Bilbao Food Tour Review: The Best Intro to Bilbao and the Basque Food Scene

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Wondering what to eat in Basque Country? This Bilbao food tour review recaps our intro Basque cuisine in the vibrant city of Bilbao.

Even as a food-obsessed traveler who researches the heck out of what to eat (and where) for every trip, I still find myself itching for a guided food tour when I visit a new destination! Bilbao was no exception (especially since my Spanish skills were sorely lacking).

We signed up for a food tour with the Best of Basque to hit the ground running on our first day in Bilbao. It ended up being our favorite thing we did in the city! I highly recommend taking food tours early on in your trip since they offer a great overview of both the destination and its local cuisine.

About Best of Basque

Best of Basque offers guided food tours in Bilbao – a beautiful, vibrant city in the heart of Basque Country! Food tours are typically led by either Irene or Olaia – two Basque born and bred “Pintxo Queens.” We had Olaia, who was just fantastic! She was so friendly, energetic, and passionate about her home and its food culture.

Their food tours will have you sampling Basque specialties, focusing on traditional and creative pintxos that you might not see sitting on bar tops, along with a drink at every stop! You’ll also hear about Bilbao’s history, learn to feel comfortable ordering pintxos yourselves, and meet some great people from around the world.

If you want to learn more about what “pintxos” are, check out my post on What to Eat in Basque Country.

On a mission through the streets of Bilbao

Benefits of a Food Tour

If you have any hesitation about taking a food tour, let me give you a few reasons why (even as an expert foodie traveler) I often find that a food tour is the best place to start in a new destination.

Ordering is handled for you: If you’re unfamiliar with a cuisine, this is one of the best reasons to take a food tour! Guides pick out the best restaurant specialties and local dishes, making your experience worry-free. This also pushes you to try things you might not have thought to order!

Help with language barriers: In a foreign country where you don’t speak the native language, having a guide who does will take away so much stress. They may even help you learn a few words to make things easier for the rest of your trip. Our guide Olaia taught us some basic Spanish and Basque words, thanks in part to a handy card we got at Berton.

Smaller portions: Because you’re visiting many different spots, bites of food are sample-sized. This allows you to try a lot of different dishes without filling up quickly.

Pre-arranged seating: In places like Bilbao, restaurants and pintxos bars can have limited seating, especially in the evening hours. Visiting with a guide means pre-reserved spots at most places, often with a seat.

History and city tours: It’s not just about the food – it’s also about the destination. Yes, the food is the main star, but what would the food be without the place these restaurants, bars, and chefs call home? Guides will take you by historic buildings and landmarks, teaching you about their significance to the city.

You meet new people: As an introvert, this is a big one! I don’t easily strike up conversations with people, so it’s a great way to force myself to be social. On our tour in Bilbao, we met a couple from Australia, a family from Miami, and a solo traveler from England!

Have I convinced you yet?

Best of Basque Food Tour Stops

Our food tour was focused in the Casco Viejo neighborhood, which is one of the best places in Bilbao for a food tour and/or pintxos bar hopping! Casco Viejo aka the “Old Town” is filled with restaurants, bars and shops, along with some beautiful architecture and historic buildings.

Even though I’m sharing a review of our food tour stops, it is important to know that these will be different depending on the day of the week and time of day that you take the tour (we opted for the 12:00 p.m. tour). I am sure each guide also has their preferences of what to highlight.

Each spot we went to not only included food but also full pours of wine and/or cider to pair with our bites. It was a great value!

La Olla

Our first stop on the food tour was at La Olla, a restaurant tucked away in Plaza Nueva. Plaza Nueva is a fantastic place for a pintxos crawl as it has numerous restaurants and little bars lined all around the square.

Olaia led us to the back of the restaurant where a table was waiting for us to enjoy our first bites of food (benefits of a tour = reserved seating!).

the false egg

First up was a pintxo called the “False Egg” – a little egg-shaped cup filled with cream cheese, smoked salmon, and mango sauce.

This pintxo was a showcase of the chef’s creativity and even won a pintxo award for just that! There’s no egg in this dish – it’s all an illusion. Mixing the mango up with smoked salmon and cream cheese was something I never would have thought to pair and it was a really good start to the tour!

scallop w/ mushroom whip

The second pintxo we had was from the hot menu – a seared scallop (vieira toro a la plancha) with a thick mushroom whip. The scallop was delicately cooked and the whip was the perfect companion for it. It ended up being one of our favorite scallop dishes we had on our entire trip to Basque Country.

wine pairing: txakoli

We also had txakoli wine poured for us to pair with both dishes. Txakoli is a wine specific to the Basque region and happens to be my absolute favorite thing to drink when in Basque Country (especially when on a pintxos crawl!). It’s light, low in alcohol, and many bottles will have a slight effervescence to them.

Sorginzulo

After our first stop, we strolled over to Sorginzulo, another restaurant located in Plaza Nueva.

txistorra sausage roll

At Sorginzulo, we got to sample a Txistorra sausage roll. Txistorra is a semi-cured sausage from the Basque region that is similar to chorizo, but can be softer in texture.

This sausage roll was wrapped in puff pastry and topped with a quail egg. It was a beautiful presentation for a sausage roll with the addition of the little quail egg on top! I loved the combination of flavors and textures from the flaky pastry, soft and salty sausage, and touch of richness from the egg.

