HOW A BILBAO BAR MASTERED
PINTXOS WITH A TWIST
In the mid-20th century, Basque country’s lively drinking culture gave birth to pintxos, bite-size morsels of tasty local food, often served on cocktail sticks. Today, the phenomenon lives on in Bilbao’s inventive spots like Gure Toki.
Plaza Nueva is at the heart of Bilbao, but it’s not just a postcard destination for historical snapshots. The plaza’s tall, Neoclassical colonnades flank the bars and restaurants at the centre of the city’s pintxo scene, and positioned in a prominent corner sits a Bilbao institution: Gure Toki.
Every day, chef Iván Siles arrives and mans his spot behind
the stoves before 10am. Diners and pintxo hoppers will begin to trickle in at noon and won’t stop until closing time.
If riding the iconic Artxanda Funicular is an essential experience in Bilbao, the same can be said for eating pintxos. Crowds patiently line up at the Guri Toki for what Siles calls “an updated traditional cuisine” but could be described as a mixture of Basque home cooking and modern fine dining.
On a plate, this can look like a bite of blood-red steak,
topped with wakame instead of the traditional green pepper. Or seared foie gras, perched on thin slices of apple and coated in with a sweet Pedro Ximénez sherry sauce. And,
of course, there’s a two-storey display case on the bar’s
shiny countertop packed with pintxos.
The Siles siblings – Iván and sisters Begoña and Yolanda – grew up around this very bar. Their mother, Santiaga, opened the original Gure Toki in 1982. Born and raised in the south of Spain, she cooked her way to local fame with home-made classics like salt cod al pil pil and her famous croquettes. By the time she retired in 2004, three of her four children were ready to take the helm with their own ideas.
“With her teaching, and through the contests I started entering, I began to want to cook and do new things,” says Iván, who also has no formal chef training. He bought books, studied and began to create, like a Basque Heston Blumenthal.
“When I like something a lot, I can be a bit obsessive,” he says. “Plus, we had to do something different, because after more than a decade people still come around asking for my mother’s tripe.”
Nowadays, Gure Toki champions a more refined food and local wine concept that matches the sophisticated renovation the bar underwent in 2014. So you won’t find basic pintxos here. A second glance at what looks like a bowl of ‘soup’ shows that it is, in fact, a creamy serving of the local Idiazábal sheep’s cheese, accompanied by porcini mushrooms and crowned with a quail egg.
The bar’s legacy of cooking with quality produce has evolved under the direction of this younger generation. “My mother always bought the best, and taught us how to treat it,” says Ivan.
A traditional Basque parfait called goxua is made with foie gras instead of pastry cream. Spider crab, a favourite in Basque country, is folded into a waffle dough and garnished with basil. The bar’s formula of tradition and seasonal produce with a creative spin has come to define Gure Toki.
It’s telling, though, that for all his experimentation, Iván insists that his favourite is still the traditional hake cheek with vizcaína (a Biscayne pepper sauce), a simple pintxo that his mother used to make.
He smiles. “There’s really nothing to it, but it’s just so good.”
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My mother always bought
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Established in 1982, Gure Toki has become famous for its award-winning pintxos
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Diners at Gure Toki can order and eat at the bar or on the terrace
Pulpo a la plancha (grilled octopus) is a popular dish
Menu highlights also include antxoas ‘pariposa’ (‘butterflied’ anchovies)
The pintxos come in calientes (hot and cooked to order) or raciones (portions),
which can be picked from the bar
Gure Toki is a tiny spot, but that doesn’t stop fans lining up to get a taste of the popular pintxos
The pintxo bar has won several awards over the years
Basque green chillies are used to make pipparak (green chilli peppers in vinegar), a popular pintxo ingredient
Gure Toki’s innovative pintxos draw heavily from their Basque heritage
Daily specials use the best ingredients of the season
words by Marti Buckley —— photography by Markel Redondo —— illustration by ANa galvaÑ
Co-owner Ivan Siles calls Gure Toki’s pintxos “updated traditional cuisine”
Co-owner Ivan Siles calls Gure Toki’s pintxos “updated traditional cuisine”
Alongside world-class food, Bilbao is a city packed
with unique experiences. British Airways offers direct and regular flights from London Gatwick to bilbao.
Prices start from £30 each way, based on a return fare.
