5 Foodie Spots to Visit in Bilbao, Spain

Northern Spain is truly a mecca for foodies, and Bilbao is one of the best cities to explore the culinary culture in this part of the country! Bilbao is the biggest city in Basque Country, and its popularity as a tourist destination is only growing with time–one thing helping to propel that is the delicious cuisine throughout this city. With an incredible range of traditional Basque foods like pintxos and Basque cheesecake, to more modern specialties like poke bowls and burrito bars, Bilbao is a truly unique city with a diverse culinary offering for seasoned foodies and newbies alike.

I only spent one day exploring Bilbao, but even in my short time there, I fell in love with the city and with its food culture; so much so that I’ve gathered five of my favorite foodie spots to recommend as must-try’s in Bilbao!

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1. El Globo

El Globo was truly an experience. If you’ve never pushed your way through a sea of people shouting their tapas orders at cashiers all at once in a Spanish bar, you’ll probably get a chance to do so here. However, despite the chaos, these were some of my favorite pintxos in Bilbao (and the best red wine I had, too). Located on a pedestrian-only street, El Globo is an unassuming bar until you step inside and hit a wall of patrons all with the same goal: get to the counter ASAP. Don’t panic–the crowds will move fast, and as long as you’re assertive and make eye contact with the staff once you’re close to the counter, they’ll take care of you. The pintxos here were super diverse, and there were options ranging from avocados and tomatoes, to potato gratin, to seafood, to cured meats, and pretty much everything in between. Grab a few small bites and a glass of wine, then head outside where you can catch a breath and enjoy your meal in peace (and by “in peace”, I mean across the street where no one can bump into you).

STANDOUTS:

Avocado pintxos
Potato gratin pintxos
Vino real (house red wine)

2. La Ribera Gastro-Plaza

You simply must visit La Ribera Market when you’re in Bilbao, if not only just to see the foods and offerings on each level. It’s basically a huge indoor market with stalls selling meat, fish, cheeses, breads, preserves… you name it, they probably have it. On a separate level, there’s an entire food hall with stalls selling pintxos, wines, tapas, large dishes, and more! I love food halls like this because you can just wander around and easily buy anything that looks good–it’s all usually small portions, so you can try as much as you want without breaking the bank (or getting full). Some personal favorites of mine were a chicken curry and a cod croquette pintxo, but there are truly endless options here for all types of diets.

STANDOUTS:

Chicken curry
Cod croquette

3. Arvo

I’m a sucker for a basic brunch spot, and Arvo hit the nail on the head. Sometimes you just need avocado toast in the morning, okay? Arvo was a cute little breakfast and lunch cafe with lots of light, lots of plants, and tons of coffee and food options. Each dish was inspired by different countries and cities around the world, which was a really cool and personal touch by the owners. My Byron Bay avocado toast was wonderful, especially with the poached egg on top for some extra bulk and protein! I definitely recommend Arvo if you’re in search of a nice, quiet spot to eat a hearty breakfast or lunch.

STANDOUTS:

Byron Bay - avocado toast

4. La Mula de Moscú

I am also a sucker for a cool and trendy cocktail bar, so La Mula de Moscú was such a treat to visit! I love craft cocktails in vibey, curated spaces, and this cocktail bar was textbook trendy, but not overdoing it. It’s low-lit with tons of cool prints on the walls, knick knacks on the shelves, a gorgeous bar and cozy leather booths, and an incredible list of craft cocktails! They’re a bit more on the expensive side, but that’s relative to location: expensive in Bilbao is 9-10€ while that’s incredibly cheap in the UK or the US, so you’re really double winning!

We each tried a different cocktail of course, and I can confirm that the Todo al Rojo, Pack a Gin, and Colada Ahumada were all fantastic. We debated getting food here, but opted to wander around town a bit more since we had some leftovers from lunch–however, I was reaaaally eyeing their burrata salad. Someone try it and tell me if it’s as good as it looked!

STANDOUTS:

Todo al Rojo (red berry cocktail)
Pack a Gin (gin cocktail in a bag)
Colada Ahumada (spicy piña colada)

5. Bascake Bilbao

Truly, you could probably go anywhere in Bilbao and get amazing Basque cheesecake–you’re in the biggest city in Basque Country, so that’s a given. However, we had very little time and one cheesecake shop right by our hotels, so we gave it a shot and were not disappointed! It was much runnier than I expected, and I’ve found through some personal research that the actual runniness can vary, but the center of a Basque cheesecake should always be underbaked. I’d only ever had it once before in Kraków, Poland, and it was served cold and firm there, which was much different than this warm, runny one from Bascake. Truthfully, I preferred this one, even though the consistency surprised me a bit! They serve them warm from the oven, so it’s only natural that the cakes wouldn’t have time to chill and firm up like a standard cheesecake. It’s definitely a foodie experience to try if you’re in Bilbao! Bascake had some other flavors on the menu, but were only serving slices of their plain cheesecake, which is honestly what you should try if you’re in the birthplace of Basque cheesecake anyway.