Basque leek-and-potato broth, sometimes built around salt cod, sometimes around chicken stock. Olive oil, leeks slow-cooked to sweet collapse, potatoes broken to thicken; the peasant soup of Bilbao Sundays.
Porrusalda (leek broth in Basque) is a centuries-old farmhouse soup of inland Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa. The fish-cod variant uses Friday's salt-cod water; the chicken variant is the everyday one. Casa Rufo runs a serious version with bacalao; Sorginzulo, Cafe Iruna and Andra Mari all keep porrusalda on the winter menu.
4 editor picks for Porrusalda in Bilbao, ranked by editorial score. All Bilbao signature dishes · Porrusalda across every city.
Casa Rufo ★ 4.5
abando · Calle Hurtado de Amezaga 5, 48008 Bilbao
Casa Rufo on Hurtado de Amezaga in Bilbao since 1955 grills the canonical Bilbao txuleta over open flame, between deli counter and dining room.
Andra Mari ★ 4.4
Barrio Elexalde 22, 48960 Galdakao
Andra Mari in Galdakao near Bilbao holds one Michelin star for traditional-Basque cooking with valley views, a family-run gastronomic farmhouse.
Cafe Iruna ★ 4.3
abando · Calle Berastegui 4, 48001 Bilbao
Cafe Iruna on Jardines de Albia in Bilbao opened in 1903, with 300 square metres of Mudejar tiles and pinchos morunos at the corner charcoal grill.
Sorginzulo ★ 4.1
Plaza Nueva 12, 48005 Bilbao
Sorginzulo on Plaza Nueva in Bilbao makes a 2023 Spanish Tortilla Championship finalist with Euskaber eggs, plus traditional Basque pintxos.