The best Bilbao cooking class doesn’t simply teach you how to prepare a handful of traditional recipes. It teaches you how to understand the Basque Country.
Over the course of a few hours, I learned why Basques are fiercely protective of their produce, why a humble pintxo owes its existence to a Hollywood film, why marmitako was once cooked aboard fishing boats in the Bay of Biscay, and why one of the region’s most famous steaks needs little more than salt to become unforgettable.
As someone who grew up in the Basque Country, I thought I already knew my local cuisine. I was wrong.
This Basque cooking class at Gastronomía Bilbao wasn’t simply about following recipes. It was about discovering the stories, traditions and philosophy behind every dish, all brought to life by chef Mikel Larrañaga, whose infectious personality and remarkable career transformed what could have been a cooking lesson into one of my favourite experiences in Bilbao.
If you’re searching for the best cooking class in Bilbao, whether you’re a passionate home cook or someone who simply loves discovering a destination through its food, this is an experience I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend.
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Quick Verdict
⭐ Rating: 5/5
Perfect for: Food lovers, couples, solo travellers, families with older children and anyone wanting a deeper understanding of Basque culture.
Duration: Approximately four hours.
What you’ll make: A selection of traditional Basque dishes including Gilda pintxos, chorizo cooked in cider, marmitako, txuleta and torrija.
My favourite part: The stories behind every dish. Rather than simply showing us what to cook, Mikel explained why each recipe exists, turning lunch into a fascinating journey through Basque history and traditions.
Book this Bilbao Cooking Class
If you’re looking for one of the best cooking classes in Bilbao, I can’t recommend this experience highly enough.
✅ Learn from a Michelin-trained Basque chef
✅ Cook a complete multi-course Basque meal
✅ Small groups
✅ Includes lunch, drinks and recipe cards
➡️ Check availability and book your Bilbao Cooking Class here.
Why Book a Bilbao Cooking Class?
Bilbao has become one of Europe’s great food cities. Visitors often come for the pintxos bars of the Casco Viejo or to tick Michelin-starred restaurants off their bucket list, but eating Basque food and understanding it are two very different things.
A good cooking class bridges that gap.
Instead of simply being served beautifully prepared dishes, you begin to understand the thinking behind Basque cuisine. You learn why seasonality still matters in a region where locals wait patiently for bonito season before making marmitako. You discover why exceptional ingredients are treated with such respect that even an aged steak is seasoned with little more than Añana salt and good olive oil. You leave not just with recipes, but with techniques and stories that stay with you long after your trip has ended.
For me, that is the difference between a memorable activity and a genuinely meaningful travel experience.
Meet Mikel: From School Dropout to Michelin Kitchens
Before we’d even picked up a knife, Mikel had the whole room laughing.
“Please call me Mikel with a K,” he grinned. “Michael is fine. Never Miguel with a G.”
It was a wonderfully Basque introduction. Equal parts humour and quiet pride, it immediately set the tone for the afternoon.
Mikel’s journey to becoming a chef was anything but conventional. After dropping out of school, his parents gave him a simple ultimatum: if he wasn’t going to study, he needed to learn English. Armed with little more than £300 and a suitcase full of cigarettes to help fund his adventure, he headed to the UK, where he found work as a dishwasher.
It didn’t take long for his talent to shine through. Encouraged by his employer, he moved into the kitchen and discovered the profession that would shape the rest of his life.
Back in the Basque Country, he enrolled in culinary school, spending every summer working in increasingly prestigious restaurants instead of taking holidays. His dedication eventually earned him a scholarship to Japan, where he spent four demanding years refining his craft before returning to Spain to work in Michelin-starred kitchens.
Although he loved the challenge, the relentless pace eventually took its toll. Rather than sacrifice his health, Mikel chose a different path, qualifying as a teacher so he could combine his years of professional experience with a passion for sharing Basque cuisine.
The result is exactly what every cooking class hopes to offer but rarely achieves: tuition from someone with Michelin-level experience, delivered without the ego. Instead, Mikel teaches with warmth, humour and an infectious enthusiasm that makes everyone, from complete beginners to experienced home cooks, feel instantly at ease.
