One classic in Bilbao, sandwich with EME secret sauce, great selection of pintxos and great home…read morefood. Not ti be missed when visiting Bilbao!

There are, really, few sites "must-haves" for a trip or a visit... and the Bar EME bilbao, is not…read morean exception. He has many years open and is well known by all the inhabitants of the city - you can check it out asked by there - although, that doesn't mean anything more. The Sandwiches are tasty and unique, but perhaps dont must walk a lot to get up there if you are not near. I go once in a while, and enjoy it.

Had a hankering for fries and this place scratched that itch. We were given several options for…read moredipping sauces and opted for the aioli and ketchup. All good!

Stumbled into this little pub while wandering through historic Bilbao on a rainy April day and had…read morethe best Spanish Omlette here. Unpretentious, homey and comfortable. Beware - no English spoken and they don't serve off the menu until after 1pm.

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 is a great spot for lunch. I had the Vietnamese salad, and it was not your typical bowl of…read moregreens. Delicious, lightly dressed. The only downside is that the smoke from Bilbao's tobacco-lovers gets pulled in through the front door. Not pleasant when you get a good draft - best to sit in the back.

What a great find! Food is fresh, with healthy options including several vegan and gluten free…read moredishes. We didn't get dessert or coffee, but it liked delicious! Great ambiance and service was friendly.

Food: This is THE BEST place in Bilbao for Cochinillo (Suckling Pig)!! The wagyu beef burger (€10)…read more is cooked to perfection as well. The combination of the egg and wagyu is such a deliciously meaty combination. And of course there's the cochinillo. The crispy skin, succulent meat will make your mouth water and hungry for more. It comes in 2,3 and 4 person portion (starting from €30). Service: the staff is warm and attentive. Although he cannot really converse with us in English, he does his best to explain the menu to us and has the friendliest demeanor. In fact he gave us appetizers on the house in light of Xmas (lkr?)! This is a textbook hidden-gem in Bilbao. Do be sure to hit up this place for a Spanish meal you will never forget!!!

The best calamari in Bilbao and good service. The location is close to Guggenheim Museumread more

Pleasantly surprised with how nice this spot was! Central downtown Bilbao, right next to the…read moreIberdrola tower and the mall! Plenty busy when we stopped by but still had good service! We had espresso, salad and a sandwhich - so many great options to choose from, you really cant go wrong! Would certainly recommend stopping by for a nice coffee, bruch or lunch!

If you're curious, adventurous and want to experience tapas a bit differently then this is the…read moreplace for you. You'll find canned seafood here, but it's not what you probably think. This stuff is good, real good. Try the mejillones for a taste of mussels in escabeche type sauce. The boquerones are small and tangy because of the vinegar, but nonetheless are fabulous. There's so much to try and taste here but you must bring your appetite.

The specialty pinxtos here at Gatz was a piece of cod cooked in olive oil. The oil turned a bit…read morebuttery from the extra fat of the fish and then they put two small pieces of hot pepper on top. Oh, my. Delicious! They're very proud of their Michelin mentions, as they should be.

Items Selected: Morcilla Pepper Omelette…read moreSalt Cod with Aoili Ham, Idiazabal, Tomato Stack Traditional Torta Fried Foie Gras Mushroom Sandwich with Pepper Puree Iberico Sandwich "Fresh Cheese and Cepes" Baccala Stuffed Pepper Located in old town, tucked away on Santa Maria Kalea just feet from a shopping district transformed to a Christmas wonderland just one week thereafter, Bar Gatz is considered by many to be 'the' locals only place for the Basque style of tapas known as pintxos, and arriving in Bilbao far later than originally scheduled it was just prior to midnight before I entered the small space, a dearth of seating okay for legs confined to a plane for the past twelve hours while English friendly service made navigating the selections a breeze. Trending more traditional than spots nearby with a vibe that seemed well suited to local twenty-somethings out for late night fun a Saturday, it was with a plate in hand that a dozen or so plates were examined and understanding most of the Spanish descriptions with a few simple questions answered a total of eight items were selected, the total bill just €14 including a €1.50 miniature bottle of water. Avoiding options that seemed to have been sitting out, though the barman did offer to rewarm anything I'd like, dining began with two plates of three and focusing mostly on bold flavors traditional to the region and especially those made in house both the Morcilla and Pepper Omelette as well as the creamy-meets-crunchy Fried Foie Gras Mushroom Sandwich were precisely what I'd been hoping for while the traditional torta immediately left me laughing at high prices of inferior versions back home, the salt cod unfortunately a bit masked by the sauce while both ham selections benefited from the quality of the local products, a theme seen throughout the trip. Informed that desserts are not offered, but that a few more hot items were set to come out before the kitchen closed for the night, suffice it to say that I was fortunate to stick around chatting with a young couple happy to work on their limited English while teaching me some Spanish, for as much as those lesson really did not seem to last more than one hour the memories of fresh cheese melted amidst mushrooms and the intense flavor of a fried red pepper filled with creamy baccala proved far more resonant, the later possibly the most memorable bite of salt cod throughout the week-long visit.