Rio-Oja — Restaurant in Bilbao

Before you step inside here, there are a few things you should take into account: It's quite chaotic. If you don't have a reservation between 8 and 10, you'll need a lot of luck and patience. Things move pretty fast here. They don't waste much time, and everything has to keep moving forward.

Nevertheless, it's worth giving this place a try for a meal. During our visit, we enjoyed the asparagus, croquettes, stuffed bell peppers, and anchovies. It was fantastic for us. Especially the cheesecake didn't disappoint. I've read many reviews saying different things, but everything seemed fine for us. The staff was friendly, although they were also a bit assertive, which is understandable given the pace at which everything moves here. But that's also part of the charm. If that's not your cup of tea, then maybe this place isn't for you.

They don't ask if you want bread; they simply bring it to the table and charge for it. So, be mindful if you don't want bread.

We mainly wanted to eat here precisely because it looks so bustling, and we weren't...

Terrible restaurant with poor service and even worse food. The paella was almost inedible - salty, rice is hard, and the seafood was overcooked. The prices of wine are different depending on whether you sit at the bar or the table, but they don’t explain where you need to sit and why. We were told to sit at the table but then had to pay more for a glass of wine - very bizarre.

Check your bill. They accidentally added another glass of wine to our bill. Luckily we caught it and they fixed it, but there seems to be an assumption that everyone at the table ordered a glass of wine. Lastly, we told the waiter we want to pay in Euros with our credit card but he clicked our home currency instead and said “that’s okay”. Now we are hit with a surcharge and unfavourable exchange rates. Would never recommend...

The right place to try basque food?

For a starter we had the seasonal vegetable (cauliflower; 6.5€). The veggie itself was cooked well but soaked with too much oil. For mains we had what seemed to be the signature dish of the restaurant - the bacalao (cod fish; 12 euros€). The fish was well-made and had a tasty sauce that made it the most satisfying savory dish. We also had the anchovies soup (9€), which was okay, but the soup was very salty. For dessert we tried the basque cake (5€) which was comforting and very delicious.

Overall I’m not sure it’s the best place to try basque food in Bilbao. It does seem like the food is fresh and with good intentions, but the dishes are flawed in basic terms (like excessive salt or oil). Interestingly the best thing we tried was...