Location: Bilbao
Top Restaurants in Bilbao
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Bilbao Food Guide: 10 Must-Eat Restaurants & Street Food Stalls in Bilbao
Travelers generally come to Bilbao to see the Guggenheim—some for the art inside, but many for the amazing building itself. The Fine Arts Museum and the Basque Museum may not have been designed by Frank Gehry, but are worth a visit, and you can catch international opera stars at the Palacio Euskalduna.
Things to do in Bilbao
1. Mugarra Restaurant
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 313 reviews
Ahora además de comer a bordo con nosotros podrás comprar las elaboraciones del Mugarra en nuestra tienda. El de siempre como nunca.
Reviewed By tomcot - Cork, Ireland
This is simply not as good at the tripadvisor rating it has!!! Nicely laid out restaurant and friendly welcome and service. I had marinated fish (three types if I remember correctly) and all were rubbery, thick;y cut and just not nice. We shared a large turbot between three which I must admit was very nicely cooked but it desperately needed a sauce such as a salsa verde to make it attractive to my taste buds. Desert was a very over sized sorbet, nice but way too much.
2. Arandia de Julen
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 549 reviews
Reviewed By SarasotaBill - Sarasota, Florida
We made an online reservation at Arandia and were called several hours later to confirm. Our Tuesday reservation was particularly helpful because on Tuesday the restaurant serves the traditional black bean meal. We ordered 2 bean meals and when we arrived selected our other dishes a la carte. Our server who spoke excellent English explained and described our choices. This restaurant has been open at the same location for about 70 years. The current owner and chef has run the restaurant for about 2 years. We started the meal with foie gras. It was good, for me not great. It was not the actual duck liver but the pate. The black bean was presented next along with its supporting delicacies. The beans were in a huge pot and superb, along with cabbage, excellent blood sausage, sausage, and hams. OMG, this meal for 2 was enough for 4! As we had already ordered both the hake it arrived with the beans. A superb dish. Then, just when we hoped that our order of calamari had been forgotten, a serving platter of amazing grilled calamari arrived. It was about the best we had in the Basque Country. Dessert followed, an apple dish with meringue. It was light , delicious and not too sweet. Along with the excellent bottle of Chaloli wine, we rolled out the door. The food was amazing, the price totally reasonable. I'd highly recommend this restaurant, especially on a Tuesday for the bean meal.
3. Restaurante Agape
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 631 reviews
Reviewed By TheAsiaphiles - Hereford, United Kingdom
We opted for the lunchtime 3 course menu del dia, which is one of the best in Spain. The food was outstanding and generous, particularly the black rice and the merluza. The staff were extremely obliging, the head waiter was very helpful. It's situated a little of the beaten track but at 13 Euros with plenty of wine and bread well worth the little climb. Book ahead and enjoy, Highly Recommended!
4. Restaurante Aizian
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 435 reviews
A la carte restaurant, a fusion of traditional Basque cuisine with cutting edge creativity. Choose from fish, meat and delicious starters. You can also choose from our set menus: the traditional menu, the sampling menu or the executive menu
Reviewed By WhynotColorado - Colorado
We ate in this restaurant because it had a Michelin star and we were staying at the Melia hotel. We couldn't get in the first night but got Reservations for the second and were really disappointed. The food emphasis was on unusual preparations and presentation. I had the rabbit which was prepared three different ways. Every one of them was ridden with chips of bone. I finally gave up on eating any of them.
The dining room was elegant with wood paneling and white linens but was too brightly lit and the staff was formal to the point of being stuffy. The restaurant was expensive and not very pleasant.
5. La Vina del Ensanche
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2 reviews
With a tradition of more than 85 years, La Viña del Ensanche offers two different spaces: The Bar, traditional premise with the classic ambient of tavern, including a covered Terrace. It's Degustation Menu includes the best products from our main carte. Is the best option for an informal contact with the rhythm and pulse of the town. The Taller (Workshop), an intimate ambient with a more exclusive service, with a Gastronomic Menu accompanied with a cellar of more than 150 references, all prepared live in front of the customer. Finally, the Store, a delicatessen where you can purchase gastronomic specialities and selected wine.
