El Arandia de Julen
Reviews
9.3of 10
Ratings and reviews can only be left by guests who have booked with TheFork.
Mikael H. • 1 review
November 22, 2024
10/1010 /10 Love the food and the service
Gillian D. • 2 reviews
October 16, 2024
10/10A wonderful lunch served by a charming young waitress. Also quite a surprise whilst chatting to one of the managers to discover that her godmother was from the same village as us in Ireland - what a small world. A true gem of a restaurant hidden in the heart of the old town of Bilbao. Highly recommended - an absolute must. Lives up to all the great reviews. A nice walk back to town also which helped digest the food. Definitely take the advice to go there hungry. Enjoy this little piece of Basque food heaven 👌
Vanessa H. • 4 reviews
October 12, 2024
10/10Wonderful night at El Arandia de Julen. Warm, friendly and welcoming service, great set menus and a la carte option of generous, inventive food. We had the 75:00 euro pp Menu de Arandia and enjoyed every course! Chorizo, anchovies, black pudding and mushrooms then foie gras, asparagus, grilled prawns, T bone you can cook to your preferred cuissance on a hot plate, creme brûlée dessert plus two bottles of wine, water (constantly topped up) and bread included and a complementary digestif. Beautiful wood panelled dining room and great ambiance and just the most friendly and warm service. Chef came out too to check on every table. Excellent in every way, thank you!!
John G. • 3 reviews
September 14, 2024
3/10To start the host was friendly and pleasant. The food however was of poor quality and served in huge portions. We ate more than we felt we should and sent more than half of everything back. The white wine was served warm with an ice bucket on the side, we were told to leave it for several minutes to cool. The neighbourhood also felt intimidating. I would not arrive or leave on foot. The only people in the restaurant were tourists who were falsely brought by the unbelievablely high reviews. I am sorry to say this but I cannot recommend a visit.
Yumiko K. • 1 review
August 16, 2024
10/10Very welcoming, great ambience, we ordered the 7 course menu including wine & bottled water, special desert made for my husband's birthday. We feel every course was made with best ingredients, love, care and attention of the chef. We enjoyed every minutes of it. Highly Recommended.
Eugenio D. • 18 reviews
July 27, 2024
10/10Excellent fish soup
Shauna O. • 1 review
June 29, 2024
10/10Excellent food and service explained all courses, great quality food and great quality of food for price we went for the €70 menu lots of wine and plenty of food we could not even finish best restaurant we have been to !!
Kevin N. • 2 reviews
June 29, 2024
10/10This was the best meal my wife and I have ever had. Every dish, every detail. The skill of the chef and absolute dedication to the best quality produce could not be clearer. The exemplar of Basque cooking, which is the best in the world. Come here hungry, take your time, and discover what foods you think you are familiar with can taste like. Make this your top destination in Bilbao.
Sara R. • 2 reviews
May 18, 2024
9/10Do yourself a favour and book a table at this restaurant. We do not eat meat but were able to enjoy lovely pescatarian and veggie options. The complimentary starters were a great surprise (although we did not eat the blood sausage, we appreciated the offer). The grilled praws and the tuna was lovely. We finished our meal with a shot of a local liquor (I cannot recall the name now). Overall, a great experience with cozy basque vibes.
Paul T. • 4 reviews
March 23, 2024
10/10Expertly looked after by attentive team, Food quality shows off local food at its best. Quantities of fixed priced menus are huge, go there hungry ! good value
David E. • 2 reviews
November 17, 2023
10/10It was my 73rd birthday and I was with my wife and eldest son. We had a lovely experience at this welcoming and cosy restaurant and the chef and serving staff did us proud. We enjoyed our introduction to Basque cuisine and we had a very nice time, capped off by a very warm farewell from the chef.
kim B. • 1 review
November 3, 2023
8/10Nice place With authentic touch. Grilled scampi and the fisk soup were great
Fiona H. • 2 reviews
November 3, 2023
10/10We were recommended this restaurant by a resident of Bilbao and it was even better than we expected. Each dish was prepared beautifully by the chef and was a fantastic introduction to Basque cuisine. Great experience of a local restaurant!
Ricardo N. • 3 reviews
February 10, 2023
10/10Excellent food and service . One of the best restaurants in Bilbao. Great judias platter, the service was amazing , very
Paul D. • 15 reviews
September 30, 2022
10/10Excellent food. And very good service. Mind the schedule as the kitchen is closing at 10 pm on Fridays.
Marsali l. • 1 review
September 24, 2022
5/10Initially we were told that the restaurant was closed but when I said we had a booking through The Fork they said they could serve us. The waitress was rude, the service extremely rushed and we were not made to feel welcomed. Very disappointed.
Paolo D. • 4 reviews
June 10, 2022
8/10Very Nice food ,cannot give full rate due to the main waitress who is not so nice and kind as it is in other restaurants in north Spain
Stelio R. • 4 reviews
May 27, 2022
9/10The menu was excellent and the meat chuleton was absolutely the best I have ever eaten
cristina c. • 17 reviews
August 6, 2021
10/10Right on the plaza, this unassuming restaurant at the end of the tram line was absolutely a basque dining experience. Instead of going with one of the 45-50 euro prix fixed menus, my brother, husband, daughter and me went a la carte in hopes of eating less. Well needless to say that totally did not happen and we came home with enough for another meal. For the starters, we ordered a plate of cold cuts, octopus and fish soup; for the mains, we ordered t-bone steak and baked salted cod. The restaurant brought out their own starter of grilled mushrooms and grilled red peppers stuffed with blood sausage (the former fresh and tasty, the latter, absolutely to die for). The cold cuts were exceptional, but the winner of the starters was the octopus. 2 legs, grilled to perfection, spicy, in a rich sauce, definitely the best I've ever had, including the michelin star restaurants I've been to in the area. The wines were super high quality, perfectly matched to the food and inexpensive at 12 euros for the verdejo de rueda and 28 for the rioja. The cod and steak were delicious and the service was attentive, informal and typical of the basque country, professional and no nonsense. Would definitely return and was delighted that we went.
Roberto p. • 37 reviews
October 12, 2019
9.5/10Very warm and friendly welcome. Good quality for all dishes. The best carpaccio bacalao and chuleton that you can finish at your leisure on the stone plate heated by the flame
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