• Nerua

    The restaurant inside the Guggenheim — Josean Alija’s minimalist vegetable-led tasting menu is one of the most distinctive in Spain.

  • El Globo

    A Casco Viejo pintxo bar famous for its txangurro gratin and tortilla de bacalao — old-school Bilbao at the counter.

  • La Cuchara de San Telmo

    A tiny Parte Vieja bar serving some of the best cooked-to-order pintxos in the city — beef cheek, octopus carpaccio, foie.

  • Arzak

    Three Michelin stars across four generations — Juan Mari Arzak and daughter Elena run one of the founding kitchens of New Basque…

  • Gandarias

    A Parte Vieja classic — the solomillo pintxo (beef tenderloin on bread) is the benchmark for the whole old town.