13 Top Bilbao Food Experiences From Inexpensive to Unbelievably Luxurious

Discover places to eat in Bilbao Spain. Read about the best pintxos in Bilbao. Enjoy Bilbao food from the least expensive to most luxurious. Try Bilbao's Michelin-starred restaurants like Mina Restaurant and Atelier Etxanobe.

Bilbao in Northern Spain is most definitely a foodie city with amazing cuisine. Bilbao is not your typical Spanish city. 

Situated in the Basque Country, Bilbao food is among the best in Spain. What food is Bilbao known for? 

Bilbao is known for great pintxos (small plates), traditional Basque cuisine, and excellent seafood including salted cod prepared with garlic and olive oil (bacalao pil pil). 

Bilbao is also known for some of the best restaurants in the world. This Bilbao food culture stems in part from private men's cooking clubs or txokos.

You'll find many fantastic places to eat in Bilbao. Some Bilbao restaurants and bars are great for people on a budget. Other culinary experiences in Bilbao have the potential to break the bank. 

At the economical end, find the best pintxos (aka Basque tapas) and local wine in Bilbao. At the other end of the spectrum, treat yourself to a world-class Michelin Star culinary experience in Bilbao. 

Read on to explore all the best food in Bilbao covering the entire spectrum from inexpensive to unbelievably luxurious. Think about whether you'll explore on your own or sign up for a delicious Bilbao food tour.

🔎 SIDEWALK SAFARI SPOTLIGHT: We think that Bilbao is the best place in Spain for Christmas. Read about our one week adventure in Bilbao including the world-famous Guggenheim Museum.

Learn about Bilbao fine arts and other fun things to do that extend beyond just the delicious food that Basque Country has to offer.

1. Bottles of Wine for 0.66 EUR

Let's start at the cheap end of the Bilbao food spectrum. At the grocery stores in Bilbao, you can find regional wines for less than one euro a bottle. 

In fact, we spotted a bottle of wine in a Bilbao supermarket for about 2 EUR with a second bottle costing just *66 cents*. If you are really on a budget on your Basque Country holiday, this should be your first port of call.

 

2. Talos Filled with Chorizo

We visited Bilbao in the winter to celebrate Christmas and ring in the new year. Festivals like the Fiesta de Santo Tomas are a great opportunity to sample traditional dishes in Bilbao at great prices. 

Enjoy talos con chorizo (chorizo sausage on freshly prepared tortillas) as a delicious midday snack. Bonus points if you eat your talos con chorizo with a bottle of local cider.

Go Pintxo Bar Hopping

Pintxos bars are by far the best economical places to eat in Bilbao. If you are looking for cheap eats, Pintxos are definitely your go-to option! 

Want to know how to eat pintxos in Bilbao? 

Follow the locals and hop from bar to bar enjoying the different specialties of the house with a small glass of wine. As a rule of thumb, Bilbao's residents are always on the move; pick one pintxo and then carry on to the next bar to see what's on offer. 

Our picks for the best pintxos in Bilbao include Bar Argia where we enjoyed endless pintxos for just one euro each. La Roca and El Globo also had a great buzz. 

Grab a small sandwich and glass of txakoli (white wine with a bit of fizz and served from overhead with a flourish) at Singular in Bilbao. 

3. Dine on Calle Ledesma

Calle Ledesma in Bilbao is a great place to wander around and sample creative Bilbao food. We had pintxos featuring 1000 layers of potatoes, Camembert and mushrooms plus a fried banana filled with blue cheese and ham at Bar Molinillo.

🔎 Did you know that there are great foodie destinations in Basque country outside Bilbao? San Sebastián is an easy day trip from Bilbao. Read about what to do in San Sebastian in a day here.

4. Lamb Kebabs at Cafe Iruña

Cafe Iruña is definitely a candidate for a list of casual best restaurants in Bilbao. Cafe Iruña's signature dish is lamb kebabs served pintxos style. 

Add a squeeze of lemon. The tart citrus blends perfectly with the charcoal-grilled meat with a sprinkle of salt. 

My taste buds simply came alive when I took my first bite. So. Good. If you are looking for great a great and economical option for where to eat in Bilbao, definitely go to Cafe Iruña!

5. Pintxos on Plaza Nueva in Bilbao

Plaza Nueva in Bilbao's Casco Viejo (Old Town) may be a bit touristy but it's also a great place to find excellent pintxos. We enjoyed two rounds of pintxos at La Olla and Sorginzula. 

