Restaurant in Bilbao, Spain
Serious Calabrian pizza in a demanding food city.
Demaio is the most serious pizza project in Bilbao: three Calabrian brothers, long-fermented doughs, a wood-fired oven, and ingredients sourced from the Cantabrian Sea and Campania. Two formats — Contemporary Neapolitan and Roman pan — give first-timers a clear route through the menu. Easy to book, honest in execution, and a strong counterpoint to the city's fine dining circuit.
Demaio is the most compelling pizza destination in Bilbao, and one of the more interesting pizza projects in northern Spain. Run by three Calabrian brothers, Jader, Gioel, and Mattias Demaio, it offers two distinct formats — Contemporary Neapolitan and Roman pan pizza — built on long-fermented doughs, a wood-fired oven, and ingredients sourced with real intention. If you are visiting Bilbao and want something that isn't Basque pintxos or fine dining, this is the right call. Book it early in your trip rather than as an afterthought.
The first thing to understand about Demaio, especially for a first-timer, is that the two-format menu is not a gimmick. The Contemporary Neapolitan and the Roman in-pan pizza serve different purposes and different moods. The Neapolitan format is lighter, more theatrical in the way the crust behaves off the wood-fired oven. The Roman pan format is denser and more structured. On a first visit, ordering across both styles is the clearest way to understand what the Demaio brothers are doing here.
The ingredient sourcing is where the project earns its credibility. Anchovies and tuna come from the nearby Cantabrian Sea, Fior di Latte is sourced from Agerola in Campania, and artichokes arrive from Navarra. These are not decorative provenance claims , they are the building blocks of a kitchen that treats pizza as a vehicle for quality rather than a quick meal. In a city like Bilbao, where diners have been trained by decades of serious food culture, that level of sourcing rigour is both appropriate and expected.
Two pizzas merit particular attention for first-timers: La Costa Vasca and La Edizione Limitada. La Costa Vasca connects directly to the Cantabrian sourcing, making it the most site-specific pizza on the menu and the clearest expression of what the brothers are doing differently from a standard Neapolitan operation. La Edizione Limitada, as a limited edition rotation, changes and is worth asking about at the time of booking or arrival. These rotating specials are often where the most interesting decisions happen, so treat them as a scarcity signal , if it's available, order it.
The drinks list is concise but considered: Italian wines drawn from multiple regions, paired with a small selection of craft beers. Given that Bilbao offers no shortage of serious wine options at larger venues, the focused Italian list here is the right choice for the format. It keeps the focus on the food and avoids the pretension of a wine programme that would overpower what is ultimately a pizza restaurant with serious ambitions, not a fine dining room.
For a first visit, the optimal approach is a mid-week lunch or an early dinner sitting. Bilbao's dining culture skews late, and arriving at opening means you get the freshest dough, the most attentive service, and the leading chance of sampling the limited edition options before they run out. Weekend evenings at venues like this in the Ibaiondo district tend to fill quickly, particularly among locals who have already discovered what the brothers are producing here.
Demaio sits at a different price point and register from Bilbao's fine dining circuit. It is not competing with Nerua Guggenheim Bilbao or Mina for the tasting menu diner. It is, instead, filling a gap that Bilbao's restaurant scene genuinely has: a serious, ingredient-led, craft-focused casual option that can stand next to the city's fine dining reputation without embarrassment. That positioning is harder to pull off than it sounds, and Demaio does it with confidence.
The Demaio brothers' Calabrian background gives the project a cultural specificity that matters. Calabrian pizza traditions differ from Neapolitan orthodoxy, and the brothers bring that perspective to bear while still respecting the technical demands of Neapolitan-style dough and wood-fired cooking. Spain has seen an influx of serious pizza projects in recent years , operations in Madrid and Barcelona have raised the category significantly , but Bilbao now has a credible entry of its own. The wine programme nods to Italian regional diversity without being exhaustive, and the craft beer selection covers diners who want something lighter alongside a pan pizza.
Booking is direct by Bilbao standards. Unlike Ola Martín Berasategui or Zarate, which require advance planning, Demaio is an easier get. That said, local demand is real, and for weekend dinners a booking a week ahead is sensible. For weekday visits, you have more flexibility. Check the venue directly for current availability.
If you are building a Bilbao itinerary that includes serious meals at the city's leading tables, Demaio fits naturally as a lower-intensity counterpoint , the lunch between a Nerua dinner and a Zarate evening, or the solo dinner when you want something focused and honest rather than ceremonial. For broader context on eating and drinking in the city, see our full Bilbao restaurants guide, our full Bilbao bars guide, and our full Bilbao hotels guide.
