Pintxos in Bilbao

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Pintxos

Eating pintxos is usually accompanied by "poteo" or bar hopping, which consists of drinking wine, cider or zuritos (small glasses of beer) while standing in the company of friends and moving from one establishment to the next.

Casco Viejo

All around Bilbao's Old Town there are bars which offer a wide variety of pintxos, most of them are located in places like Plaza Nueva, Perro Street, Somera, etc. It is the most traditional area in Bilbao, and all sorts of people come here, from those who come to do their shopping in the numerous shops, to the traditional "txikiteros" or pub crawlers, who, without dismay, continue to do the rounds in the bars.

The most traditional pintxos are calamari (rabas), mussels in hot tomato sauce (tigres), mushrooms, cod, peppers and omelets. Amongst the bars who best do these gastronomic delicacies we have Víctor Montes (Plaza Nueva), with a detailed decoration of the beginning of the century and one of the best cellars in Bilbao; Ariatza (Somera); Gatz (Santa María); El Xukela and Río-Oja (both in Calle Perro) and Los Fueros (Calle Fueros), famous for their grilled prawns.

Gran Vía

The end of the Gran Via and adjacent streets are one of the city's main areas for relaxation, with Doña Casilda's Park as the central focus. In this area we find bars with a long tradition in Bilbao, like the exclusive Estoril, in Campuzano Square, always with a well-stocked counter full of pintxos, in particular mayonnaise salads and seafood, with an excellent presentation.

Special mention must also be made of the counter (in particular the stuffed capsicums) at Taberna de la Gran Via, a bar for all sorts of people located in the most exclusive part of Bilbao, and the counter at La Masía, in Colon de Larreategui Street, whose fungus and ham pintxos are a good enough reason to visit the bar. El Viandar de Sota (Gran Vía, 45) is great for the varying atmosphere and the excellence of all the products, everything top quality.