Opened in 1903 and dressed in Moorish tilework, carved wood, and brass, Café Iruña is the grandest of Bilbao's old cafes, facing the leafy Jardines de Albia. Generations of bilbaínos have taken their coffee here under the Andalusian-style arches, but the house specialty is savoury: the pintxo moruno, skewers of marinated, grilled lamb cooked over coals at the bar. It is a café and a Bilbao institution in equal measure.
Location
Abando / Ensanche, Bilbao
Map
Insider Intel
The pintxo moruno — grilled, spiced lamb skewers cooked over coals at the dedicated bar — is the thing everyone comes for. A coffee or a vermouth under the tilework completes it.
Mid-morning for coffee in the grand room, or the evening aperitivo when the lamb skewers are grilling and the bar is busiest.
On the Jardines de Albia in the Ensanche, open since 1903. The Moorish-tiled interior is a sight in itself. There's a separate standing bar for the famous pintxo moruno — head there for the lamb rather than waiting for table service.