Often shadowed by its neighbor San Sebastián, people are finally starting to turn their attention to Bilbao.
While the Guggenheim Museum, with a million visitors per year, is the main contributor to the increased tourism, Northern Spain’s biggest city offers so much more.
Full of culture, great design, art, and creative locals, Bilbao is a destination of its own.
Most importantly, the gastronomy is so good that it’s worth traveling for. From traditional pintxos bars, to cool fusions, and innovative fine cuisine. It’s hard not to eat well in Bilbao.
Here are some of the locals’ favorite eateries and restaurants in Bilbao worth checking out.
What Gastronomy In Bilbao Is Like
Variation and contrast best describe the gastronomy scene in Bilbao.
Many leading chefs have made Bilbao their home. The menus around the city present exciting mixes of fresh seafood, meat, and vegetarian options in unique forms. The majority of the ingredients are locally produced.
Certain restaurants in Bilbao have been around for decades. Other courageous innovators are opening up new venues, challenging the usual way of doing things. Always with respect for the traditions. While some require you to travel, you won’t mind when they are so good that it’s more appropriate to call them destinations rather than restaurants.
And it only gets better. Because with gastronomy on this level, you better be good to survive.
Pintxos Bars in Bilbao
While I don’t experience the same fascination for pintxos as in San Sebastián, there are great places in Bilbao.
Here are a few that have earned their fame, ranging from traditional to newcomers.
Gilda: When You Feel
Like a Little Something
Best described as a little hole in the wall, Gilda is modern, fresh, and popular. Gilda is a Basque pintxo, first created 60+ years ago. The original Gilda is a simple combination of Spanish chili pepper (guindilla), an olive, and an anchovy. You find it all over Spain in all flavors you can imagine.
With 19 different types of Gildas, presented in a way that makes you feel like trying all, Gilda is a place to pass by quickly to get a little something. I had 3 Gildas with octopus, tuna, and salmon. So simple, so tasty.
No chairs to sit down, which doesn’t stop the flow of regulars who come by. Once you’ve been, you will feel like coming back, too.
Kanpabtxa: Traditional and Simple
Run by Santi, Kanpabtxa is a local bar with a restaurant next-doors. They’re showing a local football game, and the bar is full people from Bilbao.
While everything supposedly is good, the filled egg pintxo with bacon is one of the house specialties. Kanpabtxa has been around for years and has a lot of regulars who don’t need to order, since Santi knows what they want.
It’s a very simple place, and a good quick stop to experience the local vibe.
Bar Plata & Brochettes: If You Were Living
In Bilbao, You Would Come Here a Lot
Bar Plata & Brochettes is the kind of place where you feel like staying. It ticks all the boxes. Cozy, with just a few tables, barrels outside, and a colorful bar where the food is lined up.
The service is personal and great. I try the crepe pintxo (duro), filled with meat. It’s crispy on the outside, with lots of flavor.
If I were living here, this could probably be one of my local hang-out spots.
Cafe Iruña: Well-established
With a Long History
When you step into Iruña, it’s like traveling back in time. Its long history has helped it earn a reputation, with thousands of reviews on Google. As the majority of the pintxos places in Bilbao, it gets crowded around lunch and 8 p.m.
The ham pintxo with mayo and cheese on top is one of the house specialties. They also sell grilled skewers, which people line up for. While the pintxo I eat doesn’t blow me away, Cafe Iruña is worth visiting for its long heritage and history. If I could travel back in time for real, I would probably try a skewer or something hot instead.
Ledesma no 5: Experience
The Vibrant Bar street
Located on one of the main bar streets in Bilbao, Musikariaren, Ledesma 5 always gets crowded. It’s both a bar and a restaurant. The interior is elegant, while the ambience is quite casual when I enter, with a football game on the screens.
I have a Bacalhau pintxo. It’s ok, just like the service. The reviews of Ledesma are great, so it could be the night. People are hanging out with their groups and seem to be enjoying themselves. This is a place to come with friends if you would like to experience the vibrant ambience at one of the main bar street, but I’d order something else next time around.
Berton: Great Service With Several Locations
Several locals recommend Berton. It has been around for 20+ years. Located on the Rodriguez Arias Kalea street, it’s full of life around lunch.
Pedro in the bar seems to love his job. He explains the concept and what the different tapas includes, and what wine you should order. Full of energy, he welcomes everyone in a way that makes you feel like staying for a while.