The Cooking Experience
By the time the aprons were on and the chopping boards laid out, it already felt less like a cooking class and more like spending an afternoon in someone’s kitchen.
There were no intimidating demonstrations from behind a counter, nor were we simply handed pre-prepared ingredients to assemble. Instead, every participant was involved from the very beginning. We peeled vegetables, practised knife skills, stirred pots, tasted sauces, poured cider and, perhaps most importantly, listened.
Because while the food was excellent, it quickly became apparent that the real ingredient Mikel was adding to every dish was a story.
As we chopped onions, he spoke about growing up in the Basque Country. As we stirred the marmitako, he explained how generations of fishermen had cooked the same stew aboard their boats using freshly caught bonito. Even something as simple as seasoning a steak became an insight into the Basque philosophy that exceptional ingredients should never be hidden behind complicated sauces.
I’d taken several cooking classes around the world before arriving in Bilbao. Some had done all the preparation for us, reducing the experience to little more than stirring a pan. Others had gone to the opposite extreme, leaving guests endlessly chopping vegetables while the chefs handled the interesting parts.
This struck the perfect balance.
We prepared every component ourselves, learning techniques that I’d genuinely use again at home, before cooking each dish together and finally sitting down to enjoy the meal we’d created.
One thing I particularly appreciated was how accessible the class felt. Among our group were people who were clearly accomplished home cooks, yet there were also complete beginners who admitted they’d barely used a potato peeler before. Mikel somehow managed to teach everyone without anyone feeling left behind or, equally importantly, bored.
That is much harder than it sounds.
Cooking Your Way Through Basque Culture
Gilda: The Pintxo That Started It All
Our first creation was also one of the Basque Country’s most iconic.
At first glance, a Gilda looks wonderfully simple: olives, Cantabrian anchovies and pickled piparra peppers threaded onto a skewer and generously dressed with olive oil.
Its story, however, is anything but simple.
During Franco’s dictatorship, when Basque culture was heavily suppressed and entertainment tightly controlled, the Hollywood film Gilda, starring Rita Hayworth, eventually made its way to San Sebastián. Hayworth’s character was described as spicy, salty and irresistibly seductive. Around the same time, a local bar owner looked at three ingredients already sitting behind the bar (olives, anchovies and piparra peppers) and decided to combine them into a single pintxo.
Long, elegant and packing a surprising kick, someone remarked that it reminded them of Rita Hayworth herself.
The name stuck.
It was exactly the kind of story I’d never have discovered by simply ordering a Gilda in a pintxos bar.
Chorizo Cooked in Cider
The next dish challenged something I thought I already knew.
I’d always assumed chorizo cooked in cider was exactly that: fry the sausage, splash in some cider and let it bubble away for a few minutes.
Not even close.
Instead, Mikel showed us that fresh, uncured chorizo is gently simmered in Basque cider until almost all of the liquid has reduced away, allowing the meat to slowly absorb its flavour before being sliced and returned briefly to the pan.
While the chorizo cooked, we also learned another treasured Basque tradition.
Pouring cider isn’t simply a way of serving a drink; it’s almost a ritual. Holding the bottle high above your head and the glass low by your knee, the cider crashes into the side of the glass, aerating it before being drunk immediately.
As someone who doesn’t drink alcohol, I happily passed my portions over to Steve, who judging by his enthusiasm, he considered this one of the highlights of the afternoon.
Marmitako: The Fishermen’s Stew
If one dish captures the soul of the Basque coastline, it’s marmitako.
I’d grown up eating it and knew it as a seasonal favourite made with fresh bonito during the summer months. What I hadn’t realised was why the dish existed in the first place.
Traditionally, Basque fishermen would take potatoes, onions, peppers and dried pimientos choriceros with them out to sea before preparing marmitako onboard using the tuna they’d caught that very day.
Suddenly, this humble stew wasn’t just comfort food. It was a window into the region’s maritime heritage.
