a la plantxa` (grilled asparagus, olive oil, and maldon salt flake).

I didn't really want to write this review because the place is a hidden gem and i don't want it to get overrun. This restaurant is the real deal. Great Sherrys, incredible wine list, impeccable food and wonderful owners. Anyone thinking about going to the other (terrible) Spanish place in Los Gatos... Come here instead

Been coming to PintxoPote for years. They have always maintained their high quality. Unlike restaurants that get worse over time, PintxoPote has only gotten better They maintain using high quality, simple ingredients, with very well balanced seasoning. Food is always well cooked, never over or under cooked. From time to time, they introduce new dishes and they're always tasty. Our regular orders are tuna belly, anchovies, omelette de patata, and huevos de jamon. Very simple. Very good

I love this place. It is a true Spanish Basque pintxo menu. When I’m here, I feel like I’ve been transported back to the homeland. A must try.

Conrad Paz

Quaint neighborhood eaterie. Comfortable seating at either tables or at the bar. Just a few folks on staff, but were in constant purposeful motion taking care of all the customers, walking through and explaining the menu. The tapas were excellent, just note anything with anchovies were salty (as to be expected). The rib eye was so tender and delicious. It takes a while to prepare, so order it immediately. A wonderful experience. We'll certainly return. Prices are on the high side.

Amir Hermelin

Very good tapas place! Everything we had was great. Recommend the fig bacons, the shrimp, the cheese plate. Pretty much everything was great except maybe the octopus which was just OK. Since these are small plates, I suggest you also get the lamb chops - served with their wonderfully crispy fries! They only have one dessert (I think) but it too was great. Service was wonderful - the waitress took the time to explain every single thing on the menu, and service was prompt and attentive. Highly recommend.

Talia Karasinski

What a gem! We got to try so many small plates here and loved everything. Hector and his wife are amazing hosts. I highly recommend sitting at the bar. The decor is very simple here - the food is the star of the show. We got about 7 dishes for 2 people and it was plenty. Don’t miss the goat cheese dish. We also loved all the anchovy dishes we tried. Can’t wait to come back!

Angela Londono

There are a many good restaurants in Los Gatos…not many make you feel like you are on vacation abroad with amazing food and hyper personalized service- even if you can still see your local Walgreens across the street. Anchovies are not my immediate go to, but given how prominent they were on the menu, I gave them a shot and wasn’t disappointed. It was the difference between food that tastes generically good and food that feels deliberate, flavorful, and thought-provoking. We’ll definitely be back!

KC C

Came here about seven years ago and never went back. Friends and I dined here for a girl’s night, but this time, it was me and the hubby. He was so proud of himself bc he found this place himself; usually I do all the research and make all the reservations, but not this time. We arrived at 6:45pm and this place was almost fully packed. We tried to ask if we could switch to the bar, but it was already filled for the night. Angie initially took our order and helped us with the menu (she is soooo thorough with her descriptions of each item). As it got busy, Hector also helped serve our table; both were awesome. We had some ideas of what to order, but Angie’s descriptions of everything was soooo good we just kinda let her pick most of our stuff. EVERYTHING we ordered was delicious. Note that this is Spanish tapas, so portions are small and meant to be shared and eaten in one or two bites. I did remember that when we first came some years ago, service was slow, and although it was not as bad this time, they can benefit from another server. The manager came by later to thank us for coming in and explained that they had not been this busy since the pandemic. I’m glad to hear they are doing better, and well. Some side notes: Corkage is $25 although they have an extensive list of offerings. Parking is easy; there is a stand-alone lot. Will definitely come back. This is as close as it gets to SPAIN!

Andrea Yang

My boyfriend and I came on a weekday and sat at the bar. We had an amazing time, from the nice service to the delicious food. My favorites were the indurain blanco, delicias, pulpo, and the chocolate cake. We ordered more tapas throughout our dinner since each dish was pretty small. The chefs told us what the best way to eat some of the dishes were, which was a neat experience. We were also adventurous in ordering and it was fun to eat food we have never tried before. We will definitely come back!