Quick reference: San Frantzisko Kalea, 10, Ibaiondo, Bilbao. Two pizza formats: Contemporary Neapolitan and Roman pan. Booking: easy, one week ahead recommended for weekends. Italian wines and craft beers. No price range confirmed , check directly.
Order across both formats. The Contemporary Neapolitan and the Roman pan pizza are genuinely different experiences, and the kitchen's identity only becomes clear when you try both. La Costa Vasca is the most representative pizza on the menu , it pulls together the Cantabrian sourcing and the wood-fired technique in a single dish. Ask about La Edizione Limitada when you arrive: it rotates, and it tends to be where the brothers are experimenting. Arrive early, especially on weekends, when the freshest dough and the limited-run options are most likely to be available.
It depends on what kind of occasion. If you want a formal, multi-course experience with tableside service and a deep wine list, Demaio is not the right choice , Mina or Ola Martín Berasategui serve that need better. But for a celebration that doesn't require ceremony, or for a group that wants serious food without the tasting menu format, Demaio works well. The quality of the sourcing and the craft behind the doughs give it enough weight to feel intentional rather than casual.
La Costa Vasca is the starting point , it's the most direct expression of the brothers' sourcing philosophy, built on Cantabrian anchovies and tuna. Follow it with La Edizione Limitada if it's available, since the rotating specials are where the kitchen takes risks. Across formats, try one Neapolitan and one Roman pan pizza to understand the difference the dough and cooking method make. On drinks, lean into the Italian wine list rather than defaulting to local Basque options , it's been selected to work with the food.
Booking is easy relative to Bilbao's fine dining circuit. For weekday visits, a few days' notice is usually sufficient. For Friday and Saturday evenings, booking a week ahead is the safer approach. Unlike Nerua Guggenheim Bilbao, which can require months of advance planning, Demaio remains accessible. Check directly with the venue for current availability and any changes to hours or reservation policy.
For fine dining in Bilbao, Nerua Guggenheim Bilbao (Progressive Spanish, €€€) and Mina (Modern Spanish, €€€€) are the clearest steps up in formality and price. For seafood specifically, Zarate (€€€) is the reference point. Aitor Rauleaga offers a Basque alternative at a different register. None of these are direct competitors to Demaio in format , Bilbao doesn't have a crowded serious-pizza category, which is part of what makes Demaio's positioning compelling.
Specific seating configuration details are not confirmed in available data. Contact the venue directly to ask about bar seating or counter options. Given the format , a focused pizza restaurant rather than a bar-led operation , the most reliable approach for a first visit is to book a table in advance and ask about seating preferences at that point.
| Venue | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Demaio | — | |
| Nerua Guggenheim Bilbao | €€€ | — |
| Mina | €€€€ | — |
| Zarate | €€€ | — |
| Ola Martín Berasategui | €€€€ | — |
| Zortziko | — |
How Demaio stacks up against the competition.
The menu runs two formats: Contemporary Neapolitan and Roman pizza in a pan. These are not interchangeable styles, so it helps to decide which you want before you arrive. The Demaio brothers are from Calabria and have built the project around long-fermented doughs and a wood-fired oven, with ingredients sourced from both Italy and the nearby Cantabrian coast. Come expecting a focused, craft-driven operation rather than a broad Italian menu.
It works well for a casual celebration or a dinner where the food is the point, but it is not a white-tablecloth setting in the Bilbao fine-dining mould. If your occasion calls for tasting menus and formal service, Nerua or Mina will fit better. For a meal where serious pizza craft and Italian wine are the draw, Demaio delivers a genuinely considered experience in a city where culinary standards are high.
La Costa Vasca and La Edición Limitada are the two dishes cited specifically as worth ordering, and both appear on the documented menu. La Costa Vasca incorporates Cantabrian seafood, which reflects the brothers' deliberate use of local ingredients alongside Italian staples like Fior di Latte from Agerola. Round out the meal with a bottle from their Italian regional wine selection.
Booking details are not publicly documented, but in Bilbao's competitive dining scene, walk-in availability at a project with this level of local recognition is not something to rely on, particularly on weekends. Reserve ahead where possible. Contact via the restaurant directly or check current availability through a booking platform before your trip.
If you want Bilbao's highest-profile tasting menu experience, Nerua Guggenheim Bilbao is the comparison, with Michelin-level Basque cooking at a significantly higher price point. Mina and Zortziko both offer structured fine dining in the city if the occasion demands it. Demaio fills a different category: it is the most credible pizza-specific destination in the city, and there is no close rival at that format.
Seating and bar arrangements are not documented in available venue data for Demaio. Given the format and scale typical of serious artisan pizzerias, counter or bar seating may exist, but this is not confirmed. check the venue's official channels at San Frantzisko Kalea, 10, Bilbao, to ask about walk-in counter options before showing up without a reservation.
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