Drink Pairing: Basque Cider

It was also at Sorginzulo that we learned how to pour Basque cider, first demonstrated expertly by Olaia and then by having our own go at it.

Now, there is a reason that we did this activity outside of the restaurant. Basque cider gets poured from a height way above the glass to aerate and release its flavors. It is an art, and unless you have a knack for it, spills will happen (as in my case).

Basque cider is dry, a bit tart (not sweet at all), and still instead of sparkling. It can only be made using apples grown in the Basque country and there are no added ingredients. It has a slight funkiness to the flavor but does pair well with savory foods.

Berton

Next, we headed out of the Plaza and down the beautiful, narrow streets of Casco Viejo and made our way to Berton. Berton is a restaurant that has two spots in the city, located just across the street from each other. We got to sit in a little nook outside to enjoy the beautiful weather!

mushroom w/ anchovy alioli

Our first dish at Berton was a whole cooked mushroom with anchovy alioli. Here’s where I get pushed outside of my comfort zone a bit as mushrooms and mayo are some of my least favorite things to eat. Mushrooms are growing on me though, and I’ve been pushing myself to try things with mayo-based sauces. It was actually really good!

Aioli or “alioli” in Spain is not like your typical American mayonaise. It’s thicker and has a completely different flavor profile. The anchovy in the alioli at Berton helped give it a good flavor too. Patting myself on the back for going for it!

Seafood Skewer

Another dish we had at Berton was a seafood skewer with shrimp and octopus. Octopus in Spain always seems to be cooked perfectly and this was a great example of that. It was just right – soft and not too chewy. I actually would have preferred a whole skewer of just the octopus without the shrimp!

wine pairing: valdelares rosado

The wine pairing at Berton was a Valdelares rosado (rosé) from the nearby Navarra region. This rosé is bold in color and flavor that paired well with both the mushroom and seafood skewer.

Con b de Bilbao

After Berton, we walked over to Con b de Bilbao – a funky little cafe with interesting decor. I mean, they had a Golden Girls poster up so I felt right at home here.

Gildas

It was here that we got to try our very first Gilda of the trip! We loved Gildas so much that we tried 15 different ones in the places we visited in Basque Country.

Gildas are a pintxo consisting of green olives, pickled guindilla peppers, cured anchovies and a drizzle of olive oil. It’s the best one-bite snack that’s salty, pickled, and sometimes a little spicy. I highly recommend starting any pintxos crawl with one of these babies to prep your tastebuds before a meal (or more pintxos!).

Here’s a list of my favorite spots for Gildas:
The Best Gildas in Basque Country

The Gilda at Con b de Bilbao was pretty good, but didn’t quite make the cut for my favorites list. I simply just prefer a little more of the pickled peppers on mine to balance out the taste of the anchovy. It was solid enough for us to want to try more, though!

mejillones tigres

Here’s a dish that surprised me and was one I never would have thought to order on my own: mejillones tigres. These are cooked mussels that are chopped up and mixed with onions, tomato, and paprika with a thick bechamel. This all gets stuffed into half a mussel shell and is then breaded and fried.

It was spicy and packed with flavor! It’s kind of like a croquetta but with a shell inside. And because of that shell, you’ll want to eat this with a spoon or fork.

wine pairing: rioja

I neglected to get a picture of the wine we had here, but it was a bold Rioja (which is typically tempranillo) that paired well with the stuffed mussels dish.

Lurrina

Our final tour stop was Lurrina for something savory and a sweet ending. Here, we had the pork rib yakitori hot pintxo and our first cheesecake in Basque country!

pork rib yakitori

The pork rib with yakitori sauce we had at Lurrina was one of the best things we ate on our tour. The meat was tender enough that no knife was even needed. It literally just melted in our mouths!

A yakitori-style sauce was also an unexpected find in a dish from Spain, and was very umami-forward. The whipped potatoes were light and creamy, which helped balance out the rich, fatty pork. And a sprinkling of crunchy fried onions helped round out the dish with some texture. Just an excellent plate of food all around!

basque cheesecake

And finally, a sweet ending to a great food tour – Basque cheesecake. This was absolutely delicious! It was creamy, set perfectly (not too runny), and was paired with a sweet custard. I could have totally eaten a bigger piece.

Basque cheesecake has actually turned me into a cheesecake fan! They are much less dense than a New York style and just have an overall better flavor profile in my opinion.

wine pairing: semele from ribera del duero

Our final wine pairing was a Semele from the Ribera del Duero region of Spain. It was another luscious red that’s a blend of mostly Tempranillo with a small percentage of Merlot and paired well with both the pork and the cheesecake.

And after those last few bites, it was time for a siesta!

Final Tour Notes

This food tour was such a great intro not only to the food scene in Bilbao, but also to some Basque and Spanish specialties! We got to try dishes I would probably not have ordered on my own, nor would I have gotten the chance to learn how to pour Basque cider myself. It was also so great to meet a few others from around the world who shared our love of food.

Bottom line? Book this tour! You won’t regret it. It will be fun, informative, and downright delicious.

When to Book

Tours by Best of Basque are offered at either 12:00 p.m. or 6:00 p.m. Speaking from experience, the mid-day tour offers a quiet, more low-key experience. If you want a high-energy experience, book the 6:00 p.m. when the streets start flooding with people out for pintxos crawls!

Where to Book

I booked our food tour via Viator but you can also book with them direct. Do note that they only seem to offer the 12:00 p.m. tours on Viator.

Book this tour!

Happy eating!