The Best Asian Restaurants in Bilbao

Kimtxu is a popular Basque-Asian fusion restaurant, and a must-visit while in Bilbao. Starters include dishes such as pad Thai with Iberian pork and razor clams with green curry and hazelnuts, while mains include peanut red curry with aubergine and peppers, and fried scorpion fish with miso, mustard and anchovies. Don’t forget to save room for dessert – rice pudding with coconut milk, mango and passion fruit anyone? There’s also a weekday lunch menu for €18.

Kuma is an elegant Japanese restaurant by chef Daniel Lomana, and many say the best Japanese restaurant in the city. Dishes are beautifully presented on mother of pearl-like plates and feature lots of fresh seafood, sashimi and wagyu beef.

Although it may sound like a Chinese restaurant, Old Shanghai is one of the best places to go to in Bilbao for a varied range of Asian dishes. You’ll find everything here from classic szechuan chicken and Peking duck to Malaysian nasi goreng rice dish, Thai green curry and Japanese teppanyaki red tuna. There are also lots of vegetarian offerings such as spicy tofu, bamboo shoots with mushrooms and crispy vegetable tempura.

As the name suggests, Wasabi is a traditional Japanese restaurant. With other branches in Mallorca, Alicante and Zaragoza, this is a popular chain. Wasabi in Bilbao is located just 500 metres from the famous Guggenheim Museum, in a prime city location. Sleek and sophisticated, the restaurant is dressed cream and black shades, and serves Japanese classics. Think wasabi salad with king prawns and octopus, gyoza chicken dumplings, yaki udon noodles, and, of course, sushi.

Set in a beautiful white-tiled restaurant, decorated with Buddha statues and wood carvings, Oishii Thai is not really a pure Thai restaurant like it may sound, instead it serves a range of Asian dishes from spring rolls and fried rice to sushi. If you do want classic Thai, however, they do a good prawn pad Thai.

Miu Japones is another of Bilbao’s great Japanese restaurants. It’s especially good for sushi and gyoza. The restaurant also serves an excellent value menu of the day for €10.95 for four courses. Think miso soup or seaweed salad to start, followed by shiitake mushroom tempura or a crab and avocado roll, then cod with beansprouts. Finish with interesting puddings of pineapple with cream cheese or rice cake with peach jam.

Bilbao doesn’t have too many Indian restaurants, but if you are craving a korma or a rogan josh, then Punjabi is sure to satisfy. As well as all the traditional curries, they particularly specialise in tandooris and biryanis. Vegetarians who are finding it difficult to find wholesome dishes elsewhere in Bilbao will be delighted with the range on offer, from vegetable pasanda and tarka dahl to palak paneer and vegetable pakoras.

A cute little wood-panelled restaurant, Asia Chic takes most of its inspiration from Japanese cuisine. Teppanyaki-style dishes are cooked right in front of you by skilled knife-wielding chefs. The menu here includes everything from sushi and sashimi to nigiri and California rolls. Tasty Asian-style desserts include rice with black sesame, fried ice cream and chocolate spring rolls.