Anyone who is told that roast chicken is one of the typical dishes of Bilbao and the province of Bizkaia will surely think that it is some kind of joke. None of that, because together with the salad they make up the basic menu of the breweries, some places that are part of the popular gastronomic history of the province and that live their particular high season in summer.
In Gipuzkoa they have cider houses, but in Bizkaia there are breweries. Apart from being a recurring response when this cute provincial pique emerges, these two formats actually have little to do with each other. But they do share that attachment to their respective territories that means that, in fact, neither of them dares to set foot in the neighboring province.
The difference is that the sagardotegis are world-renowned, and the breweries in and around Bilbao often go unnoticed by those who travel here. Or even for the neighbours, because it would not be strange to ask in Donosti and for many people not to know what we are talking about. In Vitoria, however, it is possible to find some.
Bilbao’s brewing tradition dates back to the end of the 19th century, when this type of place began to become popular, where beer was served and sometimes produced. Places that would end up becoming a kind of popular urban picnic areas that, in a way, have survived until now.
The list is long and many still remember the La Casilla or Campo Volantín breweries, both linked to La Salve, one of Bilbao’s most representative beers and which, after its disappearance in 1978, returned to the market in 2014 and since 2018 has been producing again in the Biscayan capital.
Also the Deusto brewery, a neighborhood historically closely linked to the production of this drink. On the banks of the estuary, this picnic area located in front of what used to be the Euskalduna shipyards, which today is the conference center with the same name, is still remembered by many of us who got to know it as children, in the 80s.
The format was similar in all cases: folding wooden tables and chairs, a bar where drinks were served and another for food. In any case, it was not uncommon to use these spaces as authentic picnic areas, so that customers brought their food from home and the only condition was to consume a few mugs of beer.
As explained by Bilbaopedia, a medium specializing in the history of the city and created by the University of the Basque Country and the Bilbao City Council itself, during the 20th century the popularization of beer and these breweries gradually displaced the traditional role of txakolis, where until then people ate and socialized around this white wine that they made right there.
This similarity with the biergarten is not accidental. Behind the main beer brands brewed in Bilbao at the time were German families and businessmen. This also explains the role of roast chicken as the fundamental axis of the brewery menu or that many of them also offer knuckle.
Its local popularity is unquestionable. For many, summers in Bizkaia taste like roast chicken accompanied by a salad with crunchy lettuce and chives. It’s not a figure of speech. If she hasn’t lost it, my sister will continue to carry the list with the usual order in her purse when the whole family gets together to go eat at a brewery: two chickens, two salads, an omelette…
In any case, they are becoming better known by visitors. Something that, without a doubt, has a lot to do with the arrival of tourism in Bilbao in recent years. Ainara Beldarrain, from Cervecera Cobetas, knows better than anyone how everything has changed in recent years.
Her parents -she tells us- opened the business when she was 5 years old. 35 years later, this brewery with privileged views over Bilbao is surely one of the best known and, by the way, has recently been included in the Repsol Guide’s list of Soletes de Verano.
In any case, it has been common for some time now to read its name in many guides designed for those who come to discover Bilbao and want to get away from the most common gastronomic circuit. And, in addition, eat well for very little money. The price of roast chicken, explains the head of the brewery, is a sensitive issue and everything possible is always done so that the increases do not affect this dish. Right now here it is at 12 euros.
According to Beldarrain’s accounts, some 100,000 people a year go through this business. Although the chicken continues to be the undisputed winner in orders, the hamburger is the favorite of the groups of young people who frequent the place in the afternoons and, at the other extreme, the txuleton is also very popular.
It is one of the changes that have been taking place in these decades and although the essence of round tables and self-service is maintained, here too the idea of ??a grill and restaurant coexists more and more with that of a classic brewery.
What to eat in a brewery? In addition to the must-have roast chicken and salad, it’s always worth checking out the surrounding tables to see if there are any must-try dishes. Sometimes the tortilla stands out, other times the croquettes or the chorizo ??in cider, Gernika peppers are not lacking in summer and also be careful if there is blood sausage with red peppers.
For those who are going to visit Bizkaia this summer, the best recommendation would be to find the nearest brewery and stop there. The menu is going to be very similar in all of them and many times the differences lie in the facilities, the shade, the terrace and covered space -in the Basque Country sometimes in summer it continues to rain and it’s cool- or the speed when it comes to serving.
In any case, for those looking for more precise recommendations, the Cobetas brewery is a must-see. For the views and the food. They are also open all year, although outside the summer season only on weekends. The terrace is very good, but the spacious interior dining room is a good option in bad weather.
Something similar happens with the Gabiña Brewery, a historic one in the Deusto neighborhood. It is also open all year round and in this case it is an option with only an indoor dining room and which, in fact, at first glance and after the relatively recent remodeling, might seem like an ordinary restaurant. The letter, however, remains faithful to the classics of the brewers.
We jump to Kortezubi, in the heart of Urdaibai. Strategically located near the Santimamiñe caves and the Oma Forest -currently closed- and not far from Gernika and other towns in the area, Marko is another classic that must be visited if you are in the area.
Popularly known as Marko Pollo, this grill-brewery is linked to José Antonio Bastegieta, Marko, mayor for two decades of this small town. And, noteworthy data, father of Oxer Bastegieta, well known for its prized wines in La Rioja Alavesa and txakolis.
Looking up the coast and overlooking none other than San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, the Eneperi brewery doesn’t need much of an introduction either. It shares space with the restaurant of the same name, although in this case it is the terrace and the aforementioned self-service system. To the usual classics, fish proposals are added here, with bonito and cod as protagonists.
There are also more options near the coast of Bizkaia: in Plentzia, the Arriolane Brewery is small, pleasant and the perfect excuse to get to know this beautiful town just over 20 kilometers from Bilbao, but how far does the metro go. At least to the center of town, not to this establishment located on the outskirts.
Not far away and also in the beach area, Berango concentrates no less than three breweries separated by a very short distance: La Palmera, El Molino, and Berango. Again, classic menu, but also grill dishes. It is obvious that the list of options is really wide. By the way, one more rather curious: the batzoki (PNV headquarters) of Erandio Goikoa is also a small brewery.
