Restaurante Amaren

We had an absolute insane experience in Amaren. First things first: you should make a reservation. This place gets busy, and is booked out for a couple of days/weeks if you’re unlucky. Secondly, the service - absolute outstanding. The waiters took good care of us, asked with a good frequency if we are fine, and were really professional in their service. The highlight - without a question - the meat. 1200 grams of beef, served with a refreshing , tasty salad, and potatoes. The meat is relatively blue, but can be grilled on a little „table grill“. Absolutely amazing experience. The availability of drinks is also great, and beer comes in a big „wine-type“ glass. We were so happily full after the food that we couldn’t try the desert. Prices are higher, but honestly, given the whole concept and quality (food and service), worth it for a special evening. I can highly recommend trying Amaren!

This steakhouse is billed as one of the “Top 100 Steakhouses in the World,” so naturally, our expectations were very high. Unfortunately, the experience didn’t live up to the accolades. We were recommended the “most tender cut” by our waitress, but the steak was surprisingly tough and not tender at all—it was actually difficult to chew. For two people, they recommended 1.3kg of steak, which we went with, but we were both disappointed. The steak was supposed to be cooked medium rare (they refused to prepare it medium), but what we received was very much on the rare side—almost raw in the center. They brought a charcoal grill to the table so guests could cook it more themselves, which is a nice idea in theory, but every table around us was clearly doing the same thing. If everyone has to re-cook their steak, something isn’t right. The sides were better—the potatoes were quite good and the roasted peppers had a nice flavor, even if a bit overpriced. Service was also lacking. Our waitress came across as unfriendly and unengaged—slamming plates down, not smiling, and not responding to polite “thank yous.” It felt cold and transactional. Honestly, I’m baffled by the glowing Google reviews and international recognition. This didn’t resemble anything close to an American steakhouse experience, where quality, tenderness, and service are usually top-tier. Based on our visit, I would not return or recommend this place for a proper steak experience.

Amaren has a lovely atmosphere. The staff is attentive and friendly. We came here for the steak of course. But the show stealer was one of the starters. The foie and marrow starter was excellent. It is the perfect presentation. Great combination of sweet sauces and rich “marrow”. Highly recommend. We also had artichokes and sweetbread. To me they were ok but not amazing. The steak we had was the Minhotto from Spain. They recommended 1.8kg. I want doing conversion correctly to pounds. It was too much meat for three people. I’d say 1 or 1.2kg would have been plenty. The meat was flavorful. And it’s fun to finish cooking on the grill. The steak experience is just what we expected. For dessert we didn’t really have room any more. Challenged ourselves to try the cheesecake not came in a pot. More like a cheesy pudding. Very tasty and the lighter texture worked for us because we were quite full! It’s pricey but a high end experience.

Food is really really good here. No wonder the steak is one of the top 16 in the world. The only reason I didn’t give them 5* is because we waited very long to get our assigned server to take our food order. Thankfully the quality and taste of the food make up for it.

I picked this place to celebrate my mum's birthday, and they didn’t disappoint. The customer service was excellent — the staff were friendly and happy to help with a couple of surprises my brother and I had planned. The overall experience was amazing, and the food was genuinely of very high quality. The girl who explained the meat options was not only knowledgeable but also very patient with our questions. Great value for money, and I’d honestly recommend a visit to Amaren to anyone coming to Bilbao.