Sabino’s little house, the house by the sea.

Restaurant La casita de Sabino, one of the best fish restaurants in Greater Bilbao.

To say that La casita de Sabino offers the best fish in Bilbao is a bit risky, but we are sure that we are not far off the mark. This Bilbao restaurant is undoubtedly one of those restaurants that make history, an establishment specialized in seafood products where the raw material marks the way. Many people will find it hard to relate the center of one of our cities with one of the best fish dishes in the Basque Country, but that is how it is, or so wanted Sabino, responsible for the restaurant that concerns us today, a man who has always been linked to seafood.

La Casita de Sabino does not have grills like the ones we can find in some of the coastal towns of Euskal Herria such as Getaria or Orio, where the best fish is grilled in the street, in the open air and with a good grill, but it has nothing to envy to their creations. In La Casita de Sabino you can eat and drink and that’s where we go, and you?

Sabino, walks around the tables of his establishment with a humble and cheerful attitude, accepting criticism and recommending dishes to everyone he meets on his way, a peculiar owner, who is essential to understand the essence of this restaurant specialized in fish and seafood.

Establishment: Although Sabino has other restaurants in the province of Bizkaia, we chose the new restaurant located in Henao street in Bilbao, in the center of the capital of Bizkaia. A modern and simple establishment, a small txoko, where the fish in the display case catches the eye and the fish on the plate catches the palate. The dining room of La Casita de Sabino is a space according to the times of nowadays, minimalist, careful, pleasant, of good atmosphere and with a good separation between tables, a space that invites to enjoy the delicacies of the sea.

Menu: The menu is presented as in the past, with handwritten prices, numbers that oscillate with the coming and going of the prices that are marked in the fish and seafood markets of our environment. Although not only fish and seafood, at the bottom of the same, highlight the sausage and cheese board, two dishes that break with the rest of the products offered. All the dishes of La Casita de Sabino can be accompanied with good wines thanks to the varied wine list, red and white, among which we read great names like Itsasmendi 7, a great white wine, a great txakoli made in the Biosphere Reserve of Urdaibai, our choice.

Raw material: Sabino revealed one of his many sources, the port of Ondarroa. It is there, where he obtains much of the raw material consumed in his restaurants. A fresh fish and seafood that Sabino walks around the dining room so that his customers can appreciate the quality and freshness of them. From the best fish markets and ports to our plates.

Our menu: The dishes at La Casita de Sabino flee from the innovative and minimalist dishes that we are so used to in today’s restaurants. Its offer is clear, fish cooked in a traditional way where simplicity in cooking and the quality of the raw material are paramount, without great fanfare.

We made our choice guided by the waiter who served us, a great recommendation by the way. The menu consisted of assorted starters and a large 2.6 kg king as the main course. The starters, txangurro salad, octopus, razor clams and ham, literally flew along with one of the bottles of Txakoli, in the blink of an eye.

The king, marked on the grill and finished in the oven, was presented with garlic and chili peppers, as God intended, that’s all that was needed. Once given the go-ahead and the photos of rigor, the waiter did a great job of plating, obtaining good slices accompanied by its regulatory juice, there was nothing left, even the head was subjected to a rigorous quartering.

We rounded off the day with desserts, which, although they were very good, were not enough after tasting that delight of the seas, it is clear that the king rules at La Casita de Sabino.

Sabino and Tula: We had the opportunity to meet Sabino, responsible for the restaurant, with whom we talked about his adventures in the Basque ports and with whom we exchanged opinions about the dishes to be tasted. We wanted to take a picture of him to record his presence in the dining room, when he did not hesitate to tell us that the real crack of La Casita de Sabino, without detracting from the rest, of course, was Tula, the Nepalese cook who runs the kitchen, a humble detail that honors him.

Price: A luxury broth, quality dishes and a king to take off your hat for about 55 € per head. A relatively comfortable bill if we take into account the culinary experience offered by La Casita de Sabino, to repeat.

Attention: Sabino, Tula and the waiters who served us did a great job. Among their great successes, the recommendation of the house, the star dish, the king, pure butter, fine fine, very rich.

From the fish markets to Sabino’s kitchen, fresh and quality fish, so says Sabino and so we attest, take note, La Casita de Sabino, the place to eat one of the best fish in Bilbao.