14 Best Restaurants in Bilbao and the Basque Country, Spain

Rest your legs at this third-wave coffeehouse that uses a sleek La Marzocco machine and is furnished with cushy armchairs and floor lamps. There are also small-production vermouths and local craft beers to try alongside soups, sandwiches, and other snacks.

A Gros neighborhood stalwart, the ever-bumping Bodega Donostiarra is famous for its down-home dishes centered on Basque conservas such as oil-packed anchovies, pickled hot peppers (piparrak), and bonito del norte (albacore). All three of these find their way onto the "completo," a locally famous mini-baguette sandwich that's deliciously tart, juicy, and salty all at once. 

This legendary tavern (est. 1968), which remains surprisingly calm even during San Fermín, serves some of the city's best tapas. Choose between classics like garlicky mushroom brochettes and jamón-filled croquetas, or spring for more modern creations such as seared goose liver toasts or almond-encrusted morcilla. It opens at 9 am. 

You'd be hard-pressed to find a more pleasant outdoor lunch in Bilbao than at this chic little pintxo bar with sunlit tables smack on the charming Plaza Nueva. Fried rabas (squid strips), croquetas, and locally made txistorra (smoky chorizo sausage) never come off the menu for good reason.

In 2022, Spain's oldest churrería—perhaps Pamplona's top culinary attraction—rang in 150 years. In this hole-in-the-wall resembling a medieval foundry, hypnotic whorls of dough fry to crackly perfection in vats of Navarran extra-virgin olive oil set over beechwood flame. La Mañueta keeps bizarre hours: 7–11 am on Sundays in October, 8–11:30 am on the two Saturdays prior to San Fermín, and 6–11 am during San Fermín week.

Littered with used napkins and furnished with simple wood tables beneath hams hanging from the rafters, this lively, deceptively simple bar attracts locals and tourists alike for its exceptional pintxos and affordable breakfasts. Don't pass up the deconstructed Galician-style octopus on a bed of mashed potatoes laced with pimentón (paprika) or the appetizer of house-made foie gras with three preserves. For a more exclusive (and pricier) fine-dining experience, reserve a table at the abutting El Taller, and be sure to peruse the gourmet food store stocked with local conservas, cured meats, wines, and cheeses.

Consistently delicious, shockingly affordable, and unapologetically old-school, Pentxo is the sort of restaurant Bilbaínos like to keep to themselves. Whether you pop in for a pintxo at the bar (the flash-fried antxoas rellenas, or stuffed anchovies, are a must) or come for breakfast or a €16 prix-fixe lunch (opt for whatever seafood main is listed), you'll leave wishing you could be a regular.

Winner of many a miniature cuisine award (don't miss the prawn-filled txalupa tartlet), this Gros neighborhood standby offers outside-the-box takes on traditional tapas and pintxos. It also serves more substantial dishes for sit-down meals.

The kitchen is open until midnight in this unfussy Casco Viejo pintxo spot. The industrial design—think tables with a green polyethylene finish and exposed pipes—belies a comfort-food-heavy menu with star dishes like octopus brochettes and juicy grilled steaks.

Pamplona's gentry have been flocking to this ornate, French-style café since 1888, but in 1926 Ernest Hemingway made it part of world literary lore in The Sun Also Rises. You can have a drink with a bronze version of the author in his favorite perch at the far end of the bar, or enjoy views of the plaza from a table on the terrace. Service is spotty; grab a beverage and a tapa here, but skip the food.

Next to the open-air Brecha Market, this traditional little pintxo bar is a well-priced neighborhood standby with a genial old-school staff.

This family-friendly restaurant off the tourist track serves a wide range of classic, lovingly prepared dishes ranging from creamy squid croquetas to griddled European lobster. The best value is the €15 weekday menú del día (prix fixe), which can be made vegetarian upon request.

Locals know that this nondescript salón de juegos (literally "gambling hall") slings some of the city's best potato omelets, flipped nonstop from 8 am to midnight. The basic potato-and-onion rendition, gloriously gooey in the center, will set you back €2; more deluxe versions (with crab, jamón ibérico, etc.) are a tad pricier. Minors are not allowed entry, but the staff will happily wrap food to go.

Nearly a secret, this quintessential Basque spot has big wooden tables and a monumental bar filled with cazuelitas (small earthenware dishes) and tapas of all kinds. It is in the center of town but tucked away downstairs.