"Call us when you get into town," Friend said, "and we will tell you how to get here." Only her…read morephone wasn't working, and our phone wasn't working, and we couldn't reach each other. And thus it was that we were lost, driving around Gernika, wondering how on earth we were going to find our friend. But we passed this little bar, and I thought maybe they could help us, and so Husband went in and with his very terrible Spanish tried to get help. THE NICEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD ARE AT THIS BAR. I want to shout it to the world. Everyone did everything they could to help us, including the customers. When they couldn't find our friend, they told us that if we couldn't find her that they would make sure we had a place to stay that night. We could not have asked for kinder people to happen across. Eventually we found our friends (by total chance), and we went back to the bar to buy everyone a round as thanks. The kalimotxos flowed and they gave Kid olives. Five stars for the kindness. Eskerrik asko!

Some of the tastiest pintxos in Bilbao! They offer a great…read morevariety of classics, but each has a unique twist. I recommend the squid, crab gratin, and chorizo. The service was a bit of a mess lol people everywhere trying to get into the queue to order. However, the staff did their best and delivered everything as quickly as possible. I recommend going at off-peak hours... Unless you want to experience ordering like the locals XD

The restaurant is one I found to be recommended for pinxtos (small, bite-sized snacks often on a…read morepiece of toasted bread). We sat outside and were told to order food inside. The thing about sitting outside is that there are smokers. :/ The pinxtos are premade and just heated up. We tried txangurro (spider crab) gratin, artichoke in tempura, and crispy squid with onion. I was a bit disappointed, because I didn't care for any of them. The bread was quite crusty. I guess pinxtos aren't my thing.

This place is nearly impossible to get a reservation and it's understandable. Their dishes are out…read moreof this world. No surprise that several alums have gone on to open highly rated restaurants of their own (Firedoor, Burnt Ends, etc). If you can't get a reservation but are in the area in Sunday you can still go at lunch to get tapas. And the real bonus was getting to order a few grilled dishes like their lamb chops and steak along with cod. These were amazing. But if you can get a resy definitely go that route first so you can get Viktor's entire tasting menu

Amazing meal. Came to basque country to dine here and it was worth the trip if you can snag a…read morereservation. Restaurant is located in the beautiful and peaceful hills of axpe,bizkaia 40 mins from bilbao. Asador is the mecca and founder of grilled foods. Dave pynt from burnt ends and even eneko trained here at one point of their careers. We went with the tasting and added a lobster. A choice we did not regret. Everything was done masterfully. Don't expect caviar and good here. This place is about the raw ingredients cooked perfectly. No frills, just flames. This is an absolute must and bucket list place to experience once.

Azurmendi was on my to go list for a long time. I've made 2 previous reservations but because of…read morespecial circumstances, we had to cancel. This is my 3 attempt to dine here and it lived up to and far exceeded my expectations. As soon as we walked into the restaurant, we were transported to a lunch of greeneries which was calm and soothing. We were immediately served with a welcome drink and were presented with a picnic basket shortly after which included 3 small bites plus a drink. We then walked through 2 additional rooms including their kitchen and their "garden" room in which we were told to pick things off from the room to eat - I kind of felt like Hansel and Gretel for a moment. Before we got to our dining table, I was already half full before the start of our tasting menu. There were 12 courses to the tasting menu and for each course, Chef Eneko brilliantly highlights and heightens the taste of the main ingredient in various ways. We can really appreciate the freshness of each ingredient and complexity in putting the dish together. Each plating was also beautiful and aesthetically pleasing to the eye and just as scrumptious as it looks - I almost didn't want to eat it because it looks like a piece of art. Every dish was multidimensional with layers of flavors bursting inside my mouth with every bite. There was also a good balance of texture. It would take forever for me to go through very single dish but there wasn't one single dish that I didn't like and each dish also had an element of surprise. One thing I want to note is when I first made the reservation 3 years ago, they had offered children's menu. Since then , they had changed their policy and said they welcome children age 10 and up. I emailed the restaurant explaining I have a 10 and 8 year old but they are very accustomed to fine dining and I promised they would not cause any disturbances. They were very accommodating and agreed to welcome my family. They also made sure they get the same food experience so at times when adults were offered an alcoholic beverage, they would make the same thing but without the alcohol so my kids wouldn't feel left out. Another thing to point out is when we attempted to order a tasting menu for my kids as well, we were told it would be too much for them and they recommend to just order a la carte dish for them. I really appreciate their honesty because it turned out that was the perfect amount of food for my kids. Many other restaurants would not accommodate like this and would require us to order a tasting menu for our kids even though it's clearly too much food for them. Their service was impeccable. Extremely friendly, and their attention to detail is on another level. The restaurant is spacious, calm, and comfortable. All the tables were spaced apart far enough that we didn't even noticed anyone else was there until we turn around. Chef Eneko were also in the kitchen during the whole duration of the service to oversee everything which we appreciate because you no longer see that in a lot of the other restaurants. Overall, Azurmendi is worth the trip to Bilbao just to dine here. Price point is very reasonable. This is not just a restaurant you come to eat, it's an immersive culinary experience that's unforgettable and we will be talking about it for a long time. We will definitely be back!

