Café Iruña

Café Iruña is one of Bilbao's most treasured historic cafés, opened in 1903 and renowned for its extraordinary Moorish-inspired interior — one of the most beautiful café interiors in the Basque Country and arguably in all of Spain. The building's decoration draws on Orientalist aesthetics fashionable at the turn of the 20th century: intricately carved wooden partitions, hand-painted azulejos (ceramic tiles), gilded columns, ornate arched ceilings, and walls of dark wood and brass that create a sense of stepping into another era. Located on Calle Berastegui near the Ensanche, Café Iruña has served as a social hub for Bilbao across twelve decades — a meeting place for intellectuals, politicians, merchants, and travellers. The food and drink menu is traditional: café con leche, hot chocolate, pintxos, and simple Basque bar dishes that sustain the café's role as a genuine neighbourhood anchor rather than a tourist set-piece. The pintxo selection includes classic preparations — tortilla, jamón, croquetas — at honest bar prices. Iruña is also open for lunch and dinner, offering simple traditional dishes in the main dining room. The visit is as much an architectural and cultural experience as a gastronomic one — no visit to Bilbao is complete without at least a coffee under those extraordinary ceilings.