The best restaurants Côte nord Espagne

Right in the centre of Gernika, chef Ettore Learreta offers the best of local produce in his restaurant. In a contemporary bistro-style decor, you will enjoy excellent pintxos and raciones, and refined regional dishes: tuna carpaccio in olive oil, hake kokotxas, scallops and pumpkin purée... In the summer months, the chef offers a "menu on the high seas" during boat trips to the Urdaibai Reserve.

A classic in the Plaza Nueva! Since 1973, Bar Charly has been serving classic pintxos to a clientele of loyal customers and passing visitors. Its large terrace is a popular meeting place to drink a zurrito (small beer) with friends and share some raciones, especially the typical rabas that Bilbao's inhabitants love, and which Bar Charly won the competition for the best rabas in Casco Viejo in 2021. These small fried squids are eaten as an appetizer on Sundays around noon: a tradition worth trying!

A stone's throw from the metro, a bar-restaurant that is a good place to go at any time of the day for a coffee in the morning, a vermouth accompanied by pintxos as an aperitif, but above all to enjoy an excellent meal in the restaurant area. In an intimate setting, you can enjoy excellent Basque recipes reinterpreted to suit the latest tastes. Broken eggs with truffles, snails Biscayan style, chipirons a la plancha, etc. are accompanied by a remarkable selection of wines. Good value for money for the tasting menu (served for lunch and dinner)!

In the heart of Bilbao La Viejo, an authentic address that showcases Galician cuisine. For despite the hipster revolution that has taken hold of the neighbourhood, this vermutería has continued to offer the same classics for more than 40 years. Galician-style octopus, served as a pintxo or ración, is the star of the place! But the cecina or lacón croquettes are also worth the detour. They are accompanied by a small glass of vermouth, a speciality of the place!

"Taste is revealed in simplicity". That's how we might sum up the cuisine of two Basque chefs, Adrian Leonelli and Pablo Valdearcos, behind this small restaurant in the center of Bilbao. Nestled on a bend in the Nervion, the restaurant's sober interior is not lacking in thoughtful decorative details. But it's above all to taste a cuisine that's straightforward, well-balanced and that highlights the specificity and quality of each product that people come here. Locals and visitors alike flock here, especially for the very affordable tasting menu. Good wine list.

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!

A former caserio surrounded by landscapes with a strong character, this is the setting in which young chef Julen Baz, as star-studded as he is stylish, officiates. There are two options here: the tavern, casual and bistronomic; and the restaurant, upstairs, with its dozen or so valley-facing tables. The 14-course fine-dining menu is a sensory and temporal voyage through Basque culture. The menu features ultra-fresh local produce grilled or stewed and eaten with explosive concentration. Exceptional wines.

The herb-planted garden surrounded by green valleys sets the mood: in 2023, Tetsuro Maeda, Japanese chef and connoisseur of Basque aromas, opened a stunning gourmet canteen in a four-century-old caserio . Subtlety, simplicity, a balance of flavors, the man has the genius to take local produce into the realm of Japanese gastronomy, not without a touch of humor. We start with amuse-bouches in the kitchen, then a choreographed parade of perfect plates begins in the dining room. A meal that leaves you lined up.

A veritable institution in the region. And not without good reason: this is the third generation of restaurateurs we're dealing with here! The history of this grill is intrinsically linked to that of Tolosa. In the last century, paper professionals came here to sign their contracts between a solid grilled txuleta and a good bottle of wine. Since then, the decor hasn't changed, and neither has the know-how. We come here to feast on incredibly melt-in-your-mouth cuts of beef in an atmosphere from another era! Splendid.

Just 100 metres from the cathedral, in the heart of old Pamplona, this gastrobar seduces with its contemporary cuisine based on fresh produce from the Santo Domingo market. On the slate, the suggestions change according to the seasons: fresh piparas (green Ibarra pepper), scrambled eggs with mushrooms... And à la carte, beautiful tostas (slices of toasted bread) topped with anchovies or salmon, plates of cold meats, and pintxos prepared to order: salt flower duck breasts, lamb crépinette... Central and gourmet!

A few steps from Plaza del Castillo, an unpretentious bar-restaurant where you can enjoy homemade casera (homemade) cuisine and pintxos at the counter. The lunch menu offers a correct option to satisfy stomachs, with simple and effective dishes such as asparagus in two sauces, beef stew, peppers stuffed with cod and rice pudding. On the tapas side, try the roast beef with potato and mushroom cream, which won an award in a competition.