This was our first 3 Michelin star dinner and we were blown away. The entire meal is an experience…read moreand took almost 4 hours from start to finish. They don't rush you and want you to really enjoy the food and craftsmanship they put into making really unique items. It was located about 20mins outside of Bilbao and the location was beautiful. You get to see the kitchen and chef during the initial tour and all the food was so creative and delicious. They are very accommodating and willing to adjust menu items for certain dietary restrictions and we felt so taken care of. Each dish was described by a server and we had at least 4 people checking on us throughout the meal. The dinning room is spacious but not packed with only a few people so it was very serene. There were probably 2-3 menu items that we wouldn't traditionally eat and pushed our culinary boundaries a little but we figured that was part of the experience. We tried everything and walked away stuffed! You definitely get your moneys worth with an insane amount of food but it is still one of our most expensive dinners we've ever had. Overall, a great experience with extremely thoughtful staff and would recommend!

One of the best steaks we have ever had! The pintxos were all delicious with our favorite being the…read morepotatoes with lots of cheese. The Rioja wine paired perfectly with the pintxos and the steak. Highly Recommend!

Nice spot for pintxos off the main square (Plaza Nueva) in the old town side of Bilabo…read more I am by no means fluent in Spanish, and it was very appreciated that the bar staff really put in the effort to try and communicate in English. They had a really nice variety of pintxos and I got 3 for 10€. The burger pintxo was my favorite, with the squid being a solid second place.

Super casual bar we stumbled upon on while walking in Casco Viejo and it didn't disappoint…read more Service was amazing, food was excellent! And the price is very reasonable!

This was one of the first pintxo bars we visited in Plaza Nueva. The food was delicious; we tried…read morethe croqueta pintxo and a gilda, and the Txakoli was good as well. This location was also the only place where they served the Txakoli in a chilled wine glass. We were lucky as the place was empty, but later that evening, you couldn't even get in to order. It just goes to show how good their pintxos are!

This is a great French Basque restaurant in the old part of Hendaye. The old part is very quiet and…read morea little small but really gives you the feel of being a small beach town. It is also a nice break from the busy beach area. The food was great and the selection for the menu of the day was terrific with lots of seafood as well as lamb and beef. The service was very kind and they spoke both Spanish and French as well as Basque. We had the muscles with french fries and a nice rosé. They were kind to separate the lamb entrée for our kids. I had a lovely gateaux Basque and café. Given all we had, the price was reasonable but not cheap. The place is about a half mile from the train station and completely worth a stop.

Kind and friendly service. The place is cozy and decorated with a nautical theme. There are…read moreoutdoor tables also. The kitchen treated the fish with much respect and our dishes were well prepared.

Kale, Nagusia Kalea 34 Getaria Spain…read more Established in 1840! Getaria in Basque Country is a small, charming coastal town. Famous for its grilled seafood. We chose this place because the grill was right outside the front door and everything looked and smelled delicious! Fresh, whole turbot, sea bream, octopus, truly thick cut beef steaks and shrimp were being grilled over a wood fire. Simply seasoned with sea salt, grilled and plated. Nothing was added to hide the freshness of the whole Sea bass I truly enjoyed. I love fish prepared this way-simply and with pride. I wished I had a second stomach so I could have had everything I saw walking by my table! Reservations recommended, or get lucky as a walk in.

Must be crazy to have two highly rated Asador just across town square main drag from each other…read more As Getaria goes, pescado y mariscos a la brasa is the goto. Rodaballo and other things are of equal quality as the other well known Asador, but slightly cheaper as they dont have the same world fame and Michelin star. Delicious is still key!