Made the trip Donostia to Tolosa for steak. Staff are…read moreefficient but hardly friendly. Get the feeling this place is starting for believe the hype. So the veg is great. The wine list is impressive. The selection of steak is good to look at, but I left knowing I could have done better on the Braai ( look it up). All in all a very serious experience when a little mirth could have gone a long way.

This place was great! You definitely need reservations to get here and it books up fast. Great…read morelooking space with large fridge of meats hanging as soon as you walk in. The owner was there sitting on the table in front. You come here for their meat. It's hand cut and brought to your table before cooking on the fire. There's a large fat cap, which adds to the flavor. It's the perfect combination of beefy flavor and tenderness and they cook it to perfection, almost rare. It's a flavor of meat you won't find anywhere except this area. Their chanterelle mushrooms with egg yolk was delicious, as well as their asparagus with cheese sauce. I don't know how they got the asparagus to taste so good and sweet, we had to order another one. They also have a selection of wine and make delicious cocktails too. If you are in San Sebastián, this place is definitely a must try. Service was outstanding as well.

Come here and have the t-bone, a bottle of sidre (cider), a super fresh salad, and relax. This is a…read moreBasque style steakhouse. The restaurant provides bread and a little tapas (or pintxos) to get you started. This was fresh crusty bread with a soft fluffy center and a small place of sausages. Sidre is the drink to order! I think a whole large (wine bottle size) bottle is only 8€. It's fun to watch it being poured from a height by your server to aerate the beverage for enhanced flavor. It's like apple juice but tart, sour, and so refreshing. The salad of butter lettuce and thinly sliced sweet onions with olive oil and vinegar was perfection. It was so fresh and the dressing was perfect. The main course, the T-bone steak for two was sheer excellence! The steak came on a sizzling platter and was served with potato frites, perfectly simple but delicious! The steak platter continued to sizzle throughout lunch, so the precut steak pieces could be seared or cooked longer if that was desired. The meat is served medium-rare automatically, so the sizzling stone allows you to adjust the cooking of the steak after its served. This was by far the best meal I had in all of Spain. After dinner the server brought over pacharrán shots, an herbal plum-based after dinner aperitif to help with digestion. It's served in frosted shot glasses. We had one and thanked him for it, then maybe we had one more. What a way to end a great meal-with a buzz. This place is a little pricey, but very much worth it. So glad we came here and dined. It's looks humble but the food is the star of the show here!

This is a wonderful restaurant! We had been driving all day and were exhausted, hungry, and hoping…read moreto find a place that could make us feel at home. La Gabarra was the perfect place at the perfect time! The owners were very patient and helped us with our selection. We shared a T-bone steak that was beautifully cooked and delicious, a green salad, and a bottle of wine. We finished the meal with a nice cheese and jam board... If we are in Bilbao again, we will most certainly return to this restaurant! Great food, simply prepared, kind and friendly owners... just can't say enough nice things about this restaurant!

Amazing food and service! One of the best burgers I've had and they had gluten free buns. Highly…read morerecommend

My friend called this "the best burger in Bilbao" and after eating here, I see he's not…read moreoverestimating this place. The burgers are juicy and more flavorful than you can imagine. Each choice is a completely different experience with completely unique flavors. There's a bit of a wait, but it's worth it. If you're looking for a great burger, this is the place to go.

What an awesome place! Hiked up from our flat in Casco Viejo, worked up and appetite, and we're…read morerewarded with an excellent lunch! Had the lomo, ensalada, pimientos, and txakoli. All were excellent! Can't wait to come back next week!

What a great stop! Come in the afternoon, as that is the only time you can consume this much meat…read moreand not feel guilty. 30-day aged beef from Galixcia, and salt-crusted and grilled almost Black And Blue for you to finish table side. Fantastic wines.

