Eating out in Bilbao and the Basque Country

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(Free-Press-Release.com) March 22, 2010 -- The Basque region of Spain is traditionally regarded as Spain’s finest for gastronomy, and the people here rightly take this very seriously. From gastronomical restaurants, to extravagant tapas-style nibbles in bars, the food in Bilbao is definitely designed to impress visitors. As Bilbao is near to the coastline, fish and seafood dishes are very traditional, and due to the hilly surroundings, lean meat and cheese is also a specialty.

Every Friday evening, tour Spanish school takes a trip to a local pintxos bar in Casco Viejo, to give everyone a chance to unwind after a week of work or lessons and to meet new students.

Pintxos is the Basque word for ‘pinchos’. These are the small portions of finger food that you find in almost every bar in the Basque country. Pintxos could be a range of different food, from slices of tortilla to croquettes or pieces of meat; they are usually served on or with a slice of bread, and held together with a small skewer.

Unlike some parts of Spain, pintxos unfortunately do not normally come for free in Bilbao and the Basque country. Also the protocol for ordering can vary from place to place. In some bars you can serve yourself freely from the dishes on the bar top, but in others you will have to ask for a plate to serve yourself, and subsequently in others the bar staff will prefer to serve you themselves. In the instances where you help yourself, you will have to go to the bar when you have finished and tell them how many you have taken in order to pay.

Having tried out many bars in Casco Viejo, Irrintzi is probably one of my favorite places to go for pintxos. The drinks are a good price, and the pintxos are very creatively made and impressive to look at. The atmosphere is also good, and as the venue is small people often spill out onto the street, where there is often entertainment in the form of street dancers, singers or circus acts to keep everyone happy.

Another famous Spanish tradition is churros con chocolate. Churros are long, doughnut-like snacks. The main ingredient in them is flour, and they are deep fried until crispy then sprinkled with sugar and served with a cup of hot thick chocolate for dipping. Churros are often sold by street vendors who will freshly fry them for you there, and they are also served in cafes, traditionally as a breakfast meal, but more commonly as a sweet snack.

Usually one day during the week we go on an afternoon activity with the school to a café nearby where the students get to try the famous churros con chocolate. This activity is very relaxing and the café is in a good location overlooking the river in Casco Viejo. It’s an excellent opportunity for the students to chat in an informal atmosphere.

Another place located not far from the school on Calle Navarra is a little ice cream shop. This café serves delicious waffles topped with hot chocolate, or in summer refreshing ice creams that come in a variety of unique and enticing flavours such as white choco

bilbao     eating out     Instituto Hemingway