The 2025 Bizkaia Pintxo Championship ended at a bar you might walk past without noticing. La Bodeguita del 12 on Juan Ajuriaguerra 12, in the Ensanche district across the river from the Casco Viejo, won the traditional pintxo category with something called the 'Delicia Tierra Roja' — morcilla (blood sausage), roasted red pepper, Idiazabal cheese, and green apple, all on a round of cornbread. The judges described it as a tribute to local flavours, beating a final that included entrants from across Vizcaya. That specific pintxo earns La Bodeguita del 12 a place near the top of this list, though it is #2 overall.
The consistent #1 pick is Gure Toki at Plaza Nueva 12 in the Casco Viejo. It has been winning local pintxos competitions for several years and updates its display case seasonally, which means the creative options change depending on when you visit. The Basque-style tarta de queso (cheesecake) is a reliable constant; the main pintxos counter runs high-quality throughout. The bar gets crowded — arrive at opening time or push to the counter. A Yelp listing updated in July 2026 confirmed it as still operating.
Third is Victor Montes at Plaza Nueva 8, which has operated at this address in the Casco Viejo since 1849. That puts it in business before the telephone, the automobile, and Bilbao's own industrial boom on the Nervion river. The txangurro pintxo (spider crab) and squid-ink croquettes are the house specialities. Victor Montes also runs a full restaurant in its back rooms; the bar section is walk-in only and the better choice for a pintxos circuit. Details on this list were checked in October 2026; hours and menus change, so confirm before you go.
The seven bars below span Bilbao's two main pintxos districts: the Casco Viejo, centred on Plaza Nueva and Somera street, and the Ensanche, a 10-15 minute walk across the Nervion river. None are chains. None pay for placement on this list. Where addresses could not be fully verified, the listing notes it.
1. Gure Toki — Plaza Nueva 12, Casco Viejo — 3 min from Metro Casco Viejo (L1) — €€ — The top creative pintxos bar on the square. Seasonal display case, award-winning, confirmed open in 2026. Order the tarta de queso and whichever pintxo is on the counter that day.
2. La Bodeguita del 12 — Juan Ajuriaguerra 12, Abando/Ensanche — 5 min from Metro Abando (L1/L2) — €€ — 2025 Bizkaia Pintxo Championship winner. The 'Delicia Tierra Roja' (morcilla, red pepper, Idiazabal, green apple on cornbread) is the one to order.
3. Victor Montes — Plaza Nueva 8, Casco Viejo — 3 min from Metro Casco Viejo (L1) — €€-€€€ — Open since 1849. Order txangurro (spider crab) pintxo and squid-ink croquettes. Bar section only for a quick pintxos stop; the restaurant requires booking.
4. Bar El Globo — Calle Diputacion 8, Ensanche — 8 min from Metro Abando (L1/L2), 15 min walk from the Guggenheim — €€ — Known above all for the txangurro gratinado (spider crab gratin). Open since 1997; also has a second location near Plaza Nueva, but the Diputacion address is the main one.
5. Cafe Bar Bilbao — Plaza Nueva 6, Casco Viejo — 3 min from Metro Casco Viejo (L1) — € — The classic introduction to Bilbao's pintxos scene. Order a Gilda (olive, anchovy, pickled green pepper on a skewer) — one of the original Basque pintxos, invented in San Sebastian in the 1940s and still the benchmark for what the format can do.
6. Bar Motrikes — Somera 41, Casco Viejo — 4 min from Metro Casco Viejo (L1) — € — Famous for champiñones a la plancha (grilled mushrooms) and bacalao pintxos, at some of the lowest prices in the Casco Viejo. A local favourite rather than a tourist destination; worth a stop before or after the Plaza Nueva circuit.
7. Bar Fermin — Iturribide 6, Casco Viejo — 6 min from Metro Casco Viejo (L1) — € — Traditional bar known for its bacalao (salt cod) pintxo. Lively, local, and reliable — a good final stop on a Casco Viejo evening before crossing back to the Ensanche.
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These are our picks, not a claim of objective best. Seven bars across one city cannot account for every worthy place, and Bilbao's pintxos scene changes seasonally and year to year. We evaluated each bar on five criteria: local reputation (do the regulars come from the neighbourhood rather than tour groups?), consistency (has the bar maintained quality over time or shown clear evidence of it?), specificity (does it do something you cannot get at the next place?), neighbourhood utility (is it a useful stop for visitors based in or near that area?), and current operating status (could we confirm the bar was serving in 2025 or 2026?).
Bars we could not confirm as currently operating were excluded from this list. We have not cited ratings, review counts, or prices that we could not trace to a named and dated source. Where hours could not be verified, we have not listed them. No paid placements, no affiliate arrangements.
