Mediterranean cuisine restaurants Basque Country

A Parte Vieja classic! This traditional house, founded in 1948, offers two charming atmospheres: a very nice tapas bar where you can taste various pintxos, and a restaurant run by Aitziber which offers a culinary journey around Basque cuisine, with specialities such as chuletón (prime rib), hongos a la plancha (sautéed mushrooms) or anchoas fritas (anchovies), with an excellent regional wine list. For dessert, don't miss the delicious tarta de queso (cheesecake). A good address and good value for money.

In an enchanting setting, a sturdy stone house, where customers used to come by boat to enjoy a potato and green pepper tortilla. Very fashionable since it served as the setting for the film Ocho apellidos Vascos in 2014 ("Eight Basque names"), this restaurant remains true to its roots by offering fish, seafood and meat grilled parilla style, and tasty vegetables from its own vegetable garden. Sea bream, turbot, monkfish, sole... the best fish are prepared in their simplest apparatus. A charming address!

Located in the main street of the Las Arenas district, this small bar is famous for its many pintxos, especially the tortilla one. At aperitif time, its bar is overrun by pintxo-pote lovers (pintxo and glass of wine), a local custom that is always very popular with visitors! In addition to its inevitable tortilla, try the mini sandwich of bonito (tuna) and green chilli pepper, octopus, stuffed peppers, foie gras... Everything is good, so let yourself be tempted according to the mood of the moment! Informal and local atmosphere.

This elegant restaurant is housed in the Hotel Arbaso, next to the Cathedral del Buen Pastor. The young chef Iñigo Peña, trained in the most prestigious kitchens of the Basque Country, offers here a refined seasonal cuisine that respects the essence of each ingredient. In the restaurant's warm, wooded dining room, you can enjoy a baked txangurro (crab), oxtail ravioli, sole a la plancha... Next door, the Original Bar offers a more informal atmosphere for sharing tapas.

It's in the Casco Viejo district that we find this well-known address for Bilbao locals: Los Fueros, a Basque institution. Chef Paul brings a modern twist to his traditional heartfelt cuisine. On the menu of this two-level tavern with terrace, you'll find classic Basque specialties such as shrimp a la plancha, fish and seafood soup, "euskal txerri" pork costilla or bacalao pil-pil! Save room for dessert, they're all stunning! A typical address to try!