Bilbao eats standing up: a euro-fifty pintxo in one hand, a poured-from-height txakoli in the other. Between La Ribera market, the bacalao al pil-pil old guard and the grill houses of Getxo, three days barely covers it.
Europe's largest covered market hall by floor area (10,000m²) on the Nervión's bend. Fish stalls open 08:00–14:30 Mon–Sat; the ground-floor gastrobar arcade runs later. Look for kokotxas, anchovies and percebes at the fishmongers.
The working-class Santutxu district's neighbourhood market, a metro ride from the centre with none of the tourist mark-up. Cheese stalls carry Idiazabal DO, smoked raw sheep's milk aged 4–12 months, sold by the wedge.
A 1950s cazuela bar on Perro street where clay pots of tripe (callos), squid in its ink (chipirones en su tinta) and snails sit on a steam counter. Portions are dished straight from the pot; closed Mondays.
Getariako Txakolina and Bizkaiko Txakolina are poured from arm's height into a wide tumbler to knock the CO2 out. Irrintzi does a modern pintxo list alongside — the mushroom and idiazabal skewer is the house standard.
Opened 1903 with Mudéjar tilework and a Moorish-revival ceiling. The counter grills pinchos morunos — lamb skewers in cumin and paprika — to order. Breakfast is coffee with a slab of tortilla; opens 07:00 weekdays.
Genaro Pildain's Gran Vía institution built its reputation on salt cod: the pil-pil emulsion is made only from cod gelatin, garlic and olive oil, swirled in an earthenware dish with no flour. Reserve; jacket-friendly room.
Charcoal parrilla in the middle of the dining room. The order here is txuleta — aged bone-in beef rib from mature dairy cattle, seared hard and salted after, served rare and sliced at the table for two.
Ledesma is the after-work bar street between Gran Vía and Alameda Recalde. Buy Idiazabal, Roncal and cider-washed Basque cheeses here, then work the pintxo bars either side — most bars are shoulder-to-shoulder by 19:30.
Bilbao's own pastry, despite the name it holds no rice — a puff-pastry cup of egg-and-milk custard baked till the top blisters. Arrese has traded since 1852; also does carolinas, the meringue-and-chocolate cone.
The neoclassical arcaded square in the Casco Viejo is ringed with bars — Gure Toki, Víctor Montes, Sorginzulo. Standard drill: one pintxo and one zurito (small beer) per bar, then move. Sunday morning brings a flea market.
The old fishing port stacks whitewashed houses above the estuary mouth, 25 minutes on metro line 1 to Algorta. Coastal asadors grill whole rodaballo (turbot) over embers with a garlic-and-vinegar refrito spooned over.
Cider season is January to April: you shout 'txotx!', catch the stream from the barrel in a wide glass, and eat a fixed menu of cod omelette, cod with peppers, txuleta and walnuts with cheese and quince.