The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao revamps its dining options with two clearly differentiated spaces

Nerua, the gourmet restaurant run by Josean Martínez Alija, and the new Guggenheim Bilbao Bistro: a winning combination that offers high-quality international cuisine

The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is pleased to announce the opening of Nerua, a new dining establishment dedicated to haute cuisine situated on the banks of the estuary. The new restaurant, with special fittings supplied by our technological partner, Fagor Industrial, is located inside the Museum, beside the gallery where Richard Serra’s The Matter of Time is on permanent display, and has a separate street entrance. Meanwhile, the existing space—the new Guggenheim Bilbao Bistro, managed by the IXO group—will be transformed into a dynamic, distinctive restaurant where guests will be able to enjoy a prêt-a-porter version of gourmet cuisine. With these two new venues, the museum can finally boast a well-rounded, varied array of dining choices, offering international cuisine of the highest quality for everyone to enjoy.

Juan Ignacio Vidarte, Director General of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, explains: “Nerua is the culmination of thirteen years of work, during which the Museum restaurant has been a gastronomic highlight of the visitor experience. The aesthetic pleasure afforded by the building has now spilled over into this new avant-garde space.”

Since its doors first opened, the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao has had a fine dining establishment which shared its space with the coffee shop and bistro. From now on, the mission of Nerua will be to evolve into a gastronomic experience that will complement and enhance the experience offered by the museum itself.

The Guggenheim Bilbao Bistro, for its part, will offer a more informal yet select and distinctive setting, with a menu characterized by hints of haute cuisine. The Bistro is also destined to become an integral part of the Bilbao nightlife, opening its doors to the city’s most nocturnal residents and visitors.

Nerua, a Singular Venue on the Nervión Estuary

Nerua adjoins the ArcelorMittal Gallery, where Richard Serra’s installation The Matter of Time is on display. Museum visitors can enter the new dining establishment from this gallery, although the restaurant’s main entrance faces the estuary. This fact will undoubtedly revitalize the Abandoibarra riverside promenade, making it a new social hotspot for citizens of Bilbao and visitors alike.

The estuary and the new restaurant also share a special bond: Nerua, a term that first appeared in texts from Roman times, is the ancient Latin name for the Nervión River estuary.

From an architectural perspective, the restaurant’s main entrance facing the estuary is reached by climbing a series of stone steps which lead to a titanium vestibule. The interior is a neutral, harmonious space where the dining room is designed as an extension and interpretation of the kitchen. The same materials and colors were used in both areas to achieve an aesthetic fusion of the two spaces: maple wood and smooth and perforated lacquered paneling.

The Culinary Genius of Josean Martinez Alija

Josean Martínez Alija (1978) began his professional career at the tender age of 17. In 1997 he took charge of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao restaurant, and in 2000 he was awarded the title of Best Young Chef. Since then he has received numerous distinctions for his revolutionary style, both purist and bursting with countless aromas, textures, and flavors.

“We know that we are in a unique space, and we want to offer a type of gastronomy that is innovative and fresh but also has a lot of feeling, a lot of heart. We want to connect with the city of Bilbao and the visitors to the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, preserving our personality,” explains Martínez Alija. According to the experts, Martínez Alija’s cuisine is unprecedented, highly personal, and revolutionary.

Fagor Industrial

The task of fitting out and launching Nerua was made easier thanks to our technological partner, Fagor Industrial. This renowned firm, the leading name in comprehensive solutions for the hospitality and catering industry, has equipped the new restaurant with three Symphony kitchens that were custommade at Inoxfera and special extractor hoods adapted to match the aesthetics of the cooking areas. In order to achieve a harmonious integration of the two kitchen areas and the restaurant and create a unified ambience, the furnishings were designed specifically for this venue and made to order.

“We have worked on this installation project offering technology, design, and quality, the values that have made us a leading international name in comprehensive restaurant outfitting solutions”, says Julián Errarte, chairman of Fagor Industrial. “It was well worth the effort, for the end result is a facility perfectly suited to its avant-garde setting.”

IXO group

IXO is the name of a business group specialized in gourmet catering services that includes the restaurants Mugaritz (Errenteria, Guipúzcoa), Ni Neu and Bodegón Alejandro (San Sebastián, Guipúzcoa) and Nerua and the Guggenheim Bilbao Bistro (Bilbao, Vizcaya). The group’s aim is to create culture through gastronomy with a spirit of curiosity and adventure.

Though its primary interest lies in the culinary world, the group is also active in other fields, such as scientific research, knowledge development, publishing, training, and corporate consultancy, constantly striving to establish the highest standards of quality and a close rapport with its customers. Led by Andoni Luis Aduriz and Bixente Arrieta, the IXO team comprises a group of people who have spent the last twelve years working with gastronomy as a language, a form of expression and a way of interpreting the world.

For further information:

Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
Communications and Marketing Department
Tel: 34 944 35 90 08
www.guggenheim-bilbao.eus/ media@guggenheim-bilbao.eus

Nerua Restaurant
Tel: 34 944 00 04 30
www.nerua.com / info@nerua.com

Guggenheim Bilbao Bistro
Tel: 34 944 23 93 33
www.bistroguggenheimbilbao.com / info@bistroguggenheimbilbao.com

Fagor Industrial
Communications Department
Tel: 34 943 71 80 30
www.fagorindustrial.com / pmartin@fagorindustrial.com