Bilbao residents are no strangers to good food, but being offered over 60,000 different combinations to design their own dish presents a gastronomic challenge of another level. This is the calling card of La Cachopería, a restaurant that has revolutionized the traditional Asturian format and has chosen Ajuriaguerra street to open its first establishment in Bilbao, making it the first outside Asturias. However, it arrives in the Vizcayan capital under the name Katxopo etxea.
The concept moves away from a fixed menu. Here, the diner takes control to create a custom cachopo: from choosing the type of meat to the breading, through fillings ranging from classic to experimental, and a wide variety of side dishes. The goal is that no two visits are the same and that each customer finds their star cachopo among an almost infinite range of possibilities, which also includes options for celiacs and 'veggie' versions.
Despite the enormous versatility offered by cachopo, at that time its variety was rather timid and scarce. We wanted to explore this aspect by playing with new ingredients, flavors, and textures, until we found the touchstone that would differentiate us. Instead of proposing a closed menu to our customers, we would make a wide range of ingredients available to them, and they would decide how to 'assemble' their own cachopo from over 60,000 possibilities.
This project was born in 2012, when cachopo was still a discreet classic of cider houses. As its founders explain, “just as there were burger and pizza restaurants, there was no cachopería.” It was then that they decided to coin the term and place this product at the epicenter of a modern and interactive business model.
After years of success in Asturian lands, its arrival in Bilbao marks a milestone in its expansion. The choice of Bilbao is no coincidence; the brand seeks an audience that appreciates the robustness of northern cuisine but also looks for new ways to enjoy it. “After more than a decade receiving Basques at La Cachopería, we believe the time has come for us to visit Euskal Herria,” they state. The opening, which will happen “very soon” according to their social media, promises to shake up the hospitality scene in central Bilbao. With this move, Ajuriaguerra street adds a new attraction for gastronomy lovers.
