Best Pintxos in Bilbao

Going out and exploring the city through its restaurants, bars and taverns is one of the best things to see or do in Bilbao. At the same time, pintxos are a culinary element that you will see in each and every one of the visits you make to restaurants specialising in Basque food, or even in other more modern and abstract establishments.

With this in mind, in this publication I will provide you with all the information you need to know in order to enjoy the best pintxos in Bilbao. I will also tell you about the characteristics that define the experience of visiting each and every one of these picturesque and well-known restaurants. They have become true treasures of the cultural identity of the largest city on the coast of the Basque Country.

Baste is a restaurant that encapsulates everything you would expect from a typical Basque tavern in the historic quarter of Bilbao. It is located in the heart of the city's pintxo bar route, just a couple of metres from the Basque Museum and on the pedestrianised Muñoz Maria Kalea street. It is one of the basic stops on some of the best gastronomic tours of Bilbao and there is no doubt that the stuffed mussels are a protagonist in the gastronomic repertoire of this place.

It is characterised by being a restaurant with generous portions, a rather festive atmosphere and a very traditional and quite Basque culinary approach. That is why these mussels, known as mojojones, are usually stuffed with different flavours. The one with béchamel sauce with peppers, fried tomato and breaded in flour is one of the favourites of local diners. They usually accompany it with a regional white wine, either from the Basque Country itself or from La Rioja.

It is not a luxurious establishment and it is not too touristy either, but the passion that the people of Bilbao feel for this dish is a perfect representation of what pintxos are for this community. As well as how much fun it can be for you to start a tour of the city to enjoy the best of them all.

Details of interest:

• Opening hours: Baste is open Tuesday to Sunday from 9am until 1am. That means it can be a place to have a mid-morning breakfast or also to have a night of drinks eating stuffed mussels in the best Basque Coast style.

The modest Bodega Joserra is located in the geographical centre of the historic centre of Bilbao, in the famous Cantón Alejandro de la Sota street. It is a typical tasca, without too much ambience and with a lot of appreciation for the local public, where the real protagonist of the place are its products. Among them is what for many of the city's gastronomy experts is the sandwich par excellence, the medio con bonito y divisa.

This place is practically a hundred years old and was originally a sales outlet that went on to apply for a liquor supply licence after receiving a fine for its tradition of serving wine to its clientele. Bear in mind that this place is all about sandwiches, with every imaginable filling such as loin, chorizo, ham, sardinillas and anchovies. So it's an excellent idea to have a beer inside during your visit and enjoy an authentic pintxo experience in Bilbao.

In fact, the interesting simplicity of this place makes it a frequent feature of Bilbao's most gourmet gastronomic tours. For the truth is that the means of the Bodega Joserra are a historical element within the gastronomy of the area of the seven streets of Bilbao.

Details of interest:

• Opening hours: this inexpensive and modest bodega usually opens its doors from 8 am to 11 pm. This timetable remains in force from Monday to Saturday in both high and low season, as the public of this place is mainly made up of locals from Bilbao.

Sometimes the best food is found in the most unusual places you can imagine. Salón de Juego Concha-1 fits this description, as although it is not a restaurant in the strictest sense of the word, it is still the best place to eat a good Basque-style omelette in Bilbao. This place is located outside the Old Town of Bilbao, as it is on the other side of the river in General Concha Street, a couple of metres from the famous Plaza de Moyúa.

The tortillas come in different flavours, with mushroom, txaka, ham and cheese, Serrano ham and a couple of other similar ingredients. However, the traditional potato one is the best of them all and it is the one that has turned this place into a place worth visiting when thinking about the best pintxos in Bilbao.

Keep in mind that the appearance of the plating is very rustic and careless, in the best style of a tavern or a gambling hall where the taste of the food served has much more relevance than the beauty of the preparation. In fact, when you visit this place you will notice that most of the people present are only there to taste these famous omelettes that have become a mythical element of Bilbao's culinary scene.

Don't worry about your children's admission, as this is a safe and family-friendly plan that belongs to the activities to see and do in Bilbao with children. However, I advise you to go in the afternoon in case there is a game in the evening that will make the attendees too excited and change the atmosphere of the place.

Details of interest:

• Opening hours: this place is open every day of the week from 7 am to 1 pm. This makes this omelette a good idea for breakfast, lunch and even dinner.

Right next door to the gambling hall is another establishment with food that is just as simple and just as significant to Bilbao's culinary identity. This is Eme and it is basically a very conventional sandwich and pintxo restaurant. It has triangles that have won the hearts and palates of the local public.

It is a sandwich made of sliced bread filled with ham and lettuce, which is a very typical snack that so far has nothing special about it. Everything changes when they add the secret sauce that distinguishes these triangles from any other sandwich in town. It is so delicious that it has become a tradition for diners to try to guess what ingredients are included in it.

This establishment has more than half a century of history and the triangles have been one of the star items on the menu since its beginnings. This is why El Eme is often included among the pintxo tours of Bilbao that focus on the history of this community and are narrated by an authentic local.

Don't feel inappropriate if you find yourself wanting to eat more than one triangle on your visit. Another great tradition is to sit down and order a tower for each person at the table and see who manages to eat the whole thing without asking for anything to take away.

