Kasko Restaurant, another option to eat in the old town of Bilbao.

Toulouse beans with sacraments and veal entrecote, our choices for the weekend menu at Kasko Restaurant.

To speak of Bilbao’s Casco Viejo is to speak of the heart of Bilbao, a great agglomeration of stores, restaurants, squares and streets that constitute the largest open-air shopping center in all of Bizkaia. And it is here, in the 7 streets, in one of the most important cultural and historical centers of Bilbao, where we find the Kasko Restaurant, a restaurant that only with naming it makes clear its spirit and origin. This restaurant has been offering its services since 1996 in the premises it owns in the seven streets, in the heart of the old quarter of Bilbao, at number 16 Andra Mari Street. A space, that today we add to our list of restaurants of the Old Helmet, an establishment, that thanks to its great gastronomical supply, (green menu, menu of day and pintxos), maintains alive the atmosphere to which we are accustomed. While it is true that the Kasko Restaurant has not managed to sneak into our favorite restaurants in the “Casco”, it represents a clear choice to eat in this emblematic location of Bilbao.

Its decoration, rustic and abstract, traditional and innovative, goes hand in hand with its cuisine, where traditional dishes are prepared with innovative and creative touches.

We went to the Kasko restaurant on a Saturday, as a group, under reservation, and thank goodness, because not a single person could fit into that dining room. When we entered, we could attest to the good atmosphere and the good service that this Bilbao restaurant has, but the most important thing, its dishes, was yet to come. Will it maintain the same level as in the rest of the facets?

Menu: Leaving aside the pintxos and the menu offered by the Kasko Restaurant, we differentiate 3 types of menus: menu of the day, night menu and green menu. As usual in all the restaurants of the capital of Bizkaia, the menu of the day changes in price and dishes depending on the day of the week in which we are, thus, we find the menu of the day and the festive one. The daily menu (noon from Monday to Friday), consists of 5 starters and 5 main courses to choose from, accompanied by dessert, bread and wine of Navarra Denomination of Origin for 13 € VAT included. The festive menu (Saturdays, Sundays and holidays), the menu that we tasted, is composed of 6 starters and 6 main courses, for 22,5€ VAT included.

Of all of them we opted for the Tolosa beans, a delicacy that we always opt for whenever we can, a real luxury of winter dish in the Basque Country! The beans were presented in a deep dish presided over by chilli peppers, leaving aside the casseroles that are usually used for this type of dish. Although the flavor of the beans and sacramentos was pleasant, it did not surpass that of our favorite restaurants to eat beans in Bizkaia.

As a second course we chose the grilled entrecote with Maldon salt, a more than correct dish with which we put an end to the main courses of the day.

The dessert, cheesecake, was not up to the level of the rest of the menu, probably the weakest dish of the day.

Establishment: The local, welcomes in the same space the bar and the restaurant, a place where the bar and the tables coexist with the only separation of screens and cabinets, creating a restaurant with a great atmosphere. This small corner of Bilbao, has large wooden beams and stone walls, a traditional space, which blends perfectly with the modern elements of the decor and art exhibitions that are scattered throughout the restaurant.

Concerts and exhibitions: The Kasko restaurant is one of those restaurants where culture takes center stage, and although we did not have the opportunity to enjoy the live music that this restaurant usually offers, we were able to observe one of the exhibitions it housed.

Price: The price of the weekend menu of the Kasko restaurant (22,5€) is according to the price of the area and the day of the week, and nowadays it is very difficult to find a weekend menu in the Casco Viejo of Bilbao that does not exceed 20€.

The Kasko restaurant, its price, location, ambience and gastronomy, create a leisure package to enjoy in the heart of Bilbao, an experience that we did not love, but we did not dislike.