Book now at ba.com
Trails
unexpected
of the
Alongside world-class
food, Bilbao is a city packed
with unique experiences. British Airways offers direct and regular flights from London Gatwick to bilbao.
Prices start from £30 each way, based on a return fare.
Book now at ba.com
Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Cookie Policy
© 2019 Culture Trip LTD. All Rights Reserved
Turin
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chef Iván Siles
how to treat it
the best, and taught us
My mother always bought
The bar’s legacy of cooking with quality produce has evolved under the direction of this younger generation. “My mother always bought the best, and taught us how to treat it,” says Ivan.
A traditional Basque parfait called goxua is made with foie gras instead of pastry cream. Spider crab, a favourite in Basque country, is folded into a waffle dough and garnished with basil. The bar’s formula of tradition and seasonal produce with a creative spin has come to define Gure Toki.
It’s telling, though, that for all his experimentation, Iván insists that his favourite is still the traditional hake cheek with vizcaína (a Biscayne pepper sauce), a simple pintxo that his mother used to make.
He smiles. “There’s really nothing to it, but it’s just so good.”
“When I like something a lot, I can be a bit obsessive,” he says. “Plus, we had to do something different, because after more than a decade people still come around asking for
my mother’s tripe.”
Nowadays, Gure Toki champions a more refined food and local wine concept that matches the sophisticated renovation the bar underwent in 2014. So you won’t find basic pintxos here. A second glance at what looks like a bowl of ‘soup’ shows that it is, in fact, a creamy serving of the local Idiazábal sheep’s cheese, accompanied by porcini mushrooms and crowned with a quail egg.
The Siles siblings – Iván and sisters Begoña and Yolanda – grew up around this very bar. Their mother, Santiaga, opened the original Gure Toki in 1982. Born and raised in the south of Spain, she cooked her way to local fame with home-made classics like salt cod al pil pil and her famous croquettes. By the time she retired in 2004, three of her four children were ready to take the helm with their own ideas.
“With her teaching, and through the contests I started entering, I began to want to cook and do new things,” says Iván, who also has no formal chef training. He bought books, studied and began to create, like a Basque
Heston Blumenthal.
If riding the iconic Artxanda Funicular is an essential experience in Bilbao, the same can be said for eating pintxos. Crowds patiently line up at the Guri Toki for what Siles calls “an updated traditional cuisine” but could be described as a mixture of Basque home cooking and modern fine dining.
On a plate, this can look like a bite of blood-red steak, topped with wakame instead of the traditional green pepper. Or seared foie gras, perched on thin slices of apple and coated in with a sweet Pedro Ximénez sherry sauce. And, of course, there’s a two-storey display case on the bar’s shiny countertop packed with pintxos.
Plaza Nueva is at the heart of Bilbao, but it’s not just a postcard destination for historical snapshots. The plaza’s tall, Neoclassical colonnades flank the bars and restaurants at the centre of the city’s pintxo scene, and positioned in a prominent corner sits a Bilbao institution: Gure Toki.
Every day, chef Iván Siles arrives and mans his spot behind the stoves before 10am. Diners and pintxo hoppers will begin to trickle in at noon and won’t stop until closing time.
In the mid-20th century, Basque country’s lively drinking culture gave birth to pintxos, bite-size morsels of tasty local food, often served on cocktail sticks. Today, the phenomenon lives on in Bilbao’s inventive spots like Gure Toki.
HOW A BILBAO BAR MASTERED PINTXOS
WITH A TWIST
Words by Marti Buckley
Photography by Markel Redondo
Illustration by Ana Galvañ
london gatwick
Bilbao
Trails
unexpected
of the
next stop: amsterdam
British Airways offers direct and regular flights
from London Gatwick to bilbao.
Prices start from £30 each way, based on a return fare.
Book now at ba.com
Alongside world-class food, Bilbao is a city packed with unique experiences. British Airways offers direct and regular flights from London Gatwick to Bilbao.
Book now at ba.com
Prices start from £30 each way, based on a return fare.
Alongside world-class food, Bilbao is
a city packed with unique experiences. British Airways offers direct and regular flights from London Gatwick to Bilbao.
Prices start from £30 each way,
based on a return fare.
Book now at ba.com
chef Iván Siles
and taught us how to treat it
My mother always bought the best,
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