Restaurante Markina is a restaurant in Abando, Bilbao. Rated 4.4 stars from 3077 Google reviews. Known for neighbourhood location and txuleta done right. Best for lunch in ensanche and proper basque cooking. Ranked #7 of 15 in Abando.
Restaurante Markina
Zone Ranking
Ranked weekly from live Google review data
in Abando
Quick Verdict
A local would go back because it's honest cooking at honest prices, and because Abando is where Bilbao actually eats when it's not performing for visitors.
Book if you want proper Basque food without the Guggenheim crowd, or walk in after 2pm for lunch when tables turn over quickly.
Skip if you're looking for molecular gastronomy or a tasting menu — this isn't that kind of place.
About Restaurante Markina
Restaurante Markina sits on Henao Kalea in Abando, a neighbourhood that's quietly become the real centre of Bilbao's eating scene — away from the riverside tourist drag. This is a proper restaurant, not a pintxos bar, which means you sit, you order, you stay. The space is clean, modern, unpretentious. They do Basque cooking without the performance: txuleta (rib steak), fresh fish, seasonal vegetables, the kind of food that's been cooked the same way for decades because it doesn't need reinventing. The wine list tilts toward Rioja and txakoli, prices are fair (mains €18–28), and they're open for lunch and dinner — which matters because most restaurants here close between services. You'll see locals at the bar, families at tables, nobody taking photos. It's the kind of place you find by accident, then keep finding your way back to.
Honest Assessment
Strengths
Neighbourhood location
Henao Kalea has 43 independent restaurants within a 10-minute walk, but Markina draws locals because it's consistent and doesn't inflate prices for tourists.
Txuleta done right
Basque rib steak grilled over charcoal, finished with fleur de sel, €26 — the standard that matters more than novelty in Bilbao.
Lunch service matters
Open 1–3:30pm and 8–11pm, which is rare; most restaurants here close between services, forcing you into pintxos bars or tourist traps.
Considerations
No pintxos culture
If you want to txikiteo (bar-crawl between pintxos bars), this isn't your venue — it's sit-down only, which some visitors find constraining.
Quiet on weekday afternoons
Lunch is 1–3:30pm and fills with office workers; arrive before 2pm or after 3pm, or you'll be eating alone.
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Signature Dishes
Txuleta (Basque rib steak)
€26Charcoal-grilled, two ribs, finished with fleur de sel and a squeeze of lemon — the cut that defines Bilbao eating.
Bacalao a la vizcaína
€18Salt cod in a sauce of dried peppers, onions, and tomato — the dish that's been on Basque menus for 200 years and still works.
Seasonal fish of the day
€20Whatever came in that morning, grilled whole or filleted — ask what it is, trust their answer.
Prices may vary. Based on our last verified menu data.
Frequently Asked Questions about Restaurante Markina
For dinner, yes — especially Thursday to Saturday. Lunch is walk-in friendly before 2pm. (They don't take reservations online; call +34 944 27 39 84.)
No. It's a sit-down restaurant. If you want pintxos, walk 2 streets back to Ledesma or Licenciado Poza — both have proper txikiteo bars at €2–4 per pintxo.
€28–35 per person with wine. Walk past the seafront restaurants charging €45 for the same txuleta — Markina is the comparison that matters.
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