We were tempted to try and suss out which pintxos places on Plaza Nueva that were most popular but what we quickly realized was that all the places are popular and there is simply an ebb and flow to the foot traffic at each restaurant. 

Wander in and out of each pintxos bar until you see something you like. We particularly enjoyed hearty potato croquettes.

6. Mercado de la Ribera

Mercado de la Ribera in Bilbao (a famous Bilbao food market) is worth a browse for the architecture alone. It's even better if you go hungry and in the mood for some Bilbao food. 

You'll find plenty of pintxos in a covered market hall. Grab a snack at Ribera Market that catches your fancy and enjoy it in the central communal seating area.

🔎 Europe features some incredible farmers markets and food halls. Read about our other favorite food halls worth traveling for here.

Craft Beer Bars

Pintxos bars are definitely the most economical places to eat in Bilbao but not all pintxos places are created equal. Head to one of Bilbao's craft beer bars where you can expect to pay a premium for a brew to go with your pintxos. 

7. La Ley Seca

We enjoyed sipping a sneaky Basque craft beer from Bidassoa Basque Brewery and empanadas on comfy couches at La Ley Seca. Located on Bilbao's Siete Calles, take a rest from your exploration in the dark interior of the bar.

8. Craft Beer and Bread at the Basquery

The Basquery serves up craft beer, homemade bread and other delectable takeaway food in Bilbao. You'll pay a premium for the experience, but the atmosphere is hip and modern and represents a good alternative to Bilbao's more traditional tapas bars.

Pintxos Further Afield

We just couldn't get enough of Basque Pintxos on our trip and took some time to discover places to eat in Bilbao that are a little further afield.

9. Portugalete Pintxos at Txo

While pintxos are cheap, my next picks for where to eat in Bilbao are further up the cost spectrum because you'll need to pay for a metro ticket to get there. 

Take public transportation to the port town of Portugalete. Seek out Txo which serves up pintxos in adorable casserole dishes. 

My selected pintxo was comprised of potatoes, bechamel, bacon and more cheese and was definitely a candidate for the best pintxos in Bilbao in my opinion.

10. Hillside by the Seaside at Bar Arantzale

Take the suspended cable car across from Portugalete to the more upscale Getxo. After an energetic hike around the promenade, you'll be ready to eat once more. 

We hiked all the way to the small fishing village near Algorta which seems to spill down the hill into the sea. 

We stopped for fried calamari and patatas bravas at Bar Arantzale before taking the metro back to Bilbao. The calamari is extremely popular here so go early to avoid disappointment.

Christmas Lunch

We were visiting Bilbao in December and spent the Christmas holiday here. Christmas lunch is an important Basque food tradition that we were keen to try.

11. Holiday Dining at Premierk

Lunch is definitely a more economical option than dinner in Bilbao. We enjoyed a lovely three course Christmas lunch with a bottle of Rioja at Premierk in Bilbao. 

While away the afternoon at a booth looking out onto the street with the buzz of the bar on the opposite side.

Michelin Star Dining in Bilbao

Bilbao is famous for its Michelin Star restaurants. If you really want to experience the best of Bilbao food, go to at least one Michelin Star restaurant and try some outstanding and imaginative Basque dishes made using local ingredients.

We splurged and tried two different Michelin-starred experiences during our one week in Bilbao for Christmas and New Year's Eve. The experience certainly wasn't cheap. 

Expect to pay at least 100 EUR a person for the tasting menu and even more if you opt for the wine pairings instead of ordering off of the wine list. 

We decided to treat ourselves to the full experience and enjoyed two very different multi-course extravaganzas with wine pairings at two of the best restaurants in Bilbao: Mina Restaurant and Atelier Etxanobe.

12. More Than 10 Courses with Wine Pairings at Mina Bilbao

Mina Restaurant in Bilbao features some prized seats in the dining room along a counter overlooking the kitchen. We settled into our well-cushioned stools and watched all the action as Chef Álvaro Garrido and his staff prepared our multi-course tasting menu. 

Tasting menus are definitely the way to go because you get to try a little bit of everything rather than locking in on just a dish or two.

