If you are a food lover, you cannot visit Bilbao without trying its specialty: pintxos . These small bites full of flavor are a Basque culinary tradition that has become a gastronomic phenomenon. In this article, we present you some pintxo routes and restaurants that you cannot miss in Bilbao.
Pintxo restaurants in Bilbao
In addition to the pintxos routes, in Bilbao you will also find a wide variety of restaurants serving high quality pintxos. Some of the most popular are:
Restaurante Víctor Montes
Mythical Basque pinchos restaurant in what was an old market, with a façade with decorative paintings.
Restaurante Zortziko
This restaurant is one of the most famous in Bilbao and has a wide variety of pintxos made with top quality ingredients.
Restaurante El Perro Chico
This restaurant is known for its egg pintxo with truffle, as well as for its meat and fish dishes.
Restaurante Bitoque
This restaurant is famous for its sirloin pintxo with foie gras and truffle.
Pintxos route in the Casco Viejo (Old Quarter)
Bilbao’s Casco Viejo is the perfect place for a pintxo route. In its narrow streets you will find a great variety of bars and restaurants serving pintxos of all kinds. You can’t miss some of the most popular bars, such as:
Bar El Globo
This bar is one of the oldest in Bilbao and has a great variety of pintxos. One of the most popular is the txangurro pintxo, a delicious mixture of crab meat and bechamel sauce.
Bar La Viña del Ensanche
This bar is famous for its codfish omelette pintxo. The omelette is made with desalted cod, onion, garlic and beaten eggs. It is fried in olive oil until golden brown on the outside and juicy on the inside.
Bar Irrintzi
This bar is known for its truffle egg pintxo. It is a quail egg cooked at low temperature and covered with grated truffle.
Pintxos route in Ledesma Street
Ledesma street is another of the most popular areas for a pintxo route in Bilbao. Here you will find some of the most popular bars in the city, such as:
Bar Zuga
This bar is famous for its foie gras pintxo with fig jam. The tapa is made with toasted bread, foie gras and fig jam.
Bar Charli
This bar is known for its seafood pintxos, especially the prawn brochette with garlic and parsley sauce.
Bar Gure Toki
This bar is famous for its meat pintxos, such as the pincho moruno and the lamb brochette.
Bilbao is a city full of flavors and pintxos are a fundamental part of its gastronomic culture. Now that you know the 10 must-try pintxo dishes in Bilbao, don’t hesitate to try them all. Each of them has its own history and unique flavor, and they are a fundamental part of the Basque gastronomic culture. Enjoy your meal!
Irene was born and raised in Bilbao. She has a deep rooted passion for her country and culture. She has a Bachelors degree in education and has traveled to over 85 countries throughout the world.
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