Txuleta is a thick Basque ribeye on the bone, dry-aged from an old work-ox or mature dairy cow, salted only and grilled over a vine-wood or oak fire until the fat caramelises and the inside stays rare.

The Basque txuleta tradition built around old vacas viejas (old dairy cows and oxen) that gave their meat after a working life, with the rich fat marbling that comes only with age. Casa Rufo since 1955 cooks the canonical Bilbao txuleta from local and Galician beef. Across the river in Axpe, Bittor Arginzoniz at Asador Etxebarri took the technique to one Michelin star and a perennial top-three spot on The World's 50 Best Restaurants list, with custom-engineered grills for the wood-fire-everything kitchen.

3 editor picks for Txuleta in Bilbao, ranked by editorial score. All Bilbao signature dishes · Txuleta across every city.