The exquisite dishes included in our multi course tasting menu at Mina Restaurant included:

1. Gillardeau oyster with gin and citrus
2. Mussels in lemongrass, coconut soup, and spicy tomato
3. Weakfish served with olive emulsion
4. Black cheese, mushroom, and crunchy chicken
5. Smoked txitxarro (mackerel) with cauliflower and cider
6. Aubergine confit with red tea and white prawn tartar
7. Begihaundi (squid) risotto
8. Smoked bluefin tuna belly pastrami served with herbed curry
9. Bone marrow with rosemary poultry broth
10. Monkfish stew
11. Charcoal-grilled sweetbreads served with pumpkin and cardamom puree
12. Toffee ice cream flavored with tamarind and Lea and Perrins sauce.

We ate so much of the amazing food in Bilbao from the tasting menu at Mina Restaurant that I was seriously asking myself if it would be wrong to smuggle out the final plate of financiers in a napkin for later.

 

We always opt for the wine pairings when we go out to a Michelin Star restaurant. You often get to try wines you'd never think to order. 

In this case, we had a sweet wine and a fortified wine with two of the savory courses. In total, we tried 7 wines with 10 courses.

Three highlights of the menu at Mina Restaurant in Bilbao were:

1. I tried sweetbreads for the first time ever and liked them!
2. My dessert was flavored with tamarind and Lea and Perrins ‎worcestershire sauce 😮
3. We serendipitously saw Chef Álvaro Garrido on the tram the next day and got to share a nod of mutual appreciation.

13. High Tech Atelier Etxanobe

Our second Michelin-starred experience in Bilbao had an entirely different vibe. Our meal at Atelier Etxanobe was decidedly high tech. 

The multi-course menu was projected onto the table before each dish was presented. Our meal started with a 3D printed fish head delivered to the table with our first course.

Our meal at Atelier Etxanobe was much more interactive than Mina Restaurant with Chef Fernando Canales personally preparing a few of the dishes table-side using tools like a blowtorch. We had a great time chatting with Chef Canales and felt very welcome. 

Once again, we enjoyed more than 10 skillfully prepared dishes featuring Bilbao food served with wines specially selected to pair with each course by the sommelier.

The final dish of the evening was prepared with liquid nitrogen and presented on a small spoon. Virtual reality headsets were strapped over our eyes and we found ourselves gliding over a field of violets. 

We were instructed to eat the dessert (it had the smooth creamy texture of a semifreddo) in one bite. The virtual reality was meant to amplify the flavors. 

High tech or no, the food in Bilbao is definitely outstanding and Atelier Etxanobe is definitely one of the best places to eat in Bilbao.

🔎 SIDEWALK SAFARI SPOTLIGHT: We love celebrating special occasions with Michelin-starred meals. Looking for restaurants to add to your bucket? Here are my top picks based on our personal experience:

• Take a detour on a trip to Dungarvan and enjoy a Michelin-starred experience with sea views at The Cliff House in Ardmore, Ireland.
• There are so many fun things to do in Kilkenny, Ireland including Michelin Star dining in the historic dining room at Mount Juliet Estate.
• Make time to stop at Le Gambetta for a sumptous meal in Saumur on a Loire Valley road trip in France.
• Try Fritz's Frau Franzi if you find yourself with 24 hours to explore Dusseldorf in Germany.
• Get a peek in the kitchen at The Yeatman Restaurant in Vila Nova de Gaia Portugal.
• Book in for dinner with a view of the Acropolis at Hytra on a 4 day weekend in Athens.

Map of the Great Places to Eat in Bilbao

Click on the images of the map below to open an interactive version in Google Maps with links to the full spectrum of our recommendations of where to eat in Bilbao. 

I hope you've enjoyed this culinary adventure featuring Bilbao food ranging from inexpensive options to the most luxurious experiences rewarded with Michelin Stars. And don't forget, sharing is caring...

🔎 SIDEWALK SAFARI SPOTLIGHT: Looking for other destination ideas in Spain? Why not:

• Explore Barcelona off the beaten path with a visit to Poblenou and Poble-sec neighborhoods?
• Visit Costa Brava and experience a day in Girona, alternative things to do in Lloret de Mar, or a Palafrugell festival?
• Spend 3 days in Madrid on a weekend city break with one day in Segovia or Toledo by high speed train?
• Celebrate Las Fallas in Valencia?
• Take a relaxing break in the Balearic Islands with these things to do in Palma de Mallorca?
• Spend a day in Santander in winter?
• Head to the Canary Islands with a short sun holiday trip to Lanzarote in January and savor Lazarote food and wine?
• Celebrate Christmas in Granada and New Year's Eve in Malaga?
• Discover vestiges of Ancient Rome in Mérida on a day trip from Badajoz.