Details of interest:

• Opening times: El Eme welcomes visitors from Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 9 pm. For this reason it is recommended that you do not leave this famous pintxo as a midnight option knowing that the restaurant will not be open as in other places on this list.

Bilbao's Plaza Nueva is home to Gure Toki, one of the most famous restaurants in the city's most avant-garde gastronomic scene. Its pintxo bar is iconic within the Casco Viejo tourist area, which is why you will always notice that it is a relatively crowded place at unusual times of the day.

Its proposal is characterised by offering quite elaborate and gourmet dishes in miniature, making haute cuisine accessible in the convenient pintxo format. At the same time, all the recipes are a combination of traditional elements of Basque food with more modern ingredients imported culturally from other parts of the world.

Beef ribs, cheesecake and cod are some of the things you should try from the Gure Toki menu. However, the mollet eggs are one of the main features that distinguish this place from other places in the city. They consist of a bowl of poached quail eggs with mushrooms, potatoes and idiazábal cheese cream.

Details of interest:

• Opening hours: Gure Toki is open every day of the week except Wednesdays from 10 am to 11 pm. Sundays are also an exception, as they are only open until 4 pm.

Baibacoa is another of those places that is not particularly famous within the tourist scene, but it does manage to stand out among the true connoisseurs of places that have the best pintxos in Bilbao. It is located in the Plaza Miguel de Unamuno in the geographical limits of the Casco Viejo and is characterised by its cuisine specialising in mushrooms, mushrooms and regional chorizos.

Its pintxos de txorizo al infierno del botxo are the great classic of the house and are made with chorizos that are roasted in a traditional casserole with alcohol and rum. This means that they end up being set on fire with a visible flame that creates a very entertaining spectacle for the local diners.

Mushrooms in purgatory and txapi a la gloria are other favourites on the Baibacoa menu and, like the chorizo a las llamas, are usually accompanied by a glass of home-grown wine. The distinctive authenticity of this unpretentious, unpretentious and unfussy place has made it a staple stop for hungry participants on some of the best tours in Bilbao.

Details of interest:

• Opening hours: Baibacoa is open Tuesday to Saturday from 11 am to 11:30 pm. Sundays are also open but until 3:30 pm.

On Calle Iturribide just outside the Old Town is located the pintxo bar Melilla y Fez. This is an establishment specialising in omelettes of every style and flavour imaginable. However, the Moorish lamb pintxo is the element that places this modest establishment among the best of Bilbao's gastronomic offerings. Its recipe has been just as captivating for more than 50 years.

The pintxos with cod, tuna with onions and sirloin steak are other dishes that can make a good impression on the menu of this bar. Keep in mind that sitting down to escape the heat drinking a beer in a place with these decorative features is one of the oldest traditions among the things to see or do in Bilbao in Summer.

Details of interest:

• Opening hours: the opening hours of this bar change throughout the week. On Fridays and Saturdays they open at 12 noon, close at 3 pm, reopen at 6 pm and close at 1 am. On Mondays they remain closed and from Tuesday to Thursday they bring forward their final closing time to 11 pm.

Txangurro is a traditional recipe of Basque gastronomy that over the years has become an indisputable reference when it comes to a truly representative pintxo. It is shredded spider crab meat, which in this case is served in tapas portions. The ones from the bar El Globo on Calle de la Diputación are the best in the city for many local food critics.

This recipe is a grilled snack and is therefore one of the best pintxo preparations for true seafood fans. If this is not your case, you can be pleased to know that this bar has a wide enough pintxo bar for you to try other of Bilbao's most typical pintxo recipes.

Details of interest:

• Opening hours: Monday to Thursday they are open from 9 am to 11 pm. Fridays they work from 9 am to midnight and Saturdays from 11 am to midnight. This makes for a good dinner after taking part in some of Bilbao's best night tours.

You can't talk about the best pintxos in Bilbao without referring to anchovies and specifically Basaras anchovies are the most delicious and special in the city. For this reason they have become a place with a lot of meaning for the locals.

This tavern is quite modest and has really become a recommended destination within the local gastronomic scene due to the personality of its owners who attend to the regular clientele of the place. As well as for the freshness and quality of the anchovies, the main protagonists of this menu.

If you feel like continuing to enjoy this seafood you could start a tourist route through some of the best villages around Bilbao. Since this is a fairly typical meal in Basque culinary habits.

Details of interest:

• Opening hours: the Basaras Tavern opens its doors from noon until 11pm from Wednesday to Saturday. On Sundays it closes its doors at 4 pm and the rest of the days they have a half-day break from 4 pm to 7 pm.

With a wide combination of indoor and outdoor tables, the famous Bar Berton is located in Calle Jardines. This place is known for its beautiful setting, for the quality of its main courses, but above all for the incredible flavour of its pintxos, of which sirloin is a big component.

Txapelas with quail eggs and medallions with foie gras are two pintxo recipes that feature sirloin and are not to be missed if you decide to visit this nice establishment. The rabas are another famous pintxo at this establishment and most of the alternatives are offered with piquillo peppers as accompaniments.

Details of interest:

• Opening hours: this tavern of traditional music under modern reinventions is open every day of the week from 9 am to midnight. There are branches, but the Calle Jardines location is the best known of all.