Best Burgers in Bilbao: Casco Viejo and Beyond

The best burgers in Bilbao are in Abando and Indautxu, the 19th-century Ensanche that forms the modern centre, and across the river in the Casco Viejo, the old town of the Siete Calles. Bilbao La Vieja and San Francisco, close to the old town, have a younger and more alternative bar scene.

Basque cooking treats beef with respect, and that raises the bar for any burger here. The reference is the txuleta, a thick bone-in rib steak from older cattle, grilled over coals and served rare. Pintxo bars line Plaza Nueva and the old town streets, and the local habit of moving from bar to bar with a small glass of wine, the txikito, decides when people finally sit down for a full meal. The Guggenheim, opened in 1997, also turned the riverside into a destination of its own.

Burgers in Bilbao: key facts

• Neighbourhoods: Casco Viejo, Abando, Indautxu, Bilbao La Vieja and Deusto.
• Pintxo hub: Plaza Nueva, the arcaded square in the old town.
• Market: the Mercado de la Ribera, on the riverbank in the Casco Viejo, one of the largest covered markets in Europe.
• Beef culture: the txuleta, a bone-in rib steak from older cows.
• Getting around: the metro designed by Norman Foster, plus a tram line along the river.
• Currency: euro (EUR); pintxos are usually paid for at the end, counted by the bartender.

Every guide we publish on Bilbao is dated and lists only venues, addresses, prices and ratings we could verify. Our burger restaurant guides cover other cities in the Basque Country and beyond.