First visit to Bilbao: Start at Cafe Bar Bilbao at Plaza Nueva 6 and order a Gilda. The olive, anchovy, and pickled green pepper skewer is the simplest and oldest form of the pintxo — one precise combination of flavours on a toothpick, no bread required. It explains what the format is really about before you move to anything more elaborate.
The award-winning pick: La Bodeguita del 12 on Juan Ajuriaguerra 12, for the 'Delicia Tierra Roja.' If you are in Bilbao for one evening only, this is the bar to cross the river for — the 2025 Bizkaia championship is a verifiable recent distinction, not just a vague best-of claim.
Near the Guggenheim: Bar El Globo on Calle Diputacion 8 is the best pintxos stop in the Ensanche after a day at the Guggenheim. The txangurro gratinado takes under five minutes and is worth the trip on its own. La Bodeguita del 12 is a 5-minute walk in the same direction and pairs well as a second stop.
Budget pintxos: Bar Motrikes on Somera 41 and Bar Fermin on Iturribide 6 are the two lowest-price entries on this list. At most Casco Viejo bars, standard pintxos run €1.50-2.50 each; at these two, you are at the lower end of that range.
For the historic institution: Victor Montes at Plaza Nueva 8, in operation since 1849. The bar section does not require reservations; the attached restaurant does.
Plaza Nueva is the social centre of Bilbao's Casco Viejo pintxos scene — a 19th-century colonnaded square that fills on weekend lunchtimes and weekday evenings with the full Plaza Nueva circuit: one pintxo, one drink, move on. Cafe Bar Bilbao (number 6), Victor Montes (number 8), and Gure Toki (number 12) are all on the same square. You can do all three in 30 minutes without moving more than 100 metres. Bar Motrikes on Somera 41 is a 4-minute walk deeper into the Casco Viejo; Bar Fermin on Iturribide 6 adds 6 minutes more. Together, those five bars make a complete Casco Viejo evening.
The Ensanche — the grid-planned neighbourhood built across the river in the late 19th century — has a different character. Wider avenues, fewer tourists, and bars that feel like local lunch spots rather than pintxos showcases. Bar El Globo on Calle Diputacion 8 and La Bodeguita del 12 on Juan Ajuriaguerra 12 are the two Ensanche entries on this list. Do both on an Ensanche circuit after visiting the Guggenheim, or add one to the end of a Casco Viejo evening.
Metro Casco Viejo (L1) drops you 3 minutes from Plaza Nueva. Metro Abando (L1/L2) is the Ensanche starting point, 5 minutes from La Bodeguita del 12 and 8 minutes from Bar El Globo on foot.
The two cities are 100 kilometres apart and share a pintxos culture, but they are different in feel.
San Sebastian's Parte Vieja is one of the densest concentrations of pintxos bars in the world. The quality of individual pintxos is high on average, the creative competition between bars is visible, and the scene is polished — partly because it has been serving serious food tourists for decades. See the San Sebastian pintxos guide for specific picks there.
Bilbao's Casco Viejo is smaller, less international in reputation, and — for many visitors — more interesting to spend an evening in precisely because of it. The bars at Plaza Nueva feel like neighbourhood institutions rather than showcases. The Ensanche bars feel like local lunch spots that happen to be very good at what they do. Prices are comparable — expect €1.50-3 for a standard pintxo, €3-5 for something more elaborate.
Bilbao has its own pintxos competition (the Bizkaia Pintxo Championship) and its own canonical ingredients: txangurro (spider crab), bacalao (salt cod), and Idiazabal cheese. These appear throughout the Basque Country but define Bilbao's bar counters in particular.
If you can do both cities in one trip — Bilbao for the Guggenheim and the Ensanche; San Sebastian for La Concha beach and the Parte Vieja — they make a natural pair rather than a choice between them.
When to arrive. The two pintxos windows are lunchtime (1-3 PM) and early evening (7-10 PM). Between these hours, many Casco Viejo bars quiet down and may serve reduced options. Arriving at Plaza Nueva at 7:30 PM on a weekday gives you the full circuit without the weekend crush.
What to budget. A standard pintxo costs €1.50-2.50 at most Casco Viejo bars; more elaborate options run €3-5. Txakoli costs around €2.50-3.50 a glass. A circuit of 4 bars — 2 pintxos and 1 drink at each — runs €20-30 per person. Victor Montes and Bar El Globo skew slightly higher than the rest on this list.
Reservations. None of the bar sections on this list require reservations. Victor Montes and Bar El Globo each have restaurant sections that may need advance booking on weekends. For stand-at-the-counter pintxos, walk in at either window.
Cash vs. card. Most Bilbao pintxos bars now accept cards. Smaller and more traditional bars — Bar Motrikes and Bar Fermin among them — sometimes prefer cash. Carry €20-30 in coins and small notes as a fallback.
Tipping. Tipping is not customary in Basque pintxos bars. Rounding up the bill or leaving a few small coins is appreciated but not expected. There is no 15-20% service expectation as in the United States.
