An average meal with an absolutely outstanding pork belly and butter ice cream: Restaurant Nerua Guggenheim Bilbao (10. April 2025)

I think I had booked the Nerua Guggenheim Bilbao like four or five times already, but then there was always a change of plans, and I ended up not going to Bilbao. Finally, it was time to do so, and I had the chance to have lunch at the Nerua. I went for the “Muina menu” (110.00 EUR) (Muina is the soul of our kitchen. Basque for core, heart, or essence), which started with a few starters like a “bean soup”, which was rather unexciting, a little pincho, which was basically called ‘grasshopper’, since it would sound like that when you bite into it (and it did), and that was absolutely mouth-watering. The two small balls, one with a little sphere of lettuce on top, were both not too exciting really. So, after my first bites, I was not sure what to think of the Nerua.

The next course was “artichoke (with black sauce and lace)”, which looked absolutely intriguing, so, I was quite curious how it would taste, and I must say that it tasted good. But nothing more than that – optically, it was great, palate-wise, it was good.

The next course was somewhat unexciting. The “white asparagus (endive and cockles)” with three different types of asparagus was somewhat okay – it was a good play of different textures, but to me, it was lacking flavor.

And the very same was true for the next course, the “spinach (stewed with almonds)” was – plain.

Luckily, that changed with the “hake omelette with a rice crisp” since it was a good combination of different textures, temperatures, and flavors. The smooth omelette taste in combination with the crispy rice cracker was already nice – and the taste of the hake definitely enhanced that.

The next course was something I hadn’t tried before and, hence, found rather interesting, but I was also quite curious, how it would taste. The “lamb tongue (chickpeas & curry)” turned out to be delicious. It’s not for everyone, I’m sure, since it has its own peculiar taste, and the texture is definitely not for everyone, but if you are into interesting flavors and textures, then lamb tongue might just be your thing. And – even though, I found a small hair in the foam, I still have to say, it was delicious (luckily, it didn’t enter my mouth).

Then it was time for the “fried cod (with bizkaina)”, which I ordered with supplement “king crab” (EUR 12.00) and this was … good. The combination of the croquette-like packaging of the fried cod with the smooth and tasty interior was nice, and the tomato sauce gave it a little something. But the crab got lost, and was – in my humble opinion – not very generous in terms of portion size. Knowing that king crab isn’t cheap, it was somewhat okay, but on the other hand, I also felt a little ripped-off with this supplement.

Then, the absolute highlight of the lunch was served. It for sure didn’t look like, but the “Lacquered pork belly (black pudding pâté and cabbage)” was mind-blowing delicious. I absolutely loved the pork belly – it was thin, had a marvelous intensity of taste, the reduction in which it was served was perfectly flavorful, and last but not least, the black pudding pâté was the perfect complementary component to make it outstanding. Frankly, this plate made me truly happy when eating it.

Then it was time for dessert – the “Carolina (strawberries, roses, coconut and pepper)” was nice, but a bit too sweet for me.

Given I enjoyed the pork belly that much, I reordered it! And it was another provider of happiness – honestly, this dish made my day – twice.

After the Carolina, you’re served this little sheet of paper, which was a bit out of place with the second round of pork belly, because I had broken the sequence of things with reordering a dish again, but yeah, it looks quite funny, and you wonder what exactly it is …

… until you’re served your small friandise – a “sandwich filled with butter ice cream”. Yes, butter ice cream! And it was great, I mean, I’ve never tried butter ice cream before, but suddenly, besides the part where the friandise is levitating, it all made sense, because licking part of that ice cream out of that friandise was definitely something recommendable.

So, all in all, I’m happy I’ve tried the Nerua in Bilbao, because it offered a few dishes I found absolutely exciting – others, not so much, but I suppose it’s about the journey, about finding out what you enjoy, and for the chef to try new things to make his/her customers happy.

The staff is friendly and attentive, and when they realized I had a hair in my food, they were very friendly, and ultimately offered me the second round of pork belly to fix that issue – which I found generous (since I wasn’t complaining, but just showed them that there was a hair).

All in all, the experience at the Nerua Guggenheim Bilbao was a positive one – and that included the generous, but too white wine heavy, wine pairing (EUR 50.00). When you go here during a week day for lunch, then it doesn’t seem too difficult to score a table, but this might of course change for evenings and weekends, hence, I would absolutely recommend you to book your table well in advance.

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Contact Details:

Restaurant Nerua Guggenheim Bilbao

Guggenheim-Museum Bilbao

Abandoibarra Etorb. 2

Abando

48001 Bilbao (ES)

Tel.: +34 944 00 04 30

E-Mail: info@nerua.com

Homepage: http://www.neruaguggenheimbilbao.com

About the Author: Sven

I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org. Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City.