El Viejo Zortzi
Bilbao
Copyright: TunedIn by Westend61/Shutterstock.comEl Viejo Zortzi
El Viejo Zortzi is the little brother of Zortziko. The difference between the restaurants is that El Viejo Zortzi is more informal and the prices are significantly lower than Zortziko. The quality remains, of course, the same. El Viejo Zortzi has a modern take on traditional Basque food, such as fillet of cod in pil-pil sauce and fresh hake in garlic sauce. The choice of wine here is exceptional. While you're there, you can also take a quick peek at the bar. They have an infinite amount of wine and other alcoholic beverages.
Dining
Bilbao is the home of Basque cuisine–considered the most inventive cuisine in both Spain and France. The city is famous for an array of dishes and for its delicious tapas-like appetizers called pintxos. Seafood forms the heart of Basque cooking, thanks to its strong 'arrantzale' fishing tradition, with cod-based dishes and hake being particularly popular. Despite this, Bilbao offers many other types of traditional food too, making it equally delicious for those who tend to favour meat-based dishes or even for vegetarians. The food here is so mouth-watering that many visitors return to Bilbao solely for the culinary experience.