The best restaurants PAYS BASQUE NAVARRE - RIOJA

Located just around the corner, El Molino serves as both a restaurant and a cafeteria for travelers. The establishment, as much frequented by residents who have made it their canteen as by pilgrims and other travelers passing through, serves tapas, sandwiches, La Rioja specialties as well as a full menu with appetizers, main course, dessert and drinks. The place, completely renovated quite a bit in 2016, has a nice contemporary decor! A most correct quality-price ratio and a relaxed atmosphere.

Alfaro's best option for testing the local cuisine. In a beautiful traditional setting, a "tourist" menu is served, where you can taste the typical menestra (Menestra de Verduras de la Huerta Alfareña) of vegetables before enjoying your choice of: grilled beef steak, fresh grouper prepared in the Cantabrian style or, a house speciality, grilled half a rabbit. For dessert, there are two options: fresh fruit sorbet or a special San Roque tart. All accompanied by red, white or rosé wine. A real treat!

A traditional Basque cider house, with its large wooden tables and barrels, the Sidrería Kixkia is a choice stopover, especially (but not only!) for carnivores. The house is famous for its chuletón a la brasa (grilled prime rib), which will be served with a cod tortilla for those who choose the Cider House menu. For wine lovers, don't hesitate to ask the sommelier Mike Ceberio, president of the Navarre Sommelier Association, for advice. A friendly and typical address!

A grocery store-restaurant that has remained very authentic: the establishment is more than a hundred years old, run by the third generation of the same family. The farm's shop is a perfect place to stock up on provisions (and why not gourmet souvenirs): natural sweets, traditional pastries - cream and chocolate biscuits, Mantecados, aniseed brioches, Basque apple pie, orange delicacies -, honey and cheeses, but also try the famous migas, a speciality of the village. Excellent menu!

In the historic center of Pamplona and inside the Santo Domingo market, a popular place for pilgrims and Pamplona residents, on the second floor, is the Hamabi restaurant. A restaurant that recreates from a modern point of view the dishes that were served in the old inns of Iruña. At Hamabi, which has also been awarded a Repsol sun, you will find 2 proposals: Comida de Familia, popular recipes full of history, served with the refinement of modern gastronomy and Serendipia: its gastronomic menu.

Close and yet far from it all, this restaurant is well worth a detour on a visit to the Montaña Alavesa. It's to a local boy that we owe this native, star-studded gastronomic proposition. Cultivating an identity where the wild ardor of the surrounding nature meets the refinement and warmth of a nostalgic cuisine, the chef and his team love to invent and surprise. As the only authorized wild boar hunting area, game is one of the star ingredients here, but not the only one! A breath of fresh air in Basque cuisine.

Just a stone's throw from the Parc del Espolón, this restaurant has a very design decoration designed with respect for the environment, with large tables in recycled wood and colourful panels. Designed by the prestigious chef Francis Paniego, the restaurant showcases the products of the region, especially the vegetables: candied artichokes, peppers from La Rioja, typical menestra... Also a good arroz (rice) with rabbit and mushrooms, and for dessert, try the Cameros cheese tosta. A modern place, for a cuisine in the spirit of the times.

Francis Paniego, owner of the restaurant Portal de Echaurren runs this gourmet restaurant (1 Michelin star). Awarded by the national price for gastronomy in 2012, the young chef from La Rioja offers an inventive cuisine and close to local, in the sumptuous decor which Marqués de Riscal offers to him, avant-garde building designed by Frank Gehry. The wines are obviously a choice place throughout the gourmet experience.

A reference of Tudela, you will see at the entrance a collection of photos of the many celebrities who have passed through here ... But with the modernization of the restaurant and a new direction, the mesón Julian has lost some of its soul. Its traditional cuisine is still a good option for a meal in Tudela: Pork gyozas with vegetables, rabbit terrine with black olives and parmesan, lamb cooked at low temperature with small potatoes, grouper and seafood stew, pulpo a la plancha... The desserts will have the favours of gourmets!

The unmissable restaurant of Bakio, facing the peninsula of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, in a superb caserío built in 1816. Here you can enjoy traditional cuisine in a very pleasant environment, with huge gardens all around. Under the beautiful rustic frame, you will be served a txangurro (crab) salad, clams a la plancha, and a fine selection of fresh fish a la parilla. Those who are curious can take a look at the restaurant's small ethnographic museum. For a more modest budget, delicious pintxos in the restaurant's bar.

From the street, its mushroom-shaped sign announces the speciality of the place! A true institution in Logroño, this small bar is famous for its mushroom-based pintxo prepared at the customer's request... and at a modest price. Since 1972, the bar has specialised in preparing this simple but delicious pintxo: three mushrooms grilled a la plancha, stuck with a toothpick on a slice of bread, and topped with a shrimp. Every day, a legion of devotees gather there at aperitif time!

A beautiful establishment on three floors, designed around the theme of wine and local gastronomy. The ground floor is very pleasant to try some pintxos, but we especially appreciated the "Vinoteca" space on the upper floor, warm and contemporary with its large wooden tables and shelves full of wine. This space regularly hosts tastings to promote the wines of the region. As an accompaniment, good tapas and raciones are offered à la carte. The menu of the day is also a good option!

In a beautiful rustic room, around a sturdy stone fireplace, you can enjoy good local recipes and game dishes (in season). The portions are greedy, not to say generous: piquillo peppers, chipirons, thrushes with porcini mushrooms, grilled prime rib are some of the specialties of the house, while for dessert you can taste the local sheep's cheese and honey cuajadas. Very authentic! A highly recommended stopover to regain strength in a rustic and typically Basque setting.

For more than 50 years, this restaurant has been delighting locals and lucky visitors alike. As everywhere in Tudela, vegetables are king and treated as such. If you want to discover the flavours of the Ribera land, this is the place not to be missed. Some suggestions to whet your appetite: crispy puff pastry filled with cream of leek and prawns, roasted white asparagus and poached eggs, black monkfish fillet with ratatouille, Pluma ibérica with its potato and garlic cream. The wine list allows you to choose from more than 300 references.

Very pleasant terrace overlooking the port, this port where the chef