Txirene | 100% Bilbao — Restaurant in Bilbao

insane. that was literally the best meal we had the whole time we were in bilbao/san sebastián. it was never part of our plan to visit this establishment, but as we were finding a place to eat (in search of food amidst our hunger at 6pm - since most kitchens only open at 8/830pm), we came across this place. to our disappointment, tables were booked for the day. nonetheless, we got a table for the following day. in short, food was phenomenal. and huge. mind you, we’re 2 2 chinese with a small stomach. ordered 2 starters (stuffed artichokes & polpo), 1 main (sirloin) & dessert (cheesecake). wow. the starters were huge. each were big enough to feed 3 pax. however, they were so outstanding we finished everythibg! even the bread was phenomenal. crispy yet soft. found the artichokes good but felt quite heavy after awhile. polpo was one of the best i had. literally scraped the sauces off the place with whatever remaining bread we had left. honestly, the cheesecake here was better than the famous one at la vina in san sebastián. to top everything off, the outstanding service from andrea & jon made our final night in bilbao nothing short of memorable. thank you for the amazing time here and we would definitely come back!

loved the toilet signages as well.

and it was affordable - €105 inclusive of 4 glasses of wine

edit: posted this as we were making payment only to be stopped by jon who served us 2 glasses of basque ice cider! impeccable service & hospitality. we...

I just can’t get the good reviews, let alone the Michelin guide recommendation (the reason we went in the first place).

After waiting for 15 minutes without drinks or anything, we ordered à la carte, two starters and two mains.

The ceviche as amuse bouche was warm and did not have a fresh taste. The bread was okay.

First starter was four filled artichokes. It was just too much and you could not taste artichoke, because of their lack of quality and the overpowering barbecue-ketchup (?) sauce.

Second starter were peppers in some thick sauce. The only thing we finished. Good produce and smoky flavors. The sauce tasted unnatural though.

The fish dish was bitter. The beef was partly tender, partly dry. The sweet potato purée tasted like butter.

In addition to that, the house wines (first time in life I didn’t finish a wine) just did not taste good. One of the plates we got for the starters had stains from another dish. Even the decorative grass fell off the wall.

As you can see, we did not finish the main courses. The waiter asked whether we would like any dessert or espresso, and then asked if we liked the food. There was no reaction after we modestly told the truth in a respectful manner. In the end a completely different waitress (very friendly) helped us pay.

The fact that it felt like only tourists (yes, us too) ate there, didn’t help to shake the feeling off, that we landed in a kind of...

Txirene | 100% Bilbao is a spot with tasty food, but let’s just say the experience was a bit surprising—especially when it comes to the portion sizes. The food was good, flavorful, and definitely satisfying, but nothing that really knocked our socks off in terms of creativity.

Now, here’s the kicker: the portions are HUGE. I’m talking American-sized and then some. Each dish could easily feed 2 to 4 people, which was a bit overwhelming for a fine dining spot, especially one that’s Michelin-recommended. We were shocked, and honestly, so was the table next to us—they had the same reaction!

The prices are in the high 10s and early 20s Euros per plate, which we’d have happily paid if the portions were a little more refined and the presentation a bit more polished. But with plates that could feed a small army and dishes that looked a bit thrown together, we left feeling a little underwhelmed. It’s like they haven’t quite figured out the whole fine dining vibe yet. They could definitely use some help with the presentation and overall refinement if they want to take their Michelin status to the next level.

All in all, if you’re super hungry and down to share, you’ll be happy here, but if you’re looking for a fine dining experience that matches the price tag and reputation, it might not hit the mark. Worth a try, but just know you’re in for some seriously...