Marti Buckley Destination Expert

Bilbao's size and diversity make for a lengthy menu of nocturnal offerings. Whether your pint of beer is craft or simply cold, Bilbao has an ever-growing list of trendy night spots, especially in the central Abando neighbourhood. Enjoy a gin-tonic infused using dry ice or sample the city's many cocktail bars that are frozen in time, living tributes to the glorious retro coctelería of the 1970s and 1980s.

The locals in Bilbao tend to skip the mega-discos in favour of smaller scale clubs and concert halls where the crowd is defined by musical genre, so there always seems to be decent live music somewhere.

• Best wine bars
• Best for cocktails
• Best pubs
• Best for live music
• Best for a late night

In Spain, every bar is technically a wine bar. But a place that feels like one is a rare find, and Cork is exactly that. Around the corner from the San Mamés football stadium, it protests the beer-and-football culture surrounding it with an extraordinary range of wines by the glass, made possible by in-house Coravin machines. The food is absolutely worth pairing with the specialty wines: Carrasco charcuterie, Sanfilippo anchovies, oysters in season, and a bar of meticulous pintxos. Buzzy at any hour, and a genuine gem.

Website: corkbilbao.com
Price: £

The grand dame of the Bilbao drinking culture, Bar Basque retains much of its original charm, décor, and joie de vivre. A spectacular Art Nouveau façade gives way to a richly textured bar, loaded with pintxos by day and the scene of exquisitely mixed drinks (with more than 400 liquors to choose from) by night. 

Website: barbasque.es
Prices: £

If a torch, zester, shaker and bartender in a suit are essential cocktail ingredients for you, Gin Fizz is your must-drink spot in Bilbao. The living-room chic décor and the friendly yet focused bar staff keep pretensions at a minimum. Gawk at the lengthy menu and be sure to try the Lucky Harmony Fizz, a delicious blend of white tea- and spice-infused gin, almond liquor, egg yolk liquor and nutmeg. The laser-like precision is enthralling and the reasonable prices mean repeating for another round is affordable and recommended.

A snapshot in time, frozen in the best of ways since its opening more than half a century ago, Marzana 16 is a tried and true neighbourhood bar. The crowd is lively, and sits mostly outside of the tiled, retro bar, propping up with a beer or vermouth on the banks of the estuary (which just happens to be one of Bilbao's coolest neighbourhoods du jour). The best time to visit is during the day on the weekends, when vermouths doctored with a bit of hard liquor are being served by the dozens, and a crowd of hipsters and bohemians gathers to enjoy the views.

Contact: Muelle Marzana 16; 00 34 946 753 036 
Prices: £
Opening times: Mon-Fri, 4pm-11pm; Sat-Sun, 12pm-11pm

With all the trappings of a pub, including a glorious retro red carpet and wood bannisters, shiny with the patina of thousands of happy hours, Sir Winston Churchill is a cosy, familiar place to spend an evening. The gin and tonics here are something of a legend, explained and served with care, and the selection of rum and whiskey is staggering. Sink into the leather upholstery and savour good drinks and good conversation and you'll have done this bar right.

Website: sirwinstonchurchill.es
Prices: £

Kafe Antzokia is the de facto last stop for Bilbaínos of all stripes on weekends out. By rolling a club, restaurant, and music venue into one, Antzokia has claimed an seemingly permanent place in Bilbao's nightlife scene. Formerly an old theatre, the venue features a multi-level setup with several bars that makes it a great place to catch the varied menu of concerts each week or dance to the DJ. A must-stop on a night out in Bilbao.

Website: kafeantzokia.com
Prices: ££

The stage at Cotton Club is unassuming, barely raised off the ground, but it has played host to live music for 25 years. The bar's walls are plastered with eclectic souvenirs, marking the passage of time and great musical acts. While it feels authentic and even dive-y, the bar is well-stocked, to the tune of hundreds of whiskeys and gins. Settle in for a night of acoustic guitar, rock, rap or something totally unexpected.

Website: cottonclubbilbao.es
Prices: £

The spot for rock-and-rollers. Azkena is a place where alternative genres (hip-hop, indie, hard rock, and others) have space to flourish. Always packed, the modern-style interior can get quite crowded, but then that's what the clientele is here for. Signed guitars line the wall and service is agreeable in this Bilbao institution, known for its impressive concert lineup.

Contact: 00 34 944 24 08 90; facebook.com/AzkenaBilbao
Prices: £
Opening times: Mon-Thurs, 3pm-11pm; Fri-Sat, 6pm-5:30am

If the goal is to dance the night away with Bilbao's beautiful people, Memorial is the perfect backdrop. Of all the late-night discotheques in the city, this is one of the classiest, insisting even in the wee hours of the morning on preparing drinks with care. Music is a mix of Top 40, Latin music and club pop – a soundtrack designed to make crowds sway.

Website: cafeteatromemorial.com
Prices: ££

Every bar, venue or experience in this curated list has been tried and tested by our destination expert, who has visited to provide you with their insider perspective. We cover a range of budgets and styles, from casual pubs to exquisite cocktail bars – to best suit every type of traveller – and consider the service, drinks, atmosphere and price in our recommendations. We update this list regularly to keep up with the latest openings and provide up to date recommendations.