Squid rings dredged in flour and flash-fried in olive oil until shatteringly crisp, served with lemon wedges, alioli or chipotle mayonnaise. Pintxo bar staple, often piled high in a paper cone with no plate.
Rabas (the Basque-Cantabrian name for fried calamari) are a working-port pintxo, descended from the Andalusian calamares a la romana but cooked harder and served crisper in the north. Cafe Bar Bilbao, Bar Charly and Baster all run defensible versions; Baster's bocadillo de calamares (rabas in a roll) is the late-night fix on the Casco Viejo.
4 editor picks for Rabas in Bilbao, ranked by editorial score. All Bilbao signature dishes · Rabas across every city.
Cafe Bar Bilbao ★ 4.5
Plaza Nueva 6, 48005 Bilbao
Cafe Bar Bilbao on Plaza Nueva since 1911 keeps a Belle Epoque tiled interior in Bilbao, with ham croquettes, peppers stuffed with cod and rabas.
La Vina del Ensanche ★ 4.4
abando · Calle Diputacion 10, 48008 Bilbao
La Vina del Ensanche on Diputacion in Bilbao since 1927 runs three rooms under the third family generation, Joselito Iberian ham the house pintxo.
Baster ★ 4.2
Calle Correo, 48005 Bilbao
Baster on Calle Correo at the foot of the cathedral tower in Bilbao runs a Casco Viejo pintxo bar with made-to-order tortillas, quiches and vermut.
Bar Charly ★ 4.2
Plaza Nueva 8, 48005 Bilbao
Bar Charly on Plaza Nueva in Bilbao since 1973 keeps a traditional Casco Viejo pintxo counter with bacalao croquettes, bonito and the gilda.