Saint-Jean-de-Luz’s pintxos championship turns Basque bar food into a professional public competition. Restaurant stands, live music, a cocktail workshop and the chefs’ contest all focus attention on the small-format gastronomy of Iparralde. The winner’s path toward the Euskal Herria final gives the event a wider Basque culinary horizon. That competition pathway gives the event its weight: the local pintxo is treated as a serious culinary form within a wider Basque championship circuit.