Café Kai Kai - Bilbao

This classic spot is enormous, low-key, and as a result much less intimidating to us tourists. It can still be hectic and confusing during peak hours but at lea... read more This classic spot is enormous, low-key, and as a result much less intimidating to us tourists. It can still be hectic and confusing during peak hours but at least there is more space for you to stand around and pretend you know what you are doing. I mainly love it for the classic decor and the classic local patrons. If you are sitting down, just grab a table first and then get up to look for your food. The signature lamb skewers are grilled to order in the front room, just look for the line. You have to pay as you order and then bring them to your table or to the bar to consume. They are very tender and flavorful but lack that certain texture I like with grilled meat. The grilling station is not operational all day, so if you are not here during meal times you may not get to enjoy them. There is another section to restaurant in the back. The cold pintxos are lined at the bar. For these and drinks you can just go up to the bartenders and order. These are just okay, I wouldn 't say they are the best in town. You can pay at the bar right after you order or flag down a waiter after you are done. I think this is a good place to ease into the pintxos scene at Bilbao.

Came to this traditional, old school pintxos restaurant, one of the oldest in the city, specifically to try the pincho (or pintxo) moruno which they are famousl... read more Came to this traditional, old school pintxos restaurant, one of the oldest in the city, specifically to try the pincho (or pintxo) moruno which they are famously known for. This pincho is a grilled lamb skewer, the meat is perfectly seasoned, grilled to order. The grill station is off to a corner of the restaurant, can't miss it. You may need to wait in line for a bit but it goes by fast and it's well worth the wait. The pieces of lamb are so tender and the addition of a bit of squeezed lemon juice just enhances the flavor so much.

A tasty pinxtos here in a fancy restaurant in Bilbao. The sign at the front indicates that they've been here since 1903 and it shows in terms of polished brass... read more A tasty pinxtos here in a fancy restaurant in Bilbao. The sign at the front indicates that they've been here since 1903 and it shows in terms of polished brass and a large open restaurant that just feels... classic. Interesting pixtos on the counter, I picked the one that looked good and a glass of their house rioja. Both were excellent. The pinxtos had both an anchovy and a sardine on it with a pepper and a tomato relish on top of a slice of bread. Absolutely delicious. Strong recommendations for this classy restaurant!

Great place! and of course amazing shishliks. I'm sure the return to this place. read more Great place! and of course amazing shishliks. I'm sure the return to this place.

When you have great relationships within the culinary world, you take advantage of that knowledge and ask for suggestions, specially because probably every chef... read more When you have great relationships within the culinary world, you take advantage of that knowledge and ask for suggestions, specially because probably every chef who has been to the Basque Country can give you top spots for food. Café Iruña was my first stop for food in Bilbao. A classic of this highly energetic and lively city. This place was recommended to me and we thought well, another pintxo place , but not quite. What an experience! We decided not to eat at the sit down dinner tables because we wanted something more casual and relaxed after a full day of driving. Once we dropped off our luggage and car, we walk in and everything smelled and looked amazing. Having Cava and Cañas all night could only get better with the great pintxos we ordered, but in particular, the pintxo moruno. This was a little cart-like setup on the entrance corner of the restaurant with one person making pintxos with the most amazing seasoning and the right amount of lemon. Although pictures may not make it justice, this was probably one of the highlights of the trip! We then discovered this was an extension of their original location EL PINTXITO (close by to the Guggenheim if you are looking for a bite around your tour agenda of the day).