Bilbao Food Tours · Our Story
We’re three girls from Bilbao: Irene, Olaia and Leire. We know the streets, the bars and the best spots for the ultimate foodie experience in the city. It’s an insider’s evening with people who genuinely love this city.
“We don’t just show you Bilbao — we share it with you.”
— Irene & Olaia Bilbao Food ToursMeet Your Guide
Irene is the founder, lead guide, and driving force behind Bilbao Food Tours. Born and raised in the Basque Country, she grew up surrounded by a culinary tradition that runs far deeper than recipes — it’s a language, a ritual, a way of connecting with people. That upbringing gave her an understanding of Basque food culture that no amount of research can replicate.
Together with the local— forming a Basque team — they bring a unique perspective to every tour: the insider knowledge of someone who has eaten at these bar counters since childhood.
What makes Irene exceptional as a guide isn’t just what she knows — it’s the way she shares it. She is fluent in the cultural codes that make the Basque Country so distinctive, and she has the gift of making every guest feel like a local, not a tourist passing through. On her tour, you don’t follow a script. You follow a person who genuinely loves her city.
Join Irene’s Tour6 Reasons to Choose Us
We have what it takes to make your Basque holiday a unique, authentic, and exciting experience — and here is exactly why.
All of us was born and raised in Bilbao. We doesn’t just know this city — she grew up in it, ate in these bars as a child, and has watched the pintxo scene evolve across decades. That depth of local knowledge is impossible to fake and irreplaceable on a tour.
Before building Bilbao Food Tours, Irene worked at luxury private resorts worldwide. Time spent in 5-star environments gave me an indispensable skill-set — attention to detail, personalised service, and the ability to anticipate what guests need before they ask.
Over a decade of specialist work means Irene has built genuine relationships with the bar owners, chefs, and producers who make the Basque food scene what it is. Those relationships open doors — and plates — that regular visitors simply cannot access on their own.
Every stop on the tour comes with a story. Irene provides a wealth of detailed information about Basque history and culture — cities, towns, traditions — delivered through the kind of anecdotes and little-known facts that only a lifelong local can provide.
No two groups are the same. Irene and the team are always flexible — ready to adapt the pace, the conversation, and even the route — so that every guest can feel the local culture at their own rhythm, not on a rigid schedule.
The real Basque Country is not in the tourist brochure. Irene takes you to the places where locals actually eat and drink — bars with character, streets with soul, and people who call this place home. Immersion, not performance.
The Background That Makes the Difference
Most food tour guides know the city. What sets this team apart is a layer of professional experience that goes far beyond local knowledge. Working at luxury private resorts throughout the world — in environments where the standard is not just good but exceptional — shaped a service philosophy that filters through every aspect of this tour.
Small details matter. Timing matters. The way information is delivered, the way a guest feels welcomed into a strange bar in a foreign city — all of it is handled with a care and intentionality that comes from years of practising excellence in demanding environments.
The result is an experience that feels effortless from the outside, because the effort has already been put in. You enjoy the evening. We make sure everything runs beautifully.
10+
Years of specialist
tour experience
What Guests Say
Over a decade of 5-star reviews on TripAdvisor and Viator. Here is what guests consistently say about Irene and the team.
“Irene’s knowledge is extraordinary — she didn’t just show us bars, she showed us Bilbao. By the end of the evening we felt like we’d lived here for years. The insider access to places we never would have found alone made all the difference.”
TripAdvisor · Verified Review
“The professionalism was unlike any food tour we’ve done anywhere in the world. You can tell this team has worked in high-end hospitality — the attention to detail, the timing, the way they made everyone feel welcome. Worth every euro.”
Viator · Verified Review
“What sets Irene apart is the stories. She knows the history of every bar, every pintxo, every neighbourhood — and she delivers it in a way that makes you laugh and learn at the same time. Authentic doesn’t begin to cover it.”
TripAdvisor · Verified Review
What Only a Local Can Give You
Not the ones with English menus and photos on the wall. The real places — the ones with regulars who’ve been coming for thirty years — where the pintxos are made fresh and the wine is poured without ceremony.
A wealth of detailed knowledge about Basque history, culture, and identity — delivered through anecdotes, context, and the kind of nuanced perspective that only comes from a lifetime of living it.
Why do Basques stand to eat? What does the pintxo hour actually mean socially? Why is food the centre of every celebration here? Irene gives you the framework that makes the whole country click into focus.
The tour is the beginning, not the end. By the time the evening is over, you’ll have a personalised list of where to go, what to order, and who to ask — across the entire Basque Country.
The tour is led by Irene, a native of Bilbao born and raised in the Basque Country. She is the founder of Bilbao Food Tours and has over 10 years of specialist food tour experience, combined with a professional background in luxury 5-star hospitality. The tour is conducted entirely in English.
Everything about how the tour is delivered. Working in 5-star environments worldwide developed skills that most tour operators simply don’t have — exceptional attention to detail, the ability to read a group and adapt in real time, and a commitment to making every guest feel genuinely valued. The food is the same Bilbao bar counter. The experience around it is distinctly elevated.
The core route and selection of bars is consistent — because these are the best options and Irene’s long-standing relationships with the owners are part of what makes the experience special. But no two tours feel the same. The stories, the conversation, the pace, and the atmosphere adapt naturally to the group. Flexibility is a core value, not an afterthought.
Yes. If your group has a particular interest in Basque history, wine, architecture, or anything else, mention it when you book and Irene will weave it in. The tour is designed to be a genuine evening out — and genuine evenings adapt to the people having them.
The pintxos food tour is based in Bilbao’s Casco Viejo. However, Bilbao Food Tours — as part of The Best of Basque — also offers broader cultural and culinary experiences across the Basque Country, including San Sebastián, the Rioja Alavesa wine region, and more. Get in touch to discuss a custom itinerary.
Ready to experience it?
Join Irene for an evening that goes far beyond a food tour — and experience the Basque Country the way it was meant to be felt.
Book NowFrom 95€ per person · Daily at 6:00 pm · Conducted in English