Rus K

One of the most authentic tapas restaurants in the Bay Area. Chef Hector is very welcoming and passionate, I highly recommended the lamb chops. They are one of the best ones I tried in my life.

Aaron “Unidentified Coward” Kulick

We do not eat lamb, but we eat it at PintxoPote! The `costillar de cordero`, a moruno spiced rack of lamb prepared medium rare is pure joy. Come hungry and order it as soon as you land and it will cap an evening of exceptional pintxos and tapas. PintxoPote is just delightful and the food is just delicious. Be sure to check out the `brocheta de gambas` (wild shrimp, roasted garlic, lemon, and arbequina evoo) and the simple comfort of the `tortila española` (potato and onion omelette) or `esparragos a la plantxa` (grilled asparagus, olive oil, and maldon salt flake).

Nicolas Darveau-Garneau

I didn't really want to write this review because the place is a hidden gem and i don't want it to get overrun. This restaurant is the real deal. Great Sherrys, incredible wine list, impeccable food and wonderful owners. Anyone thinking about going to the other (terrible) Spanish place in Los Gatos... Come here instead

Ben Chang

Been coming to PintxoPote for years. They have always maintained their high quality. Unlike restaurants that get worse over time, PintxoPote has only gotten better They maintain using high quality, simple ingredients, with very well balanced seasoning. Food is always well cooked, never over or under cooked. From time to time, they introduce new dishes and they're always tasty. Our regular orders are tuna belly, anchovies, omelette de patata, and huevos de jamon. Very simple. Very good

Ander Belaustegui

I love this place. It is a true Spanish Basque pintxo menu. When I’m here, I feel like I’ve been transported back to the homeland. A must try.

Vittorio Suter

It's a lot like visiting a friend who is also an amazing chef. They're very personable, friendly, respectful, and professional. Good drinks. Great Cava! Loved everything they served. If you like tapas you'll love this place. Not that easy to book a table as they're typically full, with respect to COVID regulations. Regret only that we had no more space left for dessert 😋 The level of service is nothing short of impeccable. Chef Hector is a cut above.

Some people are probably trying to keep this a secret! PintxoPote is a fantastic, intimate dining experience in a stylish spot and reminds me of some of my favorite european finds. Mom and I escaped her nearby Senior Living Facility for a special dinner and we loved everything from the white anchovies in olive oil to the Beef and cheese sampler. Everyone was friendly and helpful with our selections, and I will be taking Mom back next time I am town for some favorites and some items I didn't have room for tonight. This would be an impressive choice for a date or a special occasion - though I will be going back every time I can. Hours are limited, so I will be making reservations

This is an excellent local gem. Very authentic delicious tapas and a wonderful staff. I’ve been twice and have left happy both times. They go the extra mile to make every meal an experience. What are you waiting for?

The food here is superb. The lamb we had was melt in your mouth soft and tender. I love the asparagus, mushroom, and the Ibericos ham was out of this world. Service was fantastic. I will be going back to try their other dishes.. This is the type of food you get in Spain.

Amanda K

Lovely little place. Sat at the counter and got great service. Food is delicious and the owner is lovely.

Simon Peters

This is an excellent local gem. Very authentic delicious tapas and a wonderful staff. I’ve been twice and have left happy both times. They go the extra mile to make every meal an experience. What are you waiting for?

Jeff Wallace

Some people are probably trying to keep this a secret! PintxoPote is a fantastic, intimate dining experience in a stylish spot and reminds me of some of my favorite european finds. Mom and I escaped her nearby Senior Living Facility for a special dinner and we loved everything from the white anchovies in olive oil to the Beef and cheese sampler. Everyone was friendly and helpful with our selections, and I will be taking Mom back next time I am town for some favorites and some items I didn't have room for tonight. This would be an impressive choice for a date or a special occasion - though I will be going back every time I can. Hours are limited, so I will be making reservations

Genevieve

Wow! I’ve been searching for a good place to eat since moving here from Oakland 3 years ago. I finally found it here! Hands down the best restaurant in Los Gatos. Every bite of food was exceptional. There wasn’t one dish that failed to impress. I hesitated writing this because I selfishly want to keep this place all to myself. I’d give it 8 stars if I could!

