Small, easy breezy bar that is perfect for meeting up with friends to chat about nothing. Since we were doing an impromptu walking culinary tour of the city, our time at Irrintzi was very short (eg one beer and pintxo). However, we did enjoy our time at the pub, and I hope to return whenever I make a trip to Bilbao. The bartender was great and very patient with the time it took us to decide on a yummy treat. read more

Irrintzi - Baby eel (gulas) - Basque Near Me - Bilbao, BI

4.5 stars Irrintzi in the old city of Bilbao is all about "pintxos&friends," and this casual bar sports some unique creations. First, I tried the classic pil-pil, a chunk of cod topped with a creamy sauce made of the cod skin along with garlic and oil. Then there was a pork "taco" made of breaded chunks of honey-glazed pork (it definitely reminded me of an Asian preparation), served along with seaweed salad in a "taco" shell made of nori on the inside and a crispy cornmeal coating on the outside--truly one of the most unique bites of food I've ever had! Finally, I had the octopus carpaccio topped with a dollop of mashed potato, all topped with a piece of crispy jamon. The creaminess of the mashed potato went perfectly with the tender octopus, and the umami, savory piece of jamon brought all the flavors together! read more

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Great pintxos spot with a ton of veggie options. Can get crowded with kids during the lunch hour, but what can you do? Service was good, txakoli was cold, and the food was tasty! read more

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At Irrintzi, I learned about the Kalimotxo. I'd never heard of such a thing, but it's an officially unofficial drink of Bilbao. Half red wine and half Coca-Cola. Yes, this is real. Cold, refreshing and a little delicious. Interesting. We enjoyed a delicious pinxtos here. A piquito red pepper stuffed with cheese and then battered and fried, served on top of a slice of their delicious baguette. Very good. Yum! I had nothing like it anywhere else during my stay in Bilbao. read more

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I thought this place was just okay for the tapas/pintxos. We came on a Saturday night and it was crowded but tolerable and we could at least move around a bit and find a place to sit. They had a wider variety of pintxos than a lot of the other bars - some only have tortillas or other montaditos (ham, veggies, cheese, etc on bread), and croquetas. This place seemed to have a large bar filled with pintxos, but a lot of them seemed like they had been sitting out for a while (or probably the whole day). The pintxos in Bilbao are not quite as gastronomic as what you'll find in San Sebastian, and you can't order hot, fresh pintxos from the back like in San Sebastian either. The pintxos are not housed behind any piece of glass, etc. so it's slightly less sanitary than other places with people hovering over all the food all day while they are drinking at the bar. We ended up with a squid ink croqueta, a ham croqueta, and one with pulpo (octopus). The bartender will hand you a plate, you'll pick what you want, and I made the mistake of not asking the bartender to warm up my food. I saw some other people doing this once I started eating, and was kicking myself as I was eating a cold croqueta. The pintxos were fine but cold food that has been sitting out all day is never going to be amazing. If you come here, make sure you get your food warmed up. If you're around here, you can stop in for a bite, but I wouldn't go out of my way to come here. Plus I don't think the food safety at this place is that great and a lot of the food looks like it sits out from morning to night so if you're wary of food poisoning, it's best to go somewhere where they prepare the food fresh. read more

Irrintzi - Basque Near Me - Bilbao, BI

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Items Selected: Creaking Cod with Tartar of Tomato Ham Croquette Sepia Croquette Peanut Crusted Morcilla with Confit Tomato and Scorched Pepper Brandade Stuffed Cod Ribs with Mushrooms and Black Sauce Cod Fritters with Garlic Mayonnaise Ham and Foie Gras Stuffed Eggplant Slices Fried Mozzarella, Sardines, Tomato Tartar Torta with Blistered Pepper Leek Carpaccio with Jamonn Iberico, Octopus, and Spanish Paprika Chocolate Torta Pastel Vasco Getting a much later start than anticipated and thus limiting the first night's pintxo crawl to only two stops it was with good fortune that Irrintzi Taberna was not only open later than Bar Gatz, but also that the place was packed, and trending far more modern in both décor as well as its cuisine the "new kid" proved more than capable of executing the classics while also offering more than a few of its own unique twists. At least twice the size of Gatz in length but not width, a graffiti style backdrop and electronic dance sounds drawing a younger crowd than spaces nearby, entry to Irrintzi was at first a rather prolonged task as tables were packed while the bar stood two deep, but eventually gathering a plate and making a path it would not be long before the first four of twelve items were gathered, both croquettas setting a high standard for oilless crust breaking to a creamy center while the blood sausage was crumbly yet smooth beneath a peanut exteror, the fried cod again golden and moist though not quite as memorable as subsequent bites. Onward to plate two, a trio selected immediately as they emerged hot from the kitchen at the back, it should seem obvious that pintxos served fresh almost universally outshine those sitting out, and whether an simple matter of timing, an indicator that 'better' items turn over faster, or a combination of both it was with glee that two preps of salt cod were tucked into, the 'ribs' a pure shot of umami while the fritters fared far better than the aioli topped iteration at Gatz, the crispy eggplant stack rich with the smack of duck liver and a delicate slice of scarlet red pork. Opting for a final round of savories before ending with desserts, plates still emerging from the kitchen as the clock passed 00h30, it was at the recommendation of the barman that a briny sardine atop mozz with tomato was selected alongside two more, and although the complexity of the bite far outperformed the sum of its parts my personal preference was the beautiful stack of octopus, ham, and leeks topped liberally in paprika, the torta unfortunately a bit too dense with potatoes slightly undercooked. Finishing off the evening with dessert, at this point with crowds finally beginning to thin, the first desserts of many of Spin proved a bit hit and miss for as good as later "cream cakes" called Pastel Vasco would prove to be the Irrintzi version was mostly just gelatinous and meek in flavor, the chocolate torta a far better investment with a moist texture not unlike that of Tres Leches spiked with tons of cocoa beneath a slightly bitter frosting, far less sweet than the 'American" standard but delicious no less and a steal at €3 for a fairly substantial slice. read more

