Txirene | 100% Bilbao is a restaurant in Abando, Bilbao. Rated 4.5 stars from 920 Google reviews. Known for seasonal cooking done properly and fair pricing for the quality. Best for proper sit-down dinner and lunch with locals. Ranked #6 of 13 in Abando.
Txirene | 100% Bilbao
Zone Ranking
Ranked weekly from live Google review data
in Abando
Quick Verdict
A local would absolutely come back. It's the kind of place that doesn't need to shout about itself because the food's consistent and the prices don't punish you for eating well.
Book if you want a proper Basque meal without the tourist markup or the standing-at-a-counter ritual.
Skip if you're after pintxos and txikiteo—this is sit-down dining, not a bar crawl.
About Txirene | 100% Bilbao
Txirene is a sit-down restaurant in Indautxu, not a pintxos bar—so you'll book a table, sit down, and order from a menu. That matters because it's not txikiteo, it's a proper meal. The kitchen works with seasonal Basque ingredients: fish from the Cantabrian coast, local txuleta, seasonal vegetables that change weekly. You're looking at €25–€40 for a main course, sometimes less for the set lunch. The dining room's compact, tables close together, the kind of place where you can hear what the table next to you ordered and immediately regret not ordering the same thing. It's neighbourhood cooking—not fancy plating, not molecular, just the food that works in Bilbao because the ingredients are good and the technique doesn't get in the way. The wine list leans Basque and Rioja, with txakoli if you want something light. Locals come here because it's reliable, not because it's trying to be something it isn't.
Honest Assessment
Strengths
Seasonal cooking done properly
Menu changes with what's available from local suppliers. Spring brings white asparagus and baby leeks. Summer's all fish. Autumn brings mushrooms and game. You're eating what the Basque coast and countryside actually produce right now, not what the distributor has in stock.
Fair pricing for the quality
Set lunch at €18–€22 with wine. À la carte mains €28–€38. Compare that to restaurants 2 streets closer to the Guggenheim charging €45 for the same txuleta. You're paying for food, not location.
Neighbourhood authenticity
Indautxu's a working residential area, not a tourist zone. The clientele is local, the staff aren't performing hospitality, and the kitchen's cooking for people who eat here regularly and will notice if standards slip.
Considerations
No reservations some nights
Walk-ins get turned away after 8:30pm on weekends. If you're not booking ahead, arrive by 8pm or eat early lunch instead.
Wine list could go deeper
It's good—Basque and Rioja dominate—but if you're after something obscure or outside those regions, you'll find the selection limited. The txakoli's excellent though.
We share honest assessments including weaknesses because we believe transparency builds trust.
Signature Dishes
Txuleta (grilled rib steak)
€32Thick-cut, grilled over charcoal, finished with fleur de sel. The meat's from local Basque cattle. You'll eat it rare or not at all—they'll judge you gently if you ask for well done.
Merluza a la sal (hake baked in salt crust)
€28Whole fish baked inside a salt shell. They crack it open at the table. The flesh stays moist, the flavour's clean, no oil needed. This is how Bilbao's eaten hake for 100 years.
Piquillo peppers with salt cod
€12Roasted red peppers stuffed with shredded bacalao, barely dressed. Sweet pepper, salty fish, nothing else. Eat it as a starter or as part of a larger order.
Prices may vary. Based on our last verified menu data.
Practical Information
Contact
Frequently Asked Questions about Txirene | 100% Bilbao
Book if you're going after 8pm on a weekend. Lunch is usually walk-in friendly until 1:30pm. No reservations means no table—they'll turn you away if they're full, and they fill up fast on Fridays and Saturdays.
Txirene's a restaurant. You sit at a table, order from a menu, eat a full meal. A pintxos bar is standing-only counter service—you pick small plates, eat standing up, move to the next bar. This is sit-down. Different ritual, different experience.
No. Set lunch €18–€22 with wine. Mains à la carte €28–€38. Walk 2 streets toward the Guggenheim and you'll pay €45 for the same dish with a view of tourists instead of locals. You're getting better value here.
Also in Abando
View all
How We Rank Venues
Rankings are recalculated weekly from live Google Business Profile data. Our Hot Score weighs review velocity (new text reviews in 90 days), recency (how fresh), baseline rating, and Google Business Profile completeness. No editorial picks, no paid placements — just what the data says this week.
How our weekly rankings work