EBG Rating: 7.9/10

Choice/Quality of Drinks:
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
An impressive list of wines by the glass, superior for the city. Basic beers and a back bar of typical Spanish liqueurs, with Vermuts, etc.

Style/Décor:
❤️❤️❤️❤️
Narrow one-room bar with a high ceiling. Limited high tables and stools, with a terrace out front. Decorated traditionally but smartly fit. Shelves of wines behind the bar and pinxtos on the counter for inspection.

Atmosphere/Character:
❤️❤️❤️❤️
Cosmopolitan feeling for a traditional bar, which feels relevant and on the circuit for locals, possibly middle class but not exclusive. Busy and bustling outside of the usual siesta hours where a seat can be attained. Get stuck in.

Amenities/Events:
❤️❤️❤️
Food, snacks, takeaway, shop.

Value For Money:
❤️❤️❤️
Fair value considering the higher quality provided.

Description:
Where Bodega Joserra, the other side of Casco Viejo offers humble goods at great prices in an unpretentious environment, Taberna Basaras aims to provide high quality wines at affordable prices in an environment that is still comfortable, informal and traditional. They are fascinating counterpoints showing the variety of the pintxos scene.

A very small venue but with a brisk trade, your best best for one of the few seats is early afternoon as it moves towards siesta time.

The wine selection by the glass is one of the best of the traditional old town bars and it is a joy to explore them at a fair cost. Pintxos vary over the course of the day depending when the kitchen produces them, but they are known for their anchovies specifically.

Basaras has a history too, dating from 1946. These days it wears the history lightly, clearly of an age but not trying over-hard to trade on it. Traditional in style but smartly fit, there is a contemporary relevance to it with a nod to its past.

The small size produces that intimate hypersocial feel you get from Spanish bars where you reach over shoulders to grab dishes, stand cheek-by-jowl with strangers and are in the middle of a throng with conversation flying back and forth.

The only slight downer we experience was the disinterested and unfriendly two young female servers (who behaved like that on both occasions) that did not reflect well on the business in comparison to Joel who runs the operation. Bilbao service is known for not having many airs-and-graces but they definitely pushed it beyond what is acceptable. Hopefully that was a one-off.

(Added November 2025)