Reviewed By Angel57 - Essex UK
Made the right decision to book online prior to our trip as this place was buzzing and most tables were reserved.
Chose the tasting menu thinking we would have to choose between the two main courses and the two desserts but our waiter told us we would get "toda". The wine list is extensive and so reasonably priced that we had to check that the prices were for a bottle and not just a glass.
The food was excellent. We were surprised to be given a spoon to eat the pork cheek dish, but the meat really was that tender that you could eat it with a spoon.
Service was friendly and efficient and the atmosphere in the restaurant was lively with a real mix of people. Highly recommend.
6. Restaurante Trueba
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 131 reviews
We are a Basque food restaurant in Abando, Bilbao. Come and enjoy our delicious traditional meals! We will make you feel at home.
Reviewed By Jonas F - Sweden
Not easy to find...Ended up here after a recommendation from a local guy. Small restaurant with only a few tables. The service from the staff was perfect. The food tasted perfect , we tried asparagus and fishsoup for starters and tuna as main course.
We were all very pleased with the experience from this restaurant.
7. KUMA
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 605 reviews
Reviewed By Max V
An incredible feast bringing together to subtlety of Japanese culture with the boldness of Iberian culinary thunder, Kuma is a must-visit for anyone who loves the sushi experience. Highlights are too many to mention but include the king crab tempura, the cabineiro, the black truffle thingy, the nigiri's of horsemackeral (smokey) , squid bocata, sea bream, scorched tuna belly - all is given a local twist be it the addition of sultry olive oil , or smoked olive oil, or tomato pure. Toro in a jalapeño sauce brought tears to my eyes. The service is amazing experienced and relaxed. You're in capable hands. If the chefs starts a cult I'm joining. Well...don't just stand there ....go! It's expensive but not by NY or London standards. And it's really worth it if youre a sushi-loving foodie.
8. Nido Bilbao
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1 reviews
A la carte restaurant with seasonal products
Reviewed By RATSOMATIC - London, England
This was our second dinner in Bilbao and as we had had such a wonderful one the night before, this didn't live up to the high expectations of the previous reviews. However, the food was good but not excellent. The hot cheesecake and apple tart were delicious though! The starters were quite small portions and expensive but the fish for main was nicely cooked. Didn't have the steak but my friends did. Was very rare so they had to finish off cooking on the stone which did make our clothes smell of smoke for the rest of the trip!
9. ad hoc Cascanueces
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 589 reviews
Reviewed By EmJas84 - Heist-op-den-Berg, Belgium
We had dinner here on the last day of our citytrip. What a way to end our holidays! The staff was super friendly and the food (and wine) was just divine! We had amazing smoked cured ham, a lovely plate of roasted squid and great Brazilian picanha. But the dessert was even more incredible! The price might be a little bit higher than other restaurants, but it is well worth it. And even so, we paid only 117€ for 2,5 plates (each plate it to share), dessert, wine, water, and coffee, which I think was very reasonable for the quality and quantity of food! When we return to Bilbao, we will definitely return to this restaurant!!
10. Pitxintxu
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 186 reviews
A lovely place, in the city center of Bilbao, where you can enjoy with our menu&pintxos in a healthy way.
Reviewed By SCG1954 - Bilbao, Spain
I had already been for a fixed price set lunch with my brother and was surprised by the sophistication on show.
Returned with my wife, mother-in-law and 2 x 20 year old lads (we sent photos to our daughter who works in London) for my wife’s birthday.
We ate the ‘largo y estrecho’. Amazing value for money. I already knew Xabier so he came across to answer all my questions.
The filled chard with ceps was elaborate and subtle, the octopus (cooked at a low temperature) was firm and tender, perfect texture. The hake fantastic and the steak presented in strips on a scorching ceramic plate for us to finish to our liking was the best I had had all year. I live in the country outside Bilbao and was amused to see that the meat fed on beans and veggies came from just down the road.
The ‘postre’ was a compendium of home-made local favourites. We all finished everything, just. It was a close call.
A beautifully constructed menu at an unbeatable price.
Service was perfect and they really went out of their way to make it a very special occasion for my wife.
