Very good irish pub near the University of Deusto.read more

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.

Funny thing in Bilbao here isn't many sit down restaurants that I'm used to. Seems like everything…read moreis pre-made but Koala had a few things to order. We sat down and ordered Pizzas I had mushroom, bell pepper (red and green). Wife ordered Hawaiian which had mushroom ham and pineapple. We both enjoyed it. We saw kangaroo on the menu but not willing to try it.

After a long walk we wanted to sit down for a spell and eat lunch. Bartender told us to sit in a…read moresection reserved for lunch patrons. We had backpacks and hiking poles so husband and I sat at table with four chairs. She came over and asked if we could move to a two person table. There was no one else sitting in the section! Not ok. :( A few minutes after we sat down, two more groups of three each sat down. They took tables set for six people. Waitress/bartender did not ask them to move. Service overall was slow and annoying . She was not helpful in explaining menu items in English. This place is located in a high tourist traffic area so I think we can expect some English exchange however limited. Food was ok. She put bread on the table see photo and not on a plate. Price for fixed menu for two was $18 which included wine, main course and dessert. We should've stuck with the other restaurants that has Trip Advisor stickers on the door.

A neat little neighborhood tapas place that I found based on a referral from a tour guide. At 9:30…read morePM on a weeknight, there was a good bunch of folks at the high tops outside and a half-dozen bros drinking beers and having a good time outside. So I decided it was worthy and went inside for dinner. The menu is printed on several pages and this, they do it properly with English, Spanish, etc. on separate pages but IN THE SAME ORDER. So once you work out that you want "Fried Green Peppers" on the English page, there it is on the Spanish page. I did have the peppers to start and they were very good. My worry that they were going to be "Jalapeno hot" was unfounded as they were simply delicious and easy to eat. For mains, I chose the shrimp and they were served whole. I'm not a fan of whole shrimps with head and tails and legs still on, but I worked through it. A good portion and they were also dusted with a coarse sea salt. Very delicious, slightly messy but enough napkins and I was good to go. The "House Rioja" was nice and crisp with the shrimp. My first meal in Bilbao and I'm off to a great start!

Wonderful tapas bar right in the heart of town. The vino kept on flowing and the atmosphere was…read morefabulous. The pimientos were perfectly salted and wine selection was excellent. But let's face it, you'll get fabulous wine all over Spain, right? That said, this spot was perfect for a snack and great company.

We came here late night, on our last evening in Bilbao…read more Most kitchens close quite early in this area, and Ad Hoc was open at least an hour later than anyplace around. The place is clean and modern looking with a beautiful chalkboard and a friendly waiter who was happy to accommodate our late-night drunken and broken Spanish. We had delicious and piping hot croquettes with a creamy interior spiked with salty ham. Their anchovies were standard but really delicious. Finally, at the bartender's recommendation, we had some Morcilla (blood sausage) with a lovely creamy puree. There is so much amazing food in Bilbao, it's sometimes hard to choose where to go to get your fix. In this case, Ad Hoc's unusually extended hours made the decision for us and i'm really happy they did!!