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My first proper pintxo experience started very well in this modern bar in the old part of Bilbao. Although it doesn't have the made to order approach of some of the more gastronomically inclined San Sebastian bars, it does offer some really unusual options such as the fantastic falafel and mushroom combo (so good I had two). I would advise getting what comes out while you are there as the fresh, hot options are perhaps inevitably more enjoyable. The pintxos are really good valye at €1.80 each, and a glass of white wine was €1.60. I arrived quite early in the evening to kill some time before my friend's flight arrived and would recommend it (for women especially) as somewhere you can go sit and enjoy a quiet drink without any hassle. read more

Irrintzi - Falafel and mushroom pintxo was amazing! - Basque Near Me - Bilbao, BI

Small, no fuss bar. Quick service of beer wine and great pintxos. Great gourmet pintxos. English friendly signs. I stayed on this street and loved visiting here. read more

One of the most unique and creative pintxo bars in all of Euskadi. Definitely some of the most unique, if not the most unique pintxos in Bilbo. We ended up returning to Irrintzi several times during our 4 days in Bilbo. If you see the conguro (kangaroo) pintxo on the bar, grab one. Actually grab 2. Before they disappear. They were to most popular pintxos we saw anywhere in any pintxo bar. For good reason-they are addicting and delicious. Same goes for the pollo. It comes in a little fried bowl (that looks like something you might see in a Chinese restaurant). The atmosphere is bright and lively, packed mostly with locals and some tourists. The staff is friendly. The owner is a very creative pintxo chef. Can't think of a single thing we didn't like about Irrintzi. Irrintzi will be one of our first stops next time we're in Bilbo. read more

Tempura pintxos. Nuff said. Sacrificing a little bit of authenticity for delicious innovation is always fine in my book. Everything I tried in this little place was phenomenal, and they were veggie friendly to boot! read more

A wise woman once said, "Never trust a Tripadvisor review because it's full of Americans and British people who have no idea what they're talking about." [1] We walked to Irrintzi, which is in the "old" part of Bilbao, on the quest for some pintxos and a few glasses of wine. All of the pintxos are neatly displayed on a countertop, so naturally, my eyes got bigger than my stomach. Many of the selections are unique in that they are very different than your "pintxo de tortilla". But does that mean that they're good? Absolutely not. I wedged my way into the crowd at the bar and picked 4 pintxos: morcilla with a gernika pepper and candied tomato, fig, duck with a carmelized apple, and angulas. Both the fig and angulas pintxos were served on stale bread and were very bland and devoid of flavor (especially the fig, which was served atop a slice of bread in both jam and cream format - you have to intentionally make this boring, right?!). The morcilla was probably the best of the whole lot, due to the originality and presentation. The duck looked better than it tasted - it tasted of unidentifiable meat atop a slice of bread (which probably had more flavor). As someone who is very knowledgeable about Spanish wine, it was an absolute embarrassment to have the bar staff be so ignorant of the wines served. Train your bar staff to know the wines you serve by name, if nothing else! I asked for the Godello on the makeshift chalkboard wine list and no one knew what I was talking about. It wasn't until I elaborated with "de DO Valdorreas...en Galicia...es un vino blanco" that they pulled wines, bottle by bottle, from the wine cooler, and finally knew that I was talking about. But they understood the German chick asking for a clarita in broken English perfectly. Go figure. If you don't care about what you're eating and care more about the scene, Irrintzi is the place for you. The clientele interesting mix of tourists and regulars, the ambiance is modern (the logos look very manga/ Japanese comic book-esque), and the music is along the vein of old school Bad Religion and Social Distortion. Pro tip: Save your time and head to Bar Gatz next door. I had a pintxo de tortilla and a glass of red wine from DO Bierzo (the bartenders take great pride in their wine and food) to compensate for the half-eaten pintxos on my plate at Irrintzi. [1] This quote is attributed to me. read more