Food is good, but might not be suitable if you want a decent and big meal

I heard about this place from a colleague and decided to give it a try with my husband. This Spanish/Basque restaurant exceeded our expectations with its amazing food. We loved everything we tried, and the owner was kind enough to personally explain all the menu items, which made the experience even more special. I would highly recommend this place for anyone looking to enjoy authentic and delicious cuisine in a warm, welcoming atmosphere.

I want some quick and light dinner after a heavy lunch. This seems to be a perfect tapa place. I would recommend anchovies with tuna but anchovies with olives were way too salty. Bacon wrapped dates bruschetta and mushroom grilled were also tasty. Stay away from the Iberia ham 4-6 pieces for more than $36 is too pricey and can be eaten in a lot of places at much lower price. BTW The olive oil is also very very good. Unfortunately the bread to dip in is too plain. I almost feel maybe I should just drink the EV oil. Hahaha

Went there for dinner. It is a very small place, so you need to make reservations. It's a tapas place, small plates. Would plan for 2 per person. We got the shrimp, veg tortillas with chorizo on the side, meatballs, and couple other things. The food was generally very good, the service was attentive but not intrusive. Wine - they have a very good selection of Albarinos, Spanish red wines etc., Would highly recommend trying one of those instead of a local one - kinda contributes to the Spanish evening 👍. They have 2 desserts, got one each. Good dinner overall, plan for about $70 each if you plan to get wines, etc.

Jenn Jiang

I want some quick and light dinner after a heavy lunch. This seems to be a perfect tapa place. I would recommend anchovies with tuna but anchovies with olives were way too salty. Bacon wrapped dates bruschetta and mushroom grilled were also tasty. Stay away from the Iberia ham 4-6 pieces for more than $36 is too pricey and can be eaten in a lot of places at much lower price. BTW The olive oil is also very very good. Unfortunately the bread to dip in is too plain. I almost feel maybe I should just drink the EV oil. Hahaha

Srikumar Chari

Went there for dinner. It is a very small place, so you need to make reservations. It's a tapas place, small plates. Would plan for 2 per person. We got the shrimp, veg tortillas with chorizo on the side, meatballs, and couple other things. The food was generally very good, the service was attentive but not intrusive. Wine - they have a very good selection of Albarinos, Spanish red wines etc., Would highly recommend trying one of those instead of a local one - kinda contributes to the Spanish evening 👍. They have 2 desserts, got one each. Good dinner overall, plan for about $70 each if you plan to get wines, etc.

i was having high hopes for this place but its was mainly a disappointment. rubbery octopus, some lacking imagination tapas, very limited menu, i mean this is the only place perhaps in the area where there is a 50$+ price gap between small plates and cheapest main dish. older pics showing dishes not on the menu anymore and not seems replaced by anything better. its not authentic and not well cooked, may be hire a Spanish chef or expand menu to a really great Basque dishes?

The tapas are okay. Wines are decent. Service is friendly. The place can get pretty packed.

Nice place, fast service and friendly staff. The food was pretty good but man plates are so tiny! So prices are pretty expensive for what you get… we took five or six plates to share (for two) and we ended up being hungry after… but I mean we payed $100+ so we weren’t cheap. Again it’s a nice place but not worth it in my opinion.

Squirrel Friend

The tapas are okay. Wines are decent. Service is friendly. The place can get pretty packed.

Mélodie Pelisse

Nice place, fast service and friendly staff. The food was pretty good but man plates are so tiny! So prices are pretty expensive for what you get… we took five or six plates to share (for two) and we ended up being hungry after… but I mean we payed $100+ so we weren’t cheap. Again it’s a nice place but not worth it in my opinion.