i. Biography
In Bilbao, the Basque-Asian tavern form at Kimtxu is built on a clear working brief: local Basque ingredients, Asian techniques, and a room shaped for direct, convivial eating. The point is not fusion as decoration. It is a kitchen grammar for heat, seasoning, texture, and restraint, with the Basque pantry kept legible while Asian methods bring precision, brightness, and depth. That craft position is carried by Iván Abril, born in Mondariz, the founder of the restaurant and the cook most closely associated with Kimtxu’s Basque-Asian tavern identity. The work depends on balance rather than accumulation: local product, controlled technique, and a service format loose enough for pleasure but disciplined enough to hold a point of view.
The Ascent
High-level kitchen discipline was part of the formation: early in his career, Iván Abril served as second in command in the kitchen at Lasarte de Martín Berasategui in Barcelona, Spain. That role placed him inside a professional structure where hierarchy, timing, consistency, and control are daily requirements. Those conditions show in the later cooking: cross-cultural in reference, but reliant on clarity rather than excess. Concept-building became the next layer of the work. Today, Iván is founder and chef of Kimtxu, founder/operator of Kitxen (since 2018), and Executive Chef of Jo's Modern Thai. Across those roles, the through line is practical authorship: food shaped by appetite, technique, and exchange, while staying close to the operational demands of hospitality. Kimtxu gives that method its Bilbao expression, with Basque product and Asian technique held inside an approachable tavern frame.
Today
The current craft identity remains exact: Basque ingredients, Asian technique, and the tavern as the format where the two meet. That definition keeps Kimtxu from reading as a list of references. It gives the cooking a center: local product, learned method, and restraint in the final plate. The working method is also social. Iván Abril puts it plainly: "No busco hacer amigos, pero interactuando se aprende." For cooks, that is a useful distinction. The value is not networking as performance, but contact as a way to test ideas, sharpen decisions, and expose weak assumptions. His second line makes the same point in operational terms: "Cuando charlas surgen preguntas a las que tienes que dar respuesta, y ese es una forma de avanzar." Progress, in this kitchen, is treated as response rather than spectacle. Kimtxu’s appeal sits in that tension: rooted in Basque product, open to Asian method, disciplined by prior high-level kitchen experience, and relaxed enough to remain a tavern. In Bilbao, Iván Abril’s cooking continues to work that meeting point with clarity.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Iván
Where did Iván Abril work before?
Earlier in their career, Iván Abril worked at Lasarte de Martín Berasategui.
What recognition has Iván Abril received?
Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition for Jo's Modern Thai (2024).