I try the chipi. It’s tasty, and extra so with a glass of the house white. This is a place to come back to. Berton has 3 locations in Bilbao.
La Muga: Delicious Croquetas
At a Terrace By Plaza Nueva
La Muga is one in the line of tapas bars on the Muñoz Maria street. While the original eatery has been around for more than 40 years, they recently changed owner and name. Their little terrace is known for being one of the more affordable outdoor seatings close by the vibrant Plaza Nueva in Bilbao.
The girls in the bar are friendly and down-to-earth. I try the croqueta with spinach and nuez. Crispy on the outside, and creamy on the inside, making you wish for more. Apart from the croquetas, the terrace (on a warm day) is a good reason to come here.
Zaszpi: A Favorite On a
Lively Street In The Old Town
I come to Zaszpi just before closing time, and there is not much left. I try the Chipirón (squid) with caramelized onion. The squid is full of flavor, but the bread could be softer. Likely because of the hour, but still.
Zaszpi is a favorite among the locals and got an audience full of regulars. For that reason, I would give it a second shot. Located on a lively street full of bars, you can easily spend the night going from one place to another, familiarising yourself with the basque cuisine.
Txapela Taberna: Montaditos In The Moment
The main reason to come to Txapela Taberna is that it’s one of the few places in the old town that make montaditos in the moment. I’ve the Solomillo Iberico, served with fries on the side. It’s delicious.
Txapela Taberna has been around for 10 years, but changed name 3 years ago. The crowd consists of a mix of regular locals and tourists. People in the bar chitchat about life in general, and the today’s special are supposedly also worth trying.
Restaurants In Bilbao
Pentxo: Family-Run With Genuine
Service and Affordable Quality
The charming ambience is what wins you over at Pentxos. Locals are reading the newspaper, or catching up with friends.
The main attraction is the 3-courses daily lunch menu, with 9 starters and mains to choose from. Pentxo’s wife Loli and his daughter Henar are preparing the food, while Pentxo and his son take care of the guests.
The focus is on well-elaborated quality dishes, a menu adjusted depending on the season, and personal service. The risotto, the langostino brochetas, the tail stew, grilled fish, and squid in its own ink, are some of the house specialities. I also have the Goxua cuajada, a traditional dessert from the Basque Country with a biscuit base and curd.
Everything is well-prepared and tasty.
Pentxo has been living in Bilbao for 40 years. It was his wife’s passion for cooking that made them open the restaurant in Bilbao 30 years ago.
The quality is confirmed by the many top reviews online, which also have helped travelers to find their way here. Apart from that the food makes you happy, you’ll leave feeling just as if you’d been visiting a good friend.
Nyx: Elegance and Innovative
Delicious Cuisine, With a Chic Rooftop
Located in the newly-opened stylish hotel with the same name, Nyx welcomes you with elegance from the moment you arrive. Iker, the chef in charge, has been working for several famous restaurants in Bilbao.
I’ve a 5-course menu matched with wine. Sweet and refreshing come perfectly together in The Bourbon and Campari-based Cocktail of The Day, Sweet Queen.
The ensalada de ventresca (tuna belly salad), accompanied by grilled peppers and an emulsion of tomato and vinegar has lots of flavor. And it only gets better. The quinoa salad, prepared with corn salad and avocado, got the right texture. Served with a mango vinaigrette, as a sweet contrast, without being too much.
The grilled squid is flawless, served with caramelized red onion and a touch of ink. Followed by my favorite of the evening, crispy veal cannelloni with creamy mashed pumpkin, topped with a pepper emulsion. Crispy on the outside, with juicy meat inside.
It’s better than you can imagine.
I end with a Torrija, served with red fruits and vanilla ice cream. While I’ve had this traditional dessert many times before, I’ve never had it like this. It’s so creamy.
Just right summarizes my experience at Nyx. It’s never too sweet, and never too much. Exciting flavors, mixed in innovative ways, with just the right texture.
We end the night on the chic rooftop terrace, which is a reason alone to visit. The views of the city are even better with one of the bartender’s specials, a Cosmopolitan made with gin, and fresh fruits.
More Great Restaurants In Bilbao
This is just a small sample of the restaurants in Bilbao. Here are a few other places that also are worth checking out.
- Con B de Bilbao
- Restaurante Porrue
- La Despensa del Etxanobe
- Top Chefs Pick Nine of the Best Places to Eat in Bilbao
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