Monthly Hot List

Where to Eat & Drink in Casco Viejo, Bilbao 2026

20 ranked·48,710 live reviews·updated October 2026
Known forhistoric basque pintxos barstraditional plaza diningbilbao old town tavernsclassic seafood cazuelas

The top independent spots to eat and drink in Casco Viejo, Bilbao right now: La Olla de la Plaza Nueva, Gure Toki and Rio-Oja.

The Casco Viejo Hot List · Restaurants & Bars
Restaurants · ranked
1La Olla de la Plaza Nueva
Bar restaurante
★4.55,025
The waiter from Honduras was absolutely fantastic. He provided so much insight into all of the dishes. We could have stayed there all night!Google review · A.D. · verbatim
2Gure Toki
Tapas restaurant
★4.55,609
3Rio-Oja
Basque restaurant
★4.34,567
4Víctor Montes
Basque restaurant
★4.45,142
5Aitaren Boulevard Restaurante
Restaurant
★4.62,750
6restaurante mandoya
Restaurant
★4.11,362
7Restaurante Aura
Restaurante
★4.8680
8Restaurante Lurrina
Restaurante vasco
★4.31,486
9AROA Restaurante Cafetería
Restaurant
★4.648
10Kasko jatetxea
Restaurant
★4.03,602
Bars · ranked
1Sorgínzulo
Bar de tapas
★4.54,202
2Bar El Globo (Plaza Nueva)
Bar
★4.6956
3Gerri Taberna
Bar & grill
★4.4982
4Bar Santamaría
Tapas bar
★4.61,995
5Café Bar Bilbao
Bar de tapas
★4.43,881
6Ardibeltz taberna
Tapas bar
★4.4591
7Baster
Tapas bar
★4.52,444
8Bacaicoa taberna
Bar
★4.51,070
9Bodega Joserra
Tavern
★4.61,274
10Antxoa Taberna
Tapas bar
★4.41,044

20 independent venues, re-ranked monthly from real reviews — no national chains, no paid placements.

Casco Viejo Venue Map

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Visiting Bilbao, Spain? Casco Viejo — Medieval old town, pintxo culture heartland — is the neighbourhood with 20 ranked independent restaurants and bars our review-velocity ranking is tracking right now. 42% Spanish reviews. Rankings refreshed monthly from 48,710 live reviews — no national chains, no ads.

Casco Viejo holds a dense cluster of spots where you can find traditional Basque cooking alongside tight neighbourhood bars. Lunch runs from 2 pm to 4 pm and dinner from 9 pm to 11 pm across the streets of the old quarter. La Olla de la Plaza Nueva operates on Pl. Berria as a bar restaurante. Gure Toki charges €10-20 on Pl. Berria as a tapas restaurant. Rio-Oja charges €20-30 on Txakur Kalea as a Basque restaurant. Víctor Montes functions on Pl. Berria as a restaurant serving Basque food. Aitaren Boulevard Restaurante operates on Areatza Kalea as a parrilla. restaurante mandoya sits on Txakur Kalea as a restaurant.

How to Get There

From Casco Viejo:

  • Walking:10-15 mins east along the river
  • Metro:Casco Viejo station, then walk east
  • Bus:Several Bilbobus routes serve the area

Barik Ticket Info

ZoneA
Single ticket€1.50

Barik card works on metro, tram, and buses. Buy at metro stations.

Local tip: Visit during lunch (1-3pm) or early evening (7-9pm) when locals are doing their rounds. Weekday lunchtimes are particularly authentic - you

Looking for a venue not on the Hot List? Browse every restaurant and bar in Casco Viejo →

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Casco Viejo FAQs

La Olla de la Plaza Nueva serves pintxos and torrija on Pl. Berria. You'll find a steady rotation of classic bites on the counter there.

Rio-Oja serves cazuelas and pilpil on Txakur Kalea with an average spend of €20-30, well away from the standard tourist paths.

Gure Toki charges €10-20 on Pl. Berria for pintxos and foie, while Sorgínzulo serves pintxos and rabas on the exact same square.

Gure Toki charges €10-20 on Pl. Berria. Rio-Oja charges €20-30 on Txakur Kalea.

Bar Santamaría serves pintxos and sepia on Andra Maria Kalea. Café Bar Bilbao serves pintxos and chipirones on Pl. Berria.

La Olla de la Plaza Nueva serves pintxos and torrija on Pl. Berria, while Sorgínzulo serves pintxos and rabas on the same plaza.

Still have questions? The best answers come from locals at the venue.

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DOW ranks venues with a 100-point Hot Score, recalculated monthly from live Google data. Three signals, in this order: written review activity — text reviews over 50 characters in the last 90 days, the heaviest by some distance; the standing Google rating from 4.0 up; and Google Business Profile completeness — phone, website, opening hours, description, photos and categories. In Portugal and Spain, reviews written in the city's own language carry more weight than English ones. We don't publish the exact weightings: a formula you can compute backwards is one you can farm. No editorial picks, no paid placements, no national chains.

Sources
Google Business ProfileReview activity (90 days, ≥50-char text)City's own language weightingProfile Completeness Audit
Verified operatingNo paid placementsEditorial independence