Bilbao Berria — Restaurant in Barcelona

This place is a gem! And absolutely a place you come back to! The location is on a corner of a small street between the Cathedral and La Rambla, you can't miss it, very easy to find or more likely you'll stumble upon it while walking around...

They have a menu but forget about it... You're there for the pinchos (or pintxos as the Catallans say)! That's basically a slice of baguette bread with some toppings on - sounds very basic - but believe me it's not just some plain boring form of sandwich. Pinchos they serve are incredibly delicious, well thought out, well put together, with plenty of toppings on each bread, aaaand there is a huge selection of pinchos to choose from, all at a surprisingly affordable price! Some of the flavors were crab meat with mayonnaise, egg and caviar (a must try! My favorite), then there was a very interesting combo of poached pear on blue cheese, topped with crocant. There are some with fish and veggies, some with tuna pate, some fried meat balls.... Whatever you choose, you can't go wrong, just try as much as you can!

The system is quite simple, grab a plate and grab the ones you like from the bar, it's a self service. The waiter will count the skewer sticks in the end and charge you accordingly (all pinchos range 1,5-2,5 euros). I cannot express how much l've loved this place but l know l will be coming back here on my next trip...

Unlike most Basque places I’ve eaten at, this one was roomy and light with large windows and a chilled out vibe. More like a restaurant than a cavernous tavern. Most people weren’t ordering off the menu, they were sauntering up to the bar which was laden with what looked like spectacular pintxos, and piling their plates high. As tempted as I was, I had come for Steak ‘txuleton’, juicy vermillion inside and salt-baed to heck, and that’s what I intended to have. With a nice tempranillo to go with it. This trip we weren’t very sure whether places were deserted and spacious by design or as a side effect of covid. Roasted eggplant piled with tomatoes and greens. A few roasted pimientos and patatas fritas. Simple, great food with quality ingredients. Big pig painted on the wall that said ‘love’. Room dominated by the bar, with small table all around the edge. Looking out onto the square. Vibey...

Great place for pintxos. It’s within a touristy area, so at some point I thought the experience might not feel authentic; but it’s because of their pintxos that I started looking for other similar places in Barcelona and Bilbao Berria it’s the only place I’ve ended up going more than once. Their pintxos selection is broad, you grab a plate and utensils in one end of the bar and start picking up the pintxos you want. They charge by the shape of the little wooden stick on the pintxo you grab. You can easily get up to 25-30 options between fish-based, vegan, sausage, shrimp or cheese pintxos. They also have desserts in this bar. If you are in a hurry for lunch or dinner, this is also a good place, the food is already served for you to take, basically. It’s a little crowded most of the time, but I love they’re not like many other snobby places in Barcelona that only take reservations....