Oak coals glowing in the dark hearth of the asador

sua /su.a/ — n. fire (Basque)

SUA

Everything begins with fire.

Casco Viejo, Bilbao — since 1961

fire, before menus, before rooms

Before bread, before iron, before words — fire.

We cook the way this country always has: slow heat, oak coals, no shortcuts.

The flame is loud. The coals are quiet. We listen to the coals.

01 txingar

The coals are quiet.

txingar /tiŋ.gar/ — n. glowing embers

A chef's hands turning a skewer over the open fire
the skewer, over oak coals

Oak burns down for three hours before the first ingredient touches the grate.

480 °C no flame, only heat

This is where patience becomes flavour.

Macro of charred oak, faint embers in the cracks
oak, three hours in, 210 °C

02 gar

Txingar menu

six acts, served at the hearth, 145

  • Whole grilled turbot with charred skin on a dark plate

    Act I

    Rodaballo

    320 °C, gar

  • Dry-aged chuletón on the bone, sliced to the rosy centre

    Act II

    Chuletón del país

    480 °C

  • Blistered green peppers from Gernika in an iron pan

    Act III

    Pimientos de Gernika

    290 °C

  • Grilled bread with melted idiazabal cheese and truffle

    Act IV

    Idiazabal, smoked at the hearth

    210 °C

  • Txakoli poured from height into a wide glass by the fire

    Act V

    Txakoli de Bizkaia

    poured from height

  • Grilled peach halves with sheep milk ice cream

    Act VI

    Peach, off the coals

    sheep milk ice cream

A chef seen from behind, tending the hearth as sparks rise

03 errauts

The third asador.

errauts — n. ash

Jon Etxebarria is the third asador at this fire. Every morning the old coals greet the new.

What the fire leaves behind is what we are.

One fire, one night.

kea — n. smoke

  1. 4 pm

    The fire is lit. Oak from the Bizkaia hills, split by hand.

  2. 6 pm

    The flame settles into coals. We wait for the heat, not the clock.

  3. 7:30 pm

    First guests. Twenty-four seats, one long table.

  4. 11 pm

    Last orders. The coals are still working.

  5. dawn

    Ash, warm till morning. The door keeps its flower.

Twenty-four seats around the hearth.

sutegi — n. hearth

The dining room: one long wooden table, candles, the hearth at the far wall
the room, wed–sun
Copper pots above the iron grill of the open hearth
copper, iron, stone

A txoko is a temple of friendship — ours smells of oak smoke.

Ongi etorri.

Twenty-four seats. One fire.

Reserve a table Ask Sua

wed–sun, from 19:30, parties up to 8