Food: This is THE BEST place in Bilbao for Cochinillo (Suckling Pig)!! The wagyu beef burger (€10)…read more is cooked to perfection as well. The combination of the egg and wagyu is such a deliciously meaty combination. And of course there's the cochinillo. The crispy skin, succulent meat will make your mouth water and hungry for more. It comes in 2,3 and 4 person portion (starting from €30). Service: the staff is warm and attentive. Although he cannot really converse with us in English, he does his best to explain the menu to us and has the friendliest demeanor. In fact he gave us appetizers on the house in light of Xmas (lkr?)! This is a textbook hidden-gem in Bilbao. Do be sure to hit up this place for a Spanish meal you will never forget!!!

If you come to San Sebastián and don't stop at Bar Néstor, you've skipped one of the city's great…read moreculinary rituals. This tiny, high‑energy bar in the Parte Vieja is famous for doing just a few things -- and doing them with absolute conviction. The lineup is legendary: the txuleta steak, the tomato salad, the Padrón peppers, and of course, the tortilla that sells out instantly. They make only two tortillas a day, and getting your name on the list feels like joining a local rite of passage. Here's the twist: although the tortilla is the most famous item, it actually wasn't our favorite version in the city. It's still fun to chase, still a cool story to tell, but the real stars of the meal were the steak -- charred, juicy, perfectly salted -- and the tomatoes, which taste like they've been engineered for maximum summer. They only make 2 tortillas a day, so you have to stand in line before they open to get a reservation for a slice. Inside, it's tiny, loud, and joyful. The staff runs the place with precision and a wink, and even when it's packed shoulder‑to‑shoulder, it feels like you're exactly where you're supposed to be. Come early, come hungry, and come ready for a meal that feels like a Basque rite of passage -- tortilla hype and all.

Bar Nestor is one of those Old Town legends that actually earns the legend. It's tiny, slammed, and…read morelaser-focused on a few things they do better than almost anyone: the once-or-twice-a-day tortilla (you put your name down before service and pray), the txuleta that comes out perfectly salted, tomatoes and padrón peppers in season, and a handful of small plates that remind you why Basque cooking is among the greatest in the world. Our favorite bite here wasn't even the gorgeous stuffed ravioli, it was a "noodle" dish where the noodles are actually spiralized squid. Silky ribbons of txipiron, barely kissed by heat so they stay tender, tossed with good olive oil, a little oniony sweetness, herbs, and a snowfall of grated cheese (Idiazabal-like in flavor). Simple, clean, and surprisingly creative at the same time. Exactly what Donostia gets right at its best. The room is a crush (in the best way), the team is friendly but no-nonsense, and the whole operation runs very predictably: show up early if you want tortilla; be ready to stand; order the classics and whatever seafood they're excited about that day.

Another spot, another cerveza and another pinxtos. Indautxu'ko Batzokia is on a short dead-end…read morestreet. Not much for windows on the outside though they do have shaded tables outside. Inside, it's a little dark and that makes for a nice pub feel. I was here for about an hour with two beers and a pinxtos while I caught up on the Internet with their free wifi. Cold Amstel and something on bread with shredded cheese and a slice of iberico. Tasty beer and tasty bite. Service was great and they had no problem with me taking up a table for an hour.

Awesome place in a great town! This is one of few places I'd stop by on regular basis without a…read moredoubt. Tremendous foie gras pintxo (fua like the locals call it)! It can be busy like any other pintxo bar in the afternoons. Definitely i'll go back specially during the san fermin festivities. cheers

Great food. Good value. Good atmosphere. One of the better places we visited in the old city.read more

Lovely small bar where the 1kg steak is for sharing on the hot plate that lets you each determine…read morehow you'd like it with a side of tomatoes or the most awesome grilled salted peppers. We started with the ample deep fried calamari and one of the two rose wines. The steak and peppers stole the show though. Seriously good and a lot of food. We made a reservation for dinner on a Friday night. You can call but we stopped in and put our name in the BIG leather book. Definitely advisable as there aren't but 10 or so tables. We sat outside which is lovely on a small intersection with mostly foot traffic. We smelled the steak before we even rounded the corner.

