RESTAURANTE ASADOR TXAKOLI SIMÓN After a 15/20 minute walk from the Funicular de Artxanda (funicular railway), you arrive high above Bilbao at Restaurante Asador Txakolli Simón. The Friesian breed of cow is the favourite of Óscar García, the grill master at this restaurant, which stands out for its value for money. On busy days here, eight strips (rib strips) can be dispatched in a single service.  When the sun is shining in Bilbao, you go to Artxanda, the viewpoint of Bilbao

AZURMENDI Three Michelin Stars Chef Eneko Atxa Azurmendi was the youngest Spanish chef to obtain 3 Michelin stars in 2012. You will discover why when you arrive at this subtropical glasshouse, which overlooks the stunning Basque countryside 25 minutes outside Bilbao. Azurmendi is an ecosystem by itself, based on sustainability. It is environmentally friendly, uses renewable energies, recycles any generated waste, harvests rainfall, and heats and cools the facilities using

ASADOR ETXEBARRI One Michelin Star Although not the easiest place to find, this beautiful, rustic, restored stone house is a couple of kilometres out of town. It has a bar at the ground-floor entrance and a couple of stunning dining rooms on the first floor. The renowned chef Victor Arguinzoniz, who deserves his one Michelin star, cooks all the high-quality produce on various charcoal grills. There is no molecular stuff here; it is just fresh, quality food with unique fla

BILBAO - PLAZA NUEVA PINTXO BAR CRAWL On a recent trip to Bilbao, we had a little pintxo bar crawl around the Plaza Nueva. The arcaded Plaza Nueva heaves with locals from early evening on. Try to observe the alcoholic convention of pacing yourself with a txikito (small glass of wine or beer). In Pintxos bars, people always throw paper napkins on the floor, and only shy tourists leave them on plates or surfaces. At weekends, it gets busy around 11.30 am. Our favourite places

CASINO DE MUNDAKA Mundaka is a town and municipality in the Basque Country, located in the province of Biscay. Mundaka is a working port on the coast and is internationally renowned for its surfing scene. The port is at the town's centre; from there, the old part of the town grew. All the houses are medieval, with fishermen's cottages, always looking out to sea. The port has many small boats. Mundaka is well-renowned worldwide for its surf quality. Huge swells roll in from t

BAR RESTAURANT TOKI-ALAI Heading east along the coast road from Mundaka, you will find this lovely Restaurant, which is situated on a beautiful little surfers' beach. It is a reasonably large stone Restaurant/bar. One glass wall provides a fantastic view of the beach. It is an excellent spot for a nice, relaxing lunch, trying a few delicious pintxos at the bar, or having a more leisurely meal in the evening. There is a very good menu del dia for €25 (weekdays) and €30 (weeke

BAR GURE TOKI Michelin Plate IIO Tucked away in the corner of the bustling plaza Nueva in the old town, this little bar was the winner of the best pintxos in town for many years for a reason. They are the modern gastronomic type of pintxos. The top two pictures are from a previous visit. We Tried the following Patatas rellenas con mejillas de cerdo y sal de vainilla (potatoes stuffed with pig's cheeks and vanilla salt). Foie con manzana y pedro ximenez (foie gras with ap