The Places · Spain
Bilbao
Made By profiles 10 places in Bilbao, spanning modern basque fine dining, basque grilled beef & txuleton, basque-asian fusion — each tied to the people and producers behind it.
01.Modern Basque Fine Dining
Nerua Guggenheim Bilbao
Bilbao, Spain
Nerua holds a Michelin star inside the Guggenheim Bilbao, ranked #153 in Opinionated About Dining's 2025 European list and a former World's 50 Best entry at #32. Chef Josean Alija's progressive Basque menu offers both à la carte and the Muina tasting format, with service running two tight sittings daily. Booking ahead is essential; the restaurant operates within one of Europe's most visited cultural institutions.
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02.Modern Basque Fine Dining
Mina
Bilbao, Spain
Mina holds a Michelin star on Ercilla Kalea in Bilbao's Indautxu neighbourhood, where Álvaro Garrido runs two tasting menus built around Cantabrian fish, seasonal game, and produce from a tight circle of local suppliers. The open kitchen anchors the room, the wine list has earned recognition from Star Wine List two years running, and the format places it firmly at the serious end of Bilbao's creative Spanish dining tier.
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03.Modern Basque Seafood
Zarate
Bilbao, Spain
Zarate occupies a precise position in Bilbao's seafood scene: a one-Michelin-star restaurant in the Abando district where daily fish sourcing from the ports of Lekeitio and Ondarroa drives every decision on the menu. Two tasting menus, 15 and 20 courses, sit alongside an à la carte, making it one of the city's most considered addresses for Cantabrian fish cookery.
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04.Modern Basque Fine Dining
Atelier Etxanobe
Bilbao, Spain
Atelier Etxanobe reads Bilbao through a more formal lens than the city’s pintxo bars: creative Spanish cooking, two tasting-menu formats, and a room inside a former glass factory in Abando. Its 2 Soles from Guía Repsol 2026, Michelin Plate recognition in 2024 and 2025, and Opinionated About Dining placements put it in the city’s serious modern-dining bracket rather than the casual grazing circuit.
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05.Modern Basque Haute Cuisine
Ola Martín Berasategui
Bilbao, Spain
Inside Bilbao's Tayko hotel, Ola Martín Berasategui holds a Michelin star and occupies a dining room of exposed brick and concrete beams in the city's historic quarter. Two tasting menus channel the cooking of Martín Berasategui through head chef Raúl Cabrera, with Basque seafood preparations at the centre. Open for lunch Thursday through Sunday and dinner Thursday through Saturday, it sits at the formal end of Bilbao's restaurant spectrum.
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06.Contemporary Basque & Northern Spanish
Islares
Bilbao, Spain
Opposite Bilbao's Guggenheim Museum, Islares runs two named tasting menus, the 9-course A-8 and the 13-course N-634, built entirely around seasonal ingredients from small-scale Northern Spanish producers. The menus change completely each season, earning a Michelin Plate and an Opinionated About Dining European ranking in 2025. At €€€€ pricing, it sits in the same tier as Mina and Ola Martín Berasategui.
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07.Basque Grilled Beef & Txuleton
Amaren
Bilbao, Spain
Amaren, in Bilbao's Abando district, centres its menu on dry-aged beef from old cows and oxen sourced across the Iberian Peninsula, grilled over an open fire by Chef Aitor Del Olmo. Stone, wood, and iron interiors root the room in Basque material culture. The wine list draws from Basque and Spanish appellations alongside Old World references, making it a coherent address for anyone tracing the txuleton tradition seriously.
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08.Neapolitan & Roman Pizza Gourmet
Demaio
Bilbao, Spain
In a city where culinary ambition runs deep, Demaio makes a clear argument for pizza as a serious craft. The Calabrian-born Demaio brothers work long-fermented doughs through a wood-fired oven, sourcing Cantabrian anchovies and tuna, Fior di Latte from Agerola, and artichokes from Navarra. Two formats, Contemporary Neapolitan and Roman in a pan, anchor a project that sits well outside the casual end of the pizza spectrum.
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09.Modern Basque
Los Fueros
Bilbao, Spain
Operating since 1878 under its original name Bar Colón, Los Fueros in Bilbao's Casco Viejo is one of the few old-quarter restaurants to hold consecutive Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition (2024 and 2025) while retaining its bistro character. The menu runs from classic Basque à la carte through media ración portions to two tasting menus, with grilled prawns cited as the kitchen's calling card.
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10.Basque-Asian Fusion
Kimtxu
Bilbao, Spain
A Michelin Bib Gourmand holder for two consecutive years, Kimtxu brings an Asian taberna sensibility to Bilbao's Abando district, with owner-chef Iván Abril applying London and Hong Kong techniques to Basque seasonal produce. The à la carte rotates with the market, and a seven-course tasting menu sits alongside it at a price point that undercuts the city's starred tier considerably. Google reviewers rate it 4.5 across more than 1,400 reviews.
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