El Corte Ingles has it all: clothing, food, toiletries, cosmetics, etc. I didn't have a ton of time to go clothing shopping as I'd rather spend my time sightseeing and eating. Its name literally translated means "The English Cut" referring to its origins as a men's suit shop in Madrid specializing in English styles. One of my favorite things to do overseas is hangout in the supermarkets. I love seeing the local cheeses and meats in the deli -- you can even ask for samples sometimes. Love perusing the spice aisles and seeing the different wines and liqueurs. El Corte Ingles had the best supermarket hands down. Great selection of regional products, their self-branded items are quality as well. I bought several tins of their smoked paprika as gifts. What surprised me were that the prices weren't exceptionally high. I treated myself to a tin of duck and truffle pâté, can't wait to open this one up. I could easily spend a small fortune here as the merchandise is well-curated and on a hot Spanish summer day, it's nice to peruse in an airconditioned space. read more

I went straight up the escalator to the 6th floor to an amazing grocery store. I bought 100 with of food and booze. Good value. One bottle of wine was on sale for 2.50. It was delicious. 13.5% Specialty items. Clean and convenient. Great check out experience. The next day, I walked around the main floor and the 5th floor ladies clothing and children's wear. It was lovely. read more

El Corte Inglés - On sale - Department Stores Near Me - Bilbao, BI

These are exceptional stores throughout Spain and we've been to them in Portugal. You can spend 20 grand on a bottle of cognac or 5 grand on a tv, €300 on caviar or €1.50 on an espresso. We focus on their cafe, supermarket and in-house bakery sections to which they e added a sushi bar here (and I'm sure elsewhere). We bought groceries as we simply can't eat out all day every day after two months. And of course sweet treats. We visited the cafe twice mid afternoon for their tapas selection focussing on salmon with honey, red pepper stuffed with spider crab and sardines all of course sit on sliced baguette. Add a strong beer then a cafe con leche and it's a complete late lunch. It's service with a smile at the cafe bar (they have tables but at the bar you get the action of cooks grilling fillet steak and deep frying calamari from fresh. Fresh is key here so it's a tad more pricy than some places. The times we were there we were the only English speakers. If you don't know much Spanish and find tapas choices (pintxos here mostly) then this place is a good start to help you navigate. Lots for meat lovers too. The staff work incredibly hard but still manage service with a smile. The WiFi wasn't working both times we were there and there are restrooms convenient to the cafe. read more

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It is quite modern and well-stocked. All the brands we associated with EU and than some.

High quality department store to buy anything you need for yourself or family. I stopped by to buy a half-sleeve jacket as I forgot to bring climate appropriate outerwear during my visit to Bilbao this week. Took me a while to find what I wanted, and while most salespeople didn't speak English, the lady who sold it to me spoke enough. Wore the jacket all day today and I'm happy to have made the right choice! Pro tip: You can get a partial VAT refund by filling out paperwork with the customer service (on the "minus-one" floor). This can add up to quite a bit (VAT is 21%) when you spend a couple of hundred euro, even after the service fee is deducted. read more

El Corte Inglés - The half-sleeve jacket I purchased when I landed in Bilbao without climate-appropriate outerwear. - Department Stores Near Me - Bilbao, BI

A note to fellow travelers looking for a market that has actual food items, not just the usual mix of fattening, intoxicating or flammable, that these department stores all have excellent "Super Mercados". They all sell high quality healthy stuff, good prepared items, snacks, toiletries and everything you might find in a combined US super market and drugstore. They are also big department stores. read more

Huge place. Looks more like a Macy's than a high end department store. Has a big grocery store on level 6. read more

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