Preparing it also turned out to be one of the most educational parts of the class. Mikel demonstrated how to dice vegetables efficiently, how to deseed peppers with minimal waste and why potatoes should be broken rather than neatly sliced, allowing them to release their starch and naturally thicken the broth. He also introduced many guests to pimientos choriceros, whose rich, smoky flesh gives the stew much of its distinctive flavour, before showing us why the fish is only added at the very end, gently poaching in the residual heat of the stock.
These aren’t complicated techniques.
They’re simply the sort of little details that quietly make you a better cook.
Txuleta: Proof That Simplicity Wins
One sentence from Mikel perfectly summarised Basque cuisine.
“You don’t need to hide great ingredients.”
Nowhere is that philosophy more obvious than with txuleta.
A magnificent aged steak, cooked over fierce heat, seasoned generously with Añana salt and served with little else besides sweet peppers slowly cooked with garlic.
No elaborate marinades.
No heavy sauces.
No unnecessary garnish.
Just confidence in the quality of the produce.
As someone who has eaten plenty of excellent steak across northern Spain, I loved hearing the thinking behind such apparent simplicity. It isn’t about doing less because it’s easier.
It’s about knowing when you’ve already got perfection.
Torrija: The Sweet Finish
By the time dessert arrived, I honestly couldn’t have eaten another bite.
Fortunately, torrija has a way of changing your mind.
Made using rich brioche soaked in an infused mixture of milk, cream, citrus and cinnamon before being caramelised in butter and sugar, it was easily one of the best versions I’d ever tasted.
This was the only dish Mikel prepared himself.
Apparently, previous guests had achieved an almost perfect success rate of burning the sugar, and he’d decided that everyone deserved to leave with a memorable dessert rather than a smoky disappointment.
It was another small touch that perfectly summed up the experience.
Yes, we were there to learn.
But we were also there to enjoy ourselves.
What Makes This Cooking Class Different?
Long after I’d forgotten the exact quantities of paprika or the cooking time for the chorizo, I realised what I’d actually taken home from the day.
I understood Basque cuisine better.
Not because I’d memorised four recipes, but because I finally understood the stories behind them.
Most cooking classes teach you what to cook. This one teaches you why.
For me, that’s what transformed it from an enjoyable afternoon into one of the most authentic cultural experiences I’ve had in Bilbao.
If you’ve decided this sounds like your kind of experience, I’d recommend booking in advance, especially during spring and summer.
Who Is This Bilbao Cooking Class For?
One of the things I appreciated most about this experience was just how broad its appeal is.
If you’re a confident home cook, you’ll undoubtedly pick up new techniques, from sharpening your knife skills to understanding why Basque chefs break potatoes instead of slicing them, or why fish is added to marmitako only once the pan has been removed from the heat. These are the small details that elevate everyday cooking without making it feel intimidating. Somehow, Mikel managed to make everyone feel equally involved.
I also think it’s an excellent experience for couples. Steve and I naturally found ourselves sharing jobs throughout the afternoon: one chopping while the other stirred, one filming while the other tasted (someone had to make sure the cider was good enough!). By the end of the class, we’d not only cooked a fantastic meal together but shared an experience that felt far more memorable than simply eating in another restaurant.
Solo travellers will also feel completely at ease. The communal nature of the class naturally encourages conversation, and by the time we sat down to enjoy the meal together, everyone was chatting as though we’d known each other for much longer than a few hours.
Above all, I’d recommend this class to anyone who wants to understand the Basque Country beyond its landmarks. Food is such a fundamental part of Basque identity that learning to cook these dishes provides an insight into the region’s culture that few museums or guided tours can offer.
Practical Information
Location: Gastronomía Bilbao, centrally located on the opposite side of the river to the Guggenheim it is easy to reach on foot or by public transport.
Duration: Approximately four hours.
Language: English.
Group size: Small enough for everyone to get involved, ask questions and receive individual guidance.
What’s included:
- All ingredients and equipment.
- Hands-on tuition from chef Mikel Larrañaga.
- A multi-course Basque menu including Gilda, chorizo cooked in cider, marmitako, txuleta and torrija.
- Drinks during the experience (including different wine pairings).
- A relaxed communal meal at the end.
- Recipe cards to recreate the dishes at home.
