EBG Rating: 7.7/10

Choice/Quality of Drinks:
❤️❤️❤️❤️
A decent range. Broad rather than deep but something for most here.

Style/Décor:
❤️❤️❤️❤️
One room pub with a wider, loungey space. Bar area to the left of the room, straight ahead as you enter, and most seating to the right. Personalised space with cabinets, framed heritage and posters. Lamp lighting and green painted walls.

Atmosphere/Character:
❤️❤️❤️❤️
More relaxed pubby feeling space where you can stretch out a little. On the tourist trail but out of season it could not be called a tourist destination and still attracts plenty of locals.

Amenities/Events:
❤️❤️❤️
Food, outdoor seating.

Value For Money:
❤️❤️❤️
Not the cheapest in the old town nor the most expensive.

Description:
While there’s a charm to being in a throng of people in a little bar, variety is the spice of life and it’s nice to find a pintxo bar with a little more breathing space and a more pubby feeling environment.

Xukela is a distinctly more relaxed affair in personalised surroundings. Less of the harsh strip lighting, none of the cheek-by-jowl sardine can experience.

With its own cabinets of nik-naks, posters and framed artwork, this is a venue that’s decided to put an imprint on the scene.

Here’s where you can unwind with friends, with ample seating and an environment which invites you to linger longer.

Yes, they prepare pintxos and have a spread on offer throughout the day.

Bilbao’s pub scene is a lot different depending on the time of year of your visit. Average reviews speak to occasional issues at busier, more touristy times and as such some locals have been sniffy about it.

By contrast, in November the area is light on tourism and we felt the environment was very pleasant and worth spending time in.

(Added November 2025)