Must-see restaurants in Basque Country

  • Los Fueros

    Bilbao

    Seafood stars at this backstreet bar-restaurant near Plaza Nueva, appearing in dishes such as cider-marinated sardines, chargrilled octopus, mussels…

  • Restaurante Tenis Ondarreta

    San Sebastián

    At the foot of Monte Igueldo in the San Sebastián Royal Tennis Club, this restaurant has a white-dressed dining room and al fresco terrace overlooking the…

  • Bar Charly

    Bilbao

    In an unrivalled location on Plaza Nueva, Bar Charly lays out pintxos for garrulous afternoon and evening crowds. There are at least three vegetarian…

  • Casa Valles

    San Sebastián

    Well away from the tourist hustle and bustle is this timber-panelled locals' institution with long communal tables, which serves some of the new town's…

  • Café de la Concha

    San Sebastián

    The Café de la Concha is inside a wonderful art deco building that recalls San Sebastián's aristocratic heyday. As regal as the history are the views –…

  • Kata 4

    San Sebastián

    An urbane crowd gather at this fashionable spot near the ritzy Hotel Maria Cristina to feast on eight different varieties of oysters and refined pintxos,…

  • Ardoka

    Hondarribia

    A modern set-up on Hondarribia's main bar strip with black-grey decor and a great selection of local wines and ciders (over two dozen by the glass). The…

  • La Madame

    San Sebastián

    For a break from pintxos and classic Basque cooking, search out this modern New York–style setup a block back from the beach. A restaurant-cum-lounge bar,…

  • Rojo y Negro

    San Sebastián

    You can eat a full sit-down meal at this bar, but you're best following the locals' lead and concentrating on pintxos such as cuttlefish miniburgers,…

  • Brass

    Bilbao

    This classy favourite in Bilbao's new town has a light, white, Scandinavian-style interior and a truly global palate. Its changing menu features…

  • El Portalón

    Basque Country

    Set in a photogenic 15th-century building in the historic district, El Portalón is easily the most atmospheric restaurant in town, with a series of rustic…

  • Singular

    Bilbao

    Amid rough-hewn stone walls, vintage iron columns, sleek industrial pipes and venting, and bare-bulbed lights, Singular lays out bite-size morsels of pure…

  • Asador Sagartoki

    Basque Country

    A marvellous pintxo bar and sidrería (cider house) that has one of the most creative menus around and an atmosphere to go with it. The house specials,…

  • Berton

    Bilbao

    Tucked in a narrow lane, rustic Berton lures you in with a long wooden bar topped with tiny delicacies and frothy pilsner on tap. Glistening slices of…

  • Arroka Berri

    Hondarribia

    As with many trendsetting Basque restaurants, Arroka Berri takes high-quality local produce and refines old-fashioned recipes with a dash of invention…

  • Larruzz Bilbdao

    Bilbao

    Set on the banks of the Nervión, this incredibly popular restaurant (book ahead) has a polished business exterior and a stone-cottage country interior…

  • Irrintzi

    Bilbao

    Just off the beaten path on Casco Viejo's western side, Irrintzi is a cosy, low-ceilinged eating and drinking spot, where a mostly local crowd files in…

  • El Huevo Frito

    Bilbao

    The bar at this relaxed, casual spot is laden with bright red-and-yellow Ortiz seafood tins beneath slate tiles that display its tempting array of pintxos…

  • Gran Sol

    Hondarribia

    Wine barrels double as tables out the front of Gran Sol, one of Hondarribia's best-known addresses for pintxos. Standouts include mushrooms filled with…

  • Coppola

    Bilbao

    Widely hailed as Bilbao's best Italian restaurant, Coppola serves excellent thin-crust pizza, which you can top with a dizzying variety of ingredients…

  • Casa Rufo

    Bilbao

    Tucked in the back of a small deli and wine shop, Casa Rufo feels like a hidden dining spot – albeit one that's terrible at keeping secrets (reserve ahead…

  • Alameda

    Hondarribia

    Michelin-starred Alameda helped pave the way to Hondarribia becoming the culinary hotspot it is today. What started life as a simple tavern is now a…

  • Asador Matxete

    Basque Country

    There are two types of asador (restaurants specialising in barbecued meat): smoky old farmhouse-like places, and sleek new urban remakes. This one falls…

  • Deustoarrak

    Bilbao

    One of a number of cafes on Deusto's main drag, this bright spot with whitewashed and exposed brick walls serves tasty pintxos and great-value mains, such…

  • Restaurante Xixilu

    Basque Country

    Very much a neighbourhood haunt, this traditional-looking eatery serves high-quality Basque dishes from behind a busy bar that serves equally good pintxos…

  • Taberna Taurino

    Bilbao

    On one of central Bilbao's liveliest eating strips, Taberna Taurino has a striking interior of soaring latticed woodwork and glowing red lamps that…

  • La Mary Restaurante

    Bilbao

    From the outside this looks like quite a swanky place, but in fact it's very casual. To enjoy the bargain lunch menú you'll need to arrive early;…

  • La Campa de los Ingleses

    Bilbao

    In the Estadio San Mamés, this cheerfully designed spot has a counter packed with appealing pintxos, plus weekday multi-course menus for €18. The red-and…

  • El Puertito

    Bilbao

    On warm summer evenings, wine-sipping crowds congregate at this small bar to enjoy an oyster or six, accompanied by a glass of crisp local white wine…

  • Sorginzulo

    Bilbao

    This matchbox-sized bar tucked into a corner of Plaza Nueva has an exemplary spread of pintxos. The house special of fried calamari is only served on…

  • Restaurante Sebastián

    Hondarribia

    In a beautiful historic building in the middle of the old quarter, the regarded (and rather self-regarding) Restaurante Sebastián serves perfectly…

  • Usokari

    Basque Country

    The range of pintxos at this discreet bar in the new town is good though the combinations are not overly complex. Favourites include the creamy tortilla…

  • Toloño

    Basque Country

    This bar has won awards for its creative pintxos; the house specials often involve creative takes on local mushrooms. It's a large bar, so there's…

  • Café-Bar Bilbao

    Bilbao

    This delightful choice on Bilbao's most food-centric plaza is all cool blue southern Spanish tiles and warm northern atmosphere, with a superb array of…

  • Bar El Tabanko

    Basque Country

    Taking its cue, in terms of both decoration and food, from the steamy southern region of Andalucía, this is an ever-busy, ever-reliable pintxo bar. Come…

  • La Hermandad de Pescadores

    Hondarribia

    Housed in a traditional white-and-blue cottage, this institution dating to 1938 serves an array of seafood classics. It's best known for its sopa de…

  • Bistró Guggenheim Bilbao

    Bilbao

    Inside the city's most famous building, the Bistró Guggenheim Bilbao serves beautifully executed plates of roasted lamb, oxtail with fennel purée, and…

  • La Malquerida

    Basque Country

    A fantastic pintxo bar hidden away under the shadows of the church spires. Many locals consider it the best in town.

  • Querida María Restaurante

    Basque Country

    Facing the cathedral in the prettiest part of the old town, this is an informal and stylish poppy-red restaurant. For the price, the food is magnificent…

  • Mugi

    Bilbao

    For over fifty years this widely regarded pintxos bar has been serving up over forty different kinds of pintxos. Its popularity means you might have to…

    • placement: fullWidth
    • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
    • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [300, 250], [320, 50], [1, 1],
    • targeting:
      {
        "position": "superzone"
      }

More destinations you need to see