What to wear: Comfortable clothes and closed shoes. Aprons are provided, but cooking can occasionally get a little messy, which is all part of the fun.
Cost: At €150, I actually think this class is excellent value.
Considering you’re learning from a chef with Michelin-starred kitchen experience, cooking a five-course Basque menu, enjoying lunch with drinks, and leaving with recipes you’ll use long after your trip, I’d happily pay it again. In fact, it’s considerably better value than many shorter cooking classes I’ve taken elsewhere in Europe.
Where to park: Hotel Hesperia has an underground car park, but beware, the turns are tight and larger cars will struggle! Otherwise park in Parking Arenales which is only a 10 min walk away.
How to book it: Easy! Just follow this link!
Tips for Getting the Most from the Experience
You’ll leave with the recipes, so don’t spend the entire class worrying about writing notes.
Listen to the stories.
Ask questions.
Watch how Mikel handles his knife, seasons the dishes and explains the history behind each recipe.
Those are the things you’ll remember long after you’ve forgotten the exact quantity of paprika that went into the marmitako.
And, most importantly…. arrive hungry.
The portions are generous, and by the time dessert arrives you’ll understand why many locals consider food less of a meal and more of a social event.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need cooking experience?
Not at all. This class is designed for everyone, whether you’ve been cooking for years or have barely picked up a chef’s knife. Mikel adapts his teaching naturally to suit different experience levels, ensuring beginners feel supported while still sharing techniques that more experienced cooks will appreciate.
Is this one of the best cooking classes in Bilbao?
Having taken cooking classes in several countries, I’d comfortably say this is one of the best I’ve experienced. That’s not simply because of the food, but because of the storytelling. You leave understanding Basque culture as much as Basque cuisine.
Will I actually cook, or is it mostly a demonstration?
You’ll be involved throughout the experience. From preparing vegetables and assembling pintxos to stirring stews and learning traditional techniques, this is a genuinely hands-on class rather than a chef demonstration.
Can dietary requirements be accommodated?
It’s always worth contacting the organisers before booking if you have allergies or dietary requirements. As the menu includes fish, meat and dairy, advance notice will give them the best opportunity to advise you on suitable alternatives.
Will I receive the recipes afterwards?
Yes. One of the nicest touches is that you’ll leave with recipe cards, making it easy to recreate the dishes at home and relive a little of your time in Bilbao.
Final Verdict: Is This Bilbao Cooking Class Worth It?
Without hesitation, yes.
I’ve eaten in exceptional restaurants across the Basque Country. I’ve spent years enjoying pintxos in Bilbao’s bars and grown up surrounded by Basque food. Yet this experience still taught me something new.
It reminded me that recipes are only one small part of a cuisine.
The stories behind those recipes: the fishermen cooking marmitako at sea, the Hollywood actress who inspired the Gilda, the quiet confidence that allows Basque chefs to let extraordinary ingredients speak for themselves, are what truly bring a culture to life.
Mikel’s warmth, humour and remarkable career make him exactly the sort of person you hope to meet when travelling. He’s someone who is deeply knowledgeable without ever being pretentious, passionate without taking himself too seriously, and genuinely invested in ensuring every guest leaves having learned something new.
If you’re looking for a Bilbao cooking class that goes beyond simply teaching recipes, this is the experience to book.
You’ll leave with a full stomach, a handful of recipes and, perhaps most importantly, a much deeper appreciation for one of Europe’s greatest food cultures.
Bea Adventurous Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
Would I do this class again?
No.
Not because I didn’t love it, but because Gastronomía Bilbao offers two other cooking classes that have now made it onto my wish list: their Traditional Basque Pintxo Cooking Class and their Paella & Burnt Basque Cheesecake Cooking Class.
I’d rather return to learn something completely new than repeat an experience I’ve already had. That said, if this immersive Basque cooking class was the only option available, I’d book it again in a heartbeat. Mikel’s stories, humour and passion for Basque cuisine are reason enough to spend another afternoon in his kitchen.
If you have decided this Bilbao Cooking Class is for you, don’t wait until it is sold out, check availability today!
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