Reus is hosting the Ganxet Pintxo tapas route this May, marking its 25th edition. From 7 to 24 May, 37 establishments will offer their gastronomic creations at €4 per tapa, which includes a small Estrella Damm beer or, for an additional 20 cents, a non-alcoholic, gluten-free Free Damm beer.
The launch event for the Ganxet Pintxo 2026 took place at the Cafè de Reus. Attendees included Mario Basora, president of the Reus Chamber of Commerce; Sandra Guaita, Mayor of Reus; Noemí Llauradó, City Projection Councillor for Reus City Council; Javier Tirado, Damm Trade Marketing manager; and Albert Soley from the Blood and Tissue Bank of Camp de Tarragona and Terres de l'Ebre.
Mario Basora invited everyone to “participate in a route that has become one of the most important gastronomic events in our regions”. Mayor Sandra Guaita said the route “is a prominent asset for the city’s gastronomic sector, and that is why the City Council supports it, recognising the commitment and participation of the establishments involved”. Noemí Llauradó added that Ganxet Pintxo “is a top-level gastronomic proposal and, at the same time, a fun and participatory activity that becomes a true city experience, capable of attracting local people and visitors”. Javier Tirado from Damm explained that the company has “always felt very comfortable” with the event due to the strong involvement of restaurateurs and citizens, which has helped it reach its 25th edition.
Special Celebrations and Prizes
To mark its 25th anniversary, the organisers have planned several special actions. As in previous years, customers can vote for the best tapas on the Gastronosfera website. This year, voting enters participants into a draw for a night at the Hotel Meridien Ra in El Vendrell.
Three additional prize draws will run on the Ganxet Pintxo social media channels. To enter, participants must comment on the specific draw posts on Instagram, tagging the person they wish to share the prize with. A third draw offers two packs for the Reus Viu el Vi fair, scheduled for 5, 6 and 7 June at Sant Jordi Park. For this draw, participants need to upload a photo to Instagram, tagging Ganxet Pintxo, ensuring their profile is public for verification.
City-wide Impact and Collaborations
The 25th Ganxet Pintxo coincides with the Festival Roses de Reus, from 9 to 11 May, and the Trapezi fair, from 13 to 17 May. These concurrent events will make Reus a particularly active attraction point, helping to revitalise the streets. This will benefit not only the restaurant sector but also local commerce, boosting the city’s overall economic fabric and strengthening Reus’s position as a cultural, gastronomic, and leisure destination.
The Ganxet Pintxo continues its long-standing collaboration with the Blood and Tissue Bank of Sant Joan Hospital, organising an extraordinary blood donation campaign. Anyone donating blood on 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, and 21 May will receive a voucher for a free tapa, courtesy of the participating establishments. Donation hours are 9am to 2pm and 4pm to 8pm. Those interested in donating blood are advised to book in advance via the donarsang.gencat.cat website. Albert Soley from the Blood Bank said this campaign “is one of the best of the whole year” and they expect to achieve around 400 donations.
Featured Tapas from Participating Establishments
The route features a wide array of creative tapas. Examples include a brioche bun with a burger, garlic mayonnaise, roasted pepper, and straw potatoes. Another offering is 'Grandma's Fricandó' with onion, carrot, aged wine, and mushrooms. One establishment presents a black brioche bun made with Bock Damm beer, a chicken burger with Reus PDO hazelnuts, and Siurana PDO olive oil.
Other options include a crispy fried Mexican burrito filled with sautéed chicken, onion, and peppers, topped with creamy cheddar sauce and pico de gallo. A crispy toast with hazelnuts, shredded meat, pickled onion, and a hazelnut and bacon crumble is also on offer. Diners can also try a truffle mini-bikini with Iberian ham and brie cheese, or a combination of sobrassada and a smooth brie cheese sauce with honey.
Mexican birria tacos marinated with Reus vermouth and slow-cooked are available, alongside a gluten-free flatbread with artichoke, caramelised onion, candied bacon, and foie gras mousse. A lettuce wrap filled with cherry tomatoes, breaded chicken breast, and Caesar sauce is another choice. A toasted bikini with butter, shredded roasted chicken, and Emmental cheese is also featured. A potato timbale with slow-cooked egg and crispy pork rind, and a profiterole paste ingot filled with gianduja cream and glazed with milk chocolate and gianduja chocolate vermicelli, complete some of the sweet and savoury options.
Creperia El Verger offers a fruit skewer on a panna cotta with chocolate. Other savoury options include confit cod with Catalan sofrito, spinach, and a soft garlic mousseline. A roasted vegetable toast with an Escala anchovy and goat’s cheese is available. A potato base with caramelised onion, Iberian fillet, goat’s cheese, and crispy bacon is also on the menu. A mini artisan pizza, crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, with a homemade romesco heart, tender calçots, and grilled sausage is another highlight.
La Parada in the Central Market offers a roasted chicken sandwich with tomato, carrot, garlic, and onion dressing. A 'clotxa' with sausage, roasted pepper and tomato, and romesco sauce is also available. A juicy beef burger with melted cheddar cheese and bacon jam on a crispy straw potato base is another option. An arepa with tasty criollo chorizo, chimichurri sauce, and cheese, and an artisan bread with frankfurter, mustard, creamy mayonnaise, finely diced onion, crispy bacon, and straw potatoes are also featured.
Morro Calent offers a pulled pork bikini with caramelised onion, cheddar cheese, and crispy pork snout powder. Roasted chicken with its juices, Figueres onion confit in vinegar, romesco, and crispy Parmesan are also available. Japanese seafood or vegetable dumplings with thin slices of spring onion, teriyaki sauce, and sesame are another choice. Pastisseria 2R’s offers a creamy cheesecake with local toasted hazelnuts and a mosaic of coloured white chocolate.
Restaurant 158 provides a potato stuffed with beef and vegetable sofrito, hard-boiled egg, and homemade hazelnut and vermouth sauce. A savoury Iberian pork jowl brownie with Reus hazelnuts and acidic apple textures is also on offer. A tin of mussels, octopus, prawns, and olives with a vermouth escabeche vinaigrette and potato crisps, and mushroom sofrito with meat and eggs sautéed with jasmine rice, are also featured. Soho by Tarraco in the Central Market offers a toasted brioche bun with breaded calamari and Soho sauce. A mini beef burger with lettuce, caramelised cherry tomatoes, and goat’s cheese is also available. Taberna Oveja Negra offers Torta del Casar cheese on a black sausage base with Padrón peppers and Iberian ham, and a sushi rice base topped with a portion of…