Wow! Great find just off the main drag…read more Service was friendly, quick and very helpful in pick just the right amount of food. Location just off the high street or great. Not too quiet and plenty to look at rolling by. The food! Tomatoes, peppers, and the steak!!! I really don't need to say much as the pictures tell a far better and more delicious story that I could ever tell.

Azurmendi was on my to go list for a long time. I've made 2 previous reservations but because of…read morespecial circumstances, we had to cancel. This is my 3 attempt to dine here and it lived up to and far exceeded my expectations. As soon as we walked into the restaurant, we were transported to a lunch of greeneries which was calm and soothing. We were immediately served with a welcome drink and were presented with a picnic basket shortly after which included 3 small bites plus a drink. We then walked through 2 additional rooms including their kitchen and their "garden" room in which we were told to pick things off from the room to eat - I kind of felt like Hansel and Gretel for a moment. Before we got to our dining table, I was already half full before the start of our tasting menu. There were 12 courses to the tasting menu and for each course, Chef Eneko brilliantly highlights and heightens the taste of the main ingredient in various ways. We can really appreciate the freshness of each ingredient and complexity in putting the dish together. Each plating was also beautiful and aesthetically pleasing to the eye and just as scrumptious as it looks - I almost didn't want to eat it because it looks like a piece of art. Every dish was multidimensional with layers of flavors bursting inside my mouth with every bite. There was also a good balance of texture. It would take forever for me to go through very single dish but there wasn't one single dish that I didn't like and each dish also had an element of surprise. One thing I want to note is when I first made the reservation 3 years ago, they had offered children's menu. Since then , they had changed their policy and said they welcome children age 10 and up. I emailed the restaurant explaining I have a 10 and 8 year old but they are very accustomed to fine dining and I promised they would not cause any disturbances. They were very accommodating and agreed to welcome my family. They also made sure they get the same food experience so at times when adults were offered an alcoholic beverage, they would make the same thing but without the alcohol so my kids wouldn't feel left out. Another thing to point out is when we attempted to order a tasting menu for my kids as well, we were told it would be too much for them and they recommend to just order a la carte dish for them. I really appreciate their honesty because it turned out that was the perfect amount of food for my kids. Many other restaurants would not accommodate like this and would require us to order a tasting menu for our kids even though it's clearly too much food for them. Their service was impeccable. Extremely friendly, and their attention to detail is on another level. The restaurant is spacious, calm, and comfortable. All the tables were spaced apart far enough that we didn't even noticed anyone else was there until we turn around. Chef Eneko were also in the kitchen during the whole duration of the service to oversee everything which we appreciate because you no longer see that in a lot of the other restaurants. Overall, Azurmendi is worth the trip to Bilbao just to dine here. Price point is very reasonable. This is not just a restaurant you come to eat, it's an immersive culinary experience that's unforgettable and we will be talking about it for a long time. We will definitely be back!

This was our first 3 Michelin star dinner and we were blown away. The entire meal is an experience…read moreand took almost 4 hours from start to finish. They don't rush you and want you to really enjoy the food and craftsmanship they put into making really unique items. It was located about 20mins outside of Bilbao and the location was beautiful. You get to see the kitchen and chef during the initial tour and all the food was so creative and delicious. They are very accommodating and willing to adjust menu items for certain dietary restrictions and we felt so taken care of. Each dish was described by a server and we had at least 4 people checking on us throughout the meal. The dinning room is spacious but not packed with only a few people so it was very serene. There were probably 2-3 menu items that we wouldn't traditionally eat and pushed our culinary boundaries a little but we figured that was part of the experience. We tried everything and walked away stuffed! You definitely get your moneys worth with an insane amount of food but it is still one of our most expensive dinners we've ever had. Overall, a great experience with extremely thoughtful staff and would recommend!