Best Restaurants & Bars in Bilbao 2026
The pintxos capital of the Basque Country - 225 venues across 4 zones
Updated weekly
TLDR
Bilbao is the pintxos capital of Spain. For the classic pintxos crawl: Ibaiondo (Plaza Nueva in the Seven Streets is unmissable). For upscale dining: Ensanche. For Guggenheim-area contemporary spots: Abandoibarra. For neighbourhood authenticity: Indautxu. Expect to pay €3-8 per pintxo. Best time: after 8pm when locals emerge.
Choose an Area (4 Zones)
Abandoibarra
26 venuesGuggenheim waterfront, contemporary dining
• Museum dining
• Design hotels
• Waterfront terraces
Ensanche
74 venuesElegant 19th-century district
• Fine dining
• Modern pintxos bars
• Wine culture
Indautxu
63 venuesResidential neighbourhood, local favourites
• Neighbourhood pintxos
• Local atmosphere
• Authentic Basque
Ibaiondo
62 venuesTraditional Casco Viejo heart
• Plaza Nueva pintxos
• Historic bodegas
• Seven Streets
How We Rank Bilbao
Most restaurant guides are frozen in time. A place gets reviewed once, earns a badge, and rides that reputation for years. Meanwhile, the kitchen changes hands, quality drifts, and nobody updates the listing.
DOW works differently. We track 225 venues across 4 zones in Bilbao using live Google review data, recalculated weekly. Our Hot Score algorithm weighs four signals: how fast new reviews are arriving (velocity), how recent those reviews are (recency), whether ratings are climbing or falling (trend), and the baseline rating itself. A venue that coasted on a 4.8 from two years ago will rank below one that earned a 4.5 last month with genuine momentum.
Weekly Rankings
Every venue re-ranked each week. Positions shift based on real activity, not editorial opinion.
No Paid Placements
Rankings are algorithmic. Venues cannot pay to appear higher. The score is the score.
Text Reviews Only
Star-only reviews and short junk are filtered out. Only written reviews over 50 characters count toward velocity and recency.
FAQs
What are pintxos?
Pintxos (pronounced "peen-chos") are the Basque version of tapas - small snacks typically served on bread, held together with a toothpick. In Bilbao, you hop from bar to bar, ordering one or two at each stop.
Where is the best area for pintxos in Bilbao?
Ibaiondo (the traditional heart of Casco Viejo) is the classic choice, especially around Plaza Nueva. The seven streets ("Siete Calles") are packed with traditional pintxos bars. For upscale options, head to Ensanche. For Guggenheim-area dining, try Abandoibarra.
How much do pintxos cost in Bilbao?
Expect to pay €3-8 per pintxo depending on the bar and complexity. A drink (txakoli wine or zurito beer) is usually €2-3. A full pintxos crawl with 6-8 pintxos and drinks costs around €30-40.
What time do people eat in Bilbao?
Bilbao runs on Spanish time. Lunch is 2-4pm, dinner starts at 9pm. For pintxos, the best atmosphere is after 8pm when locals do their evening crawl. Bars are quieter (but still good) at 7pm.