First I must say I have been a fan of Victor Montes Jatetxea since early 2000 on my first visit to Bilbao. It has been one of the icons with a very local and traditional. Every "pintxo" was a delightful dance of flavors.and textures. During my kast trip to Spain in January 2025, I decided.I could not leave Bilbao without visiting the bar located in the historic Plazq Mayor. The place continues being a great place with beatiful ambiance. With all this introduction you may still think why I did not give all 5 stars. Well, to start the new young crew, the seem to be far from their predecessors, no behind bar charm, what makes every bar special, then the selection of "pintxos" are far away to the typical yet excellence of the typical Basque Cuisine. I trully hope this place comes back to the old glory, yet keeping the quality of food and service, that used to b for more than 100 years. read more

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We dropped in unexpectedly when we couldn't get a reservation, just hoping for a chance to get in. They squeezed us in before a reservation was due an hour and a half later. Big local crowd at the bar r acting tapas when we left but the dining room was quiet and pleasant. We had a carpaccio (wow) , salad, the specialty shrimp, smoked salmon, and a vegetable grill plate. All the food was really well done and tasty. They have wine by the glass and we took advantage of that as well. Server was efficient and knowledgeable, although her English was very limited. The bartender was fluent and helped us through the ordering process. It's a very solid choice, and the food choices and quality were excellent. read more

Nice old world charm. Perfect premium jamon iberico. My pulpo or octopus was very tender with potato foam and black garlic mayonnaise. I also had the traditional cod with pilpil sauce and the other a gale jam sauce. And torrija was excellent! read more

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The service and restaurant were nice, but the food was inedible. In all my years traveling to Spain I have never had such awful tasteless food. Why would you smother a lovely piece of fresh cod in a terrible bland sauce? The "seasonal vegetables" were more like out of a frozen microwaved ready to eat bag and a few asparagus spears thrown in with a sauce. Grabbed the check and left. read more

My friends and I jumped into this beautiful restaurant / bar for a quick bite and some drinks. It was an hour before closing, but we had just gotten off the train and needed food. To our delight we were greeted by a very nice bar tender, who not only offered us drinks, but the most amazing tasty elegant bites... if you are looking to experience a Pintxo bar, this is the place to come! The bar tender was friendly, the food was delicious and we'll likely be returning before the end of our trip. read more

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Tourist trap? Yes. visiting with a local? Not trappy anymore. Indulge in pinxtos and a large glass of Vermut. The mussels are lovely and anything morcilla. A place where locals gather. Crowded, energetic and sense-pleasing! read more

This is a nice looking full menu sit down restaurant in Tapas Square. I stopped in on a tapas crawl and tried a couple. Meh. Ok, but pricier than others in the vicinity. read more

We came here for a sit down dinner. The service was exceptional and the food was out standing. We ordered the lamb with apple and turnip, prawns a la plancha, and paella. Everything was prepared and seasoned perfectly, succulent and tender. We had a great time. Definitely we will be back and would recommend this establishment to anyone looking for great food and service a notch up from the rest. read more

Our REI Hiking Group's 1st Dinner event was held at this Victor Montes Restaurant on the Plaza Nueva, Old Town Bilbao. The authentic decorations, shelves full of exciting bottles of wine from all around the globe and the large display of variety of Pintxos / Tapas, were inviting the minute we stepped into the Restaurant. All 14 of us were seated by one long table which was also creating a warm welcoming atmosphere immediately. Our tour guide called it a Simple Style Dining, experiencing local Spanish mini-Sandwiches - Pintxos with ample toppings of delicacies and choice of red or white wines. We enjoyed learning much about local fishes, sauces and the variety of toppings. They all tasted super delicious because they were served on very fresh tasty bread. We had a fun Evening!! read more

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Six of us had dinner here. This place is a tourist trap. Their "tuna belly" salad tasted like it was from a can. Anchovies also tasted like it was from a can, very salty. Prices way too high for the food given. The empty tables in the square should have been a sign for what was about to come. Maybe their pintxos are better but avoid this place for dinner. read more

Best pinchos that I've had in Bilbao. What my group ordered: -We came for pinchos and stayed for pinchos. We ordered a Foie Gras with bri and apple preserve, really good quality Foie Gras, and the bri melted nicely. -Next was a camambere with carnalized onions, 10/10 would do again. -And a mushroom, Jamón Serrano, garnished with little eels. Really good, and I expected the eels to taste bad but they were really there for look. Conclusion. Really good food. All I can say. Order pinchos! The other reviews were from people expecting something else, and I understand, this kind of food has some strong flavors, but if you don't appreciate it, please don't write a bad review. read more

Victor Montes - Spanish Near Me - Bilbao, BI

I went here by myself on my last night in Bilbao and sat at the bar where I watched the entertaining interactions between the waiters and a variety of regular and tourist punters. It's a traditionally decorated bar and as the evening wore on I really felt I was back in time experiencing life in perhaps 1920s Spain. The pintxos are traditional too so you won't get the most experimental choices in Bilbao though (try Irrintzi nearby) but there are decent seafood, ham etc options. read more

An institution apparently. Been there forever, and I think the waiters as well! Its a charming old pincho type bar with a menu as well....the atmosphere is casual, local and on the loud side. We stopped here with some local friends since they said we should eat here being that it's such a known place. I enjoyed my pinchos and wine and tasted the basque cider which has some real kick. It was way more expensive than the other places in town so you pay for their famous-ness. There are pictures hanging up of famous people with the owners. read more

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Overrated. Overpriced food, and they really milk the fact that Gehry was once here, as well as some other celebs lol. They also charge 1.50€ a head for bread without telling you, so be wary of that. They just put the bread on the table and then slap it on your bill. Scammers. Verdict is, super meh restaurant. Good location and nice decor though l o l. read more

Very tasty and value for money, we sat by a crowded bar ordering various pintxos that you can help yourself to, including mushroom croquetas, pulpo, bacalao, young eels, tortilla de patata, sea urchin, smoked fish & cod roe with edible flower. read more

Delicious pinchos. Can be very busy. A little more upscale atmosphere for a pincho bar. Drinks and pinchos were fantastic. Try to come on off peak hours and enjoy. read more

The square is beautiful with many different cafés. Many have restaurant menus as well. This cafe has an amazing art nouveau facade maintained beautifully. The interior is equally magnificent. My cappuccino was perfect. read more

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I don't recommend this at all. We were with a group of six, 3 plates of fish (codfish biscay and pilpil) were absolutely disgusting. We had to pay 1,80€ for a piece of bread and 6,50€ for a plate of french fries. I think the pinchos are good, but don't eat in the restaurant. read more