The best bars and cafés Basque Country

Charming café with a bohemian spirit, a popular meeting point for breakfast during the week or brunch on weekends. In the early morning, you can enjoy grilled avocado and salmon tostadas, scrambled eggs, or bowls of yoghurt with fresh fruit and granola. With its vintage furniture, homemade cakes and quality coffee, it is also the perfect place for a gourmet snack break. For those who are a little hungry: quinoa salad, veggie sandwich and other good and healthy options.

Opened in 2018 on the banks of the ría, this trendy spot functions as a cultural space, concert hall and nightclub in the center of Bilbao. One stops here to see a concert, drink a cocktail after work, sip vermouth in the sun on Sunday lunch or dance on the dance floor to the sound of Djs. In a stylish decor of beautiful Art Deco lamps and light effects, or simply on the terrace by the water, this is the new meeting place for Bilbao's hipsters! Check the program on the website.

When Parisian chic meets Spanish tradition, the result is definitely worth a look. This is the case in this bistro on Rue Ledesma, an unmissable pedestrian street that is always very lively, where the vermouth aperitif is brought up to date. The house offers more than 50 references and many variations (rum, cava, vermouth sangria, etc.)! It is eaten with some gildas (typical Basque pintxo), cockles or anchovies. More consistent: Iberian ham croquetas and plates of smoked salmon, octopus or sheep's cheese.

Sure, it's not the best location in Irún, but this craft brewery has everything to seduce within its walls: a trendy industrial decor, large friendly tables, and a gourmet menu to accompany the beer tastings. With the fermentation room as a backdrop, one can appreciate the subtleties of the craft beers, while enjoying delicious small dishes to share with various influences: nachos, fried calamari, quesadillas, pastrami sandwiches and burgers will delight the gourmets!

Don't be fooled by its very exotic name (Koh Tao is a Thai island...)! This small café in the centre of San Sebastián is in fact a bohemian refuge, where exhibitions of local artists and concerts are regularly held in an intimate atmosphere. Decorated in a vintage spirit, the place is just as pleasant during the day to drink a coffee as it is in the evening to have a drink with a pintxo of tortilla. His homemade cakes and avocado or smoked salmon tarts are a big hit at breakfast time!

In a lively street in the Gros district, a wonderful address for gin and tonic lovers! In Spain, this trendy cocktail is constantly being emulated, so much so that this bar offers a menu specialising in gin from all over the world, with a multitude of references. The preparation of cocktails is a show in itself, so we advise you to settle down at the bar to watch the barmen at work. Continue the evening on the terrace, where the atmosphere is always lively!

Scandinavian decor, all light wood and white, for this friendly bar on Calle Matía, a lively shopping street in the heart of El Antiguo. On weekends, the locals meet there to drink a beer or a "marianito" (vermouth served with a drop of gin), accompanied by cod fritters, a plate of Iberian sausages or a salad. It's also a good option for a sandwich, burger or a good dish of the day in a very local atmosphere. On Sunday at 1pm, don't miss the "Marigilda" with live concert and vermut!

On the ground floor of the Hotel Maria Cristina, the Dry bar features a menu designed by Javier de las Muelas, the king of cocktails in Spain. The perfect place for a chic aperitif in a Belle Epoque setting that pays tribute to the film stars who frequented the hotel, including Bette Davis, whose portrait sits enthroned above the bar. A la carte, timeless classics and signature cocktails that will delight the most demanding palates. Tea time, another privileged moment, is accompanied by a selection of biscuits, madeleines and delicate cakes.

A mecca for mixology, this bar born in 2018 is the new meeting point for cocktail lovers and chic ambiences! Located near the Guggenheim Museum, it offers an ultra-tidy decor with its wooden shelves lined with multicoloured liqueurs and jars, its trendy green velvet benches and its luminous globe. Behind the bar, the stylish waiters will concoct elixirs for you to fall down and choose from a menu of "new classics" and signature cocktails. As a side dish, try their delicious pancakes!

This small bar attracts a lot of people thanks to its privileged location facing the port and its high quality musical program. As soon as there is a ray of sunshine, we settle down on the terrace or on the stairs that climb up to Mount Urgull to enjoy the panorama. The boss, Imanol Basterra, selects good local beers, such as those from Basqueland and Gora, and takes care of the musical programming. He often deejays from soul and ska to more pop-rock sounds as the night progresses.