MARTXO Bilbao

MARTXO Bilbao

Basque cuisine with an avant-garde approach

Following their first restaurant on Rodríguez Arias, the team opens MARTXO BI, a second location celebrating quality ingredients, hearty stews and traditional recipes with a contemporary touch.

Some menus whet the appetite at first glance: stuffed peppers, cod, braised cheeks, bone-in rib steaks… MARTXO’s menu speaks that language, offering recognisably Basque cuisine while leaving room for fresh combinations and presentations. The story began at Rodríguez Arias 71 and now continues with MARTXO BI, at Alameda Urquijo 48, adding a second address to the venture.

Behind the project are Javier Unzueta Acha, Aitor Martín Ibáñez and Asier Aburto Diez, three chefs who share a passion for their region’s food. Seasonal ingredients and close relationships with local producers underpin an approach that combines traditional recipes with contemporary cooking and presentation.

At the Rodríguez Arias restaurant, this comes through in dishes such as prawn potato salad with langoustine carpaccio, green peppers with spider crab, and a chickpea stew with monkfish and clams from O Grove. The menu also features Club Ranero-style cod, braised cheeks and Euskal Txerri pork trotters in Biscayan sauce. Hearty stews, fish and patiently prepared dishes take centre stage. MARTXO menu.

MARTXO BI

MARTXO BI builds on the same culinary philosophy with a menu of its own. Starters range from ham croquettes topped with Iberian pork jowl to peppers stuffed with rib steak meat. Seafood also features, with chickpeas and cod kokotxas — the tender cut beneath the jaw — in pil-pil sauce. Meanwhile, almadraba-caught tuna tartare comes with cashew ajoblanco and a touch of truffle.

Main courses include Club Ranero-style cod, grouper and the fish of the day, alongside various meat cuts and a selection of bone-in rib steaks from mature cattle, aged for 45 days. Those planning a meal around a special dish can also pre-order lobster rice, suckling lamb or salt-baked fish. Desserts include cheesecake with a soft, flowing centre, torrija with frozen coconut, and a millefeuille filled with custard and whipped cream. MARTXO BI menu.

The new restaurant also offers set menus to enjoy together:

• Txuletón Menu: €60 per person, for a minimum of two diners. Includes an appetiser, shared starters and a Friesian bone-in rib steak, with alternative beef options available for a supplement. View menu.
• MARTXO BI Menu: €75 per person, for a minimum of four diners. Combines starters, sole, braised cheek and a dessert or a drink to finish. View menu.
• Group Menu: €60 per person, also for a minimum of four diners, with shared starters, fish and presa ibérica, a prized cut of Iberian pork shoulder. View menu.

All three include bread and water. To accompany them, the wine list brings together wines from Rioja and Ribera del Duero, txakoli from Bizkaia and Getaria, Galician whites and a selection of sparkling wines. There is plenty of choice to suit both the food and the occasion. Wine list.

Breakfast and pintxos at MARTXO BI

Breakfast also takes centre stage at MARTXO BI. From 7:30 am, its counter is filled with pintxos, offering an inviting start to the day in central Bilbao.

An appealing option for early risers and anyone looking for a mid-morning break, with coffee and a pintxo making the perfect pairing.