Came here on the basis of the 2 yelp reviews below and am glad that we did. It's a bit hard to find, or rather, the way that addresses work in Spain (or perhaps Bilbao) is a bit odd, so #7 is not necessarily near/next to #6 (you'll figure it out--it's there).
We arrived at 2:30pm and had a half hour wait (a good sign that this place is popular on a Sat. afternoon). We had tapas while waiting for a table upstairs and then we had the menu del dia (a must when eating mid-day) and for 10 euros it was a great deal--I had paella to start, the cod, and tiramasu for dessert (wine included). Husband had red beans (which were a bit reminiscent of New Orleans red beans, lots of smoky chorizo included), the cod, and also the tiramasu (and wine). We were both stuffed--portions were generous. And my paella was the second best of my Spain trip--really good overall.
It was the last day of our trip, Day 24, and we were tired...too tired to think about what was the best place to eat. But we had been in Spain for two weeks without once eating paella, and so we had to find a place serving paella that wasn't a total tourist trap, and somehow, stumbling through Bilbao's Old Town, we found ourselves in El Ciervo. What luck! Despite the fact that they were finishing up the lunch shift, they took us in anyways and led us upstairs to a small dining room filled with people finishing up an obviously satisfying meal. Despite our language barrier, the waitress managed to tell us what we should eat off of the menu del dia, and this is how we discovered MARMITAKO. That we nearly got out of Spain without eating this beautiful dish gives me the shivers. Paella be damned, it's all about the marmitako (Basque tuna stew). It was so delicious, and our waitress so kind, and we were so glad that our last meal in Spain ended up being here. And the paella was OK, too.
Nos encantó la comida después de estar paseando toda la mañana por Bilbao,la camarera encantadora y la gente del lugar muy amable
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