As an American in Bilbao for the first time it soon became apparent that I was in a mecca for tapas,better known as pintxos(small snacks) in Basque country...Pintxo bars can be found throughout Bilbao ( including the Guggenheim Museum) with greatest concentration occurring the in the old city (casco viejo)....Which in my opinion can be a grazers paradise. Of course it is well known that the Spaniards normally do not start their late night meals until after 8 or 8:30 p.m..Since every other tourist from America seems to complain of GERDS requiring an early meal...Tapas or pintxos may provide a reasonable compromise over a 9:30 PM. 3 or 4 course late night "engorgement" at a high end restaurant. Heading for the old city with some recommendations from our concierge we came upon IRRINTZI with a vast array of creative pintxos,glistening upon the counter,incuding the standard olive,chili pepper,anchovy grouping speared by a tooth pick crispy duck combos, eggplant combo's, cod ,shrimp or squid combos....some combos could be accompanied by various sauces,perhaps a bechamel sauce or a complex seasoned mayonnaise mixture.. And so on and so on..see the pictures.... We left it up to our server to provide us us with an appropriate red or white Basque wine of his choice ...the wine servings were not overly generous which in this case served a good purpose... If you choose to engage in a "bar crawl." or a pintxo crawl... You'll be able to do it on two legs rather than 4 wobbly extremities heading for the next pintxo bar... Irrintzi also had several tables if U preferred sitting.... Unfortunately the largest display of pintxos do not come out until after 7:30... The wait is well worth it. During our short stay in Bilbao we sampled approximately 5 pintxo bars.. Irrintzi was clearly the most creative and the best....let my "gerds" be damned. 4 complex pintxos and a single red wine ran approximately 14 euros. read more

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A friend of a friend had recommended this gem and I'm very glad he did. This is a pintxos bar with incredible, innovative tapas. We sat at the bar where all of the tapas were and picked our own. Each one was €1.70, which was really a great deal, considering the creative and savory options they had to offer. The only possible down-side is that it's very small, and therefore if you sit at the bar, there's constantly people pushing in, trying to get their hands on the tapas. However, I would absolutely come back! read more

Very good tapas. The avocado / ceviche they had was excellent, and most everything else was good, was not so excited about the stuffed mushrooms though. Definitely recommend a stop here regardless, the ceviche dish alone is worth it. read more

Although we were told the mecca for Pintxos (pronounced Pinchos) was in San Sebastian, Bilbao, also located in Basque Country, can certainly be proud. I would describe Pinchos as open face sandwiches; three quarter inch baguette slices with various imaginative toppings. During our recent trip to Bilbao, while wandering the "Old Town" and with the help of previous "Yelpers" and our concierge at the Carlton Hotel, we discovered IRRINTZI located at Andra Maria. Each year Bilbao holds "The Best Pinchos" contest and IRRINTZI has been in the top 5 the past number of years: sometimes coming in first place! The restaurant has the ambiance of a Dairy Queen with a limited number of tables, BUT the Pinchos selection was outstanding. I believe they begin their offerings around 7:30PM. You are on the honor system....counter person will serve you a 5 ounce pour of Basque red or white wine of your choice or his recommendation and then you are on your own to choose from the offerings. As each platter of Pinchos is sold, more and different offerings are brought out and placed on the counter. The warm shredded duck was a winner however the Cod was just as good. You must ask if they have Gilda Pinchos.....a couple of green olives, green peppers, onion and 2 anchovies on a toothpick soaked in a small shot glass of virgin olive oil. At the end of your visit, you tell the counter person how many you had and pay accordingly. Customarily denizens of Bilbao will hop around to several Pinchos bars to sample this classic Basque Country answer to tapas. read more

I think the other reviewer is just being very picky. I really enjoyed Irrintzi. The staff are really nice, the pintxos were good (the bread on the bottom is meant to be a means of picking up the pintxos and eating it rather than the bread being part of the pintxos, though you can eat it the bread. Hence was the bread is a bit stale otherwise the bread could get soggy.). Anyway, Irrintzi isn't a wine bar so if you want to taste different Spanish wines it probably isn't the best place. Irrintzi is more of a bar where one would go to enjoy drinks, quick food, and hang out with friends. So I think it's very unfair to slam the staff for not knowing their wines because Irrintzi isn't that sort of place. Gatz is probably better than Irrintzi but Gatz is never open for more than a couple hours at a time, so it's almost always closed. I think Irrintzi is worth a visit for pintxos served in an interesting way. read more