El Puertito ten years of oysters in Bilbao.

Inaz Fernández celebrates the tenth anniversary of its oyster bar in Bilbao by opening a “bridgehead” in Madrid.

I naz Fernández opened a surprising concept in 2013 in the popular García Rivero street, in the heart of Bilbao’s atmosphere.

El Puertito offered oysters. Of different types and origins.

They could be ordered singly. With a glass of wine, txakoli, cava, champagne, vermouth… But always oysters.

“The concept took off from the very first moment without much effort; people liked it, and we have been going for a decade, which I think is a good indicator of success”, explains the alma mater of the project, Inaz Fernández.

When he speaks of effort, Inaz is referring to the scope of experience and work.

El Puertito and the oysters take up every hour of his day.

The reception of El Puertito led the entrepreneur to look for a location in Madrid to establish a “bridgehead” in the Forum.

“My idea is to open two or three bars in Madrid: But for that I need a place that can serve as a logistics centre: with a warehouse and an office as well as a bar. That is what we have in Martínez Campos, a good bar, with a first floor above it”, explains Fernández.

El Puertito is also winning over the people of Madrid. “We start from a previous knowledge: many people from Madrid know who we are because they have been to García Rivero bilbon.biz and, in addition, there are many people from Bilbao who work in Madrid”, reveals the owner of the restaurant.

Inaz Fernández is facing this stage of growth without pressure. “Copying the El Puertito formula is difficult: the product is very delicate, you have to get to know the producers, and know how to treat the oysters”, says Inaz.

El Puertito in Madrid offers 19 varieties of oysters from, among others, Galicia, Holland, Ireland, Portugal and France, as well as half a dozen preparations, such as the “ostra acevichada”. In Bilbao, there are 15 varieties and slightly fewer preparations on offer. “We are conditioned by the size of the bar”, affirms Fernández.

Prices start at 1,9 euros per unit. They do catering for events and have a home delivery service. “We manage it ourselves; I don’t trust anybody else, seeing how they treat pizzas, I wouldn’t dare to put oysters in their hands”, remarks Fernández.

Celebrate life, and celebrate it with oysters.