Coffee shops in Bilbao

The tiny Italian espresso is hard to find in Bilbao. And when you order an Americano, you have to specify that you don’t want it double, but single.

But whatever coffee you order, black, cortado or with milk, it is usually really good. Bilbao and Bizkaia have a coffee tradition. So much so that they have their own brands of coffee. And the water that comes out of the taps does not have any strange flavours. With those elements, a good coffee machine and someone who knows how to use it, the drink will be excellent: invigorating with black coffee or with a cloud, creamy, aromatic. It will be delicious at any time of day, from dawn to dusk, in a restaurant, tavern, bar or cafeteria, in Bilbao as well as in Orduña, Durango, Balmaseda, Lekeitio and Elorrio. On a terrace overlooking the sea or with a panoramic view of the mountains from a window.

Allow us to recommend a few in Bilbao.

Of course, the ever-youthful doyen of Bilbao’s cafes, the Iruña (Colón de Larreategi, corner of Berastegi), with its spectacular, centuries-old original decor and always lively atmosphere. A must.

In the Casco Viejo there are several obligatory stops au lait. Lamiak, in Calle Pelota, a wonderful café and pastry shop, a place to start or end the day, good music, a temple of feminism since the end of the dictatorship. Of course, there is another historic café, Café Bilbao, in Plaza Nueva, now more focused on wine and pinchos, with a dining room on the first floor and all the flavours intact.

In Arenal, close to the Arriaga Theatre, El Tilo, a small classic of old Bilbao that has been modernised, with the added interest of the paintings that decorate its walls. Or El Lago, in Correo Street, where three generations of Bilbao women have had coffee and where you can have a vermouth and a snack in the same chair.

In the city centre, Vía de Fuga is a safe bet: pastries, good coffee, modernist decor, an artistic atmosphere and frequent live music.

La Casa del Café y Té, at 22 Doctor Areilza, offers tranquillity, attentive service and the chance to buy dozens of varieties of coffee and an infinite number of teas. It is a place with a lot of flavour.

Arauca, at 33 Iparragirre, guarantees coffee, tortilla and the spirit of the famous “degustaciones”, which triumphed some time ago and which Sonia maintains with her energy and know-how behind the bar.

In Alameda Urkijo 39, Don Manuel opens its doors, where you can enjoy an delicious coffee with homemade pastries.

The New Mónaco, at 34 Alameda de Rekalde, is like a Swiss army knife: good coffee for breakfast and whatever the passer-by needs for the rest of the day.

ARVO, at Barrainkua 9, is one of the new cafés for young people, offering excellent coffee and sweets as well as brunch.

On the other side of the same block, at 4 Iparragirre Street, with a terrace overlooking the Guggenheim, is the traditional Zuretzat, where you can still see the helmets of the engineers who built the Bilbao museum, including Gehry’s own. It’s well worth a visit!