Address - Fukoku Seimei Bldg. B2 2-2-2 Uchisaiwaicho, Chiyoda-ku Map - See directions Telephone - 3597-0312 Menu - In Spanish and Japanese with pics CC - NO

Yesterday, May 23 2003, I visited a refreshingly unusual restaurant called Pintxos Bepo, together with Lauburu the only Basque restaurant in town.
How do you pronounce a name like that? name? Well, the word is Spanish, but the spelling is Basque, so it’s pronounced “pinchos”. The word is actually related to the English “pinch” (but has more cognates in other languages), and for a good reason. Pintxos are, rather than full dishes, just a pinch of this and a bit of that on a slice of bread to be had while drinking. In the Basque regions of Spain, where they were born, people in bars like to nibble on these little things made with a slice of toasted bread topped with mushrooms, cheese, salad, olives, tomatoes, spinach and/or whatever else you might have handy.
We are lucky enough to have a Pintxos restaurant right here, in Tokyo, even though it must be said that the location, in the basement of a high-rise building in Uchisaiwaicho, isn’t much to look at.
Pintxos Bepo itself is all white and ultramodern, which to my conservative mind seems hardly conducive to a good digestion, but never mind: the menu is stunningly attractive.
Pintxos are almost all Pintxos Bepo has, 49 different kinds of them, attractively priced at just 170 yen each. You can also order a soup, assorted cold meats and a few other things, among them reportedly excellent paella, but this time I couldn’t get past those lovely morsels They are delicious, and gobbling them up is a joy because they are so many, and so diverse, and so cheap!
The ones marked with a V are vegetarian, those numbered in green are cold, the rest are hot. The 1500 yen set, which includes nine Pintxos, looked lovely, but we decided to go à la carte. The three of us divided each order in three to give all of us a chance to taste everything, and we were never disappointed. What can I say? It’s just too bad that the location is so inconvenient for me, or I would go often.
Don’t forget to finish the meal with a glass of pacharan, the traditional liquor of the Basques: not many places have it, and it’s worth your attention.
The cook, Mr. Jose Vinez (but be careful: I am reading the name in katakana) also works at another restaurant, considerably more expensive than this and called Ogasawara Hakushakutei (3359-5830).
The odd name comes from the former owner of the building that hosts it, Count Ogasawara, but it actually serves Spanish cuisine.

Getting there: take the Mita Line to Uchisaiwaicho, find the A6 exit and, half-way up, enter the basement of the building. Pintxos Bepo is on your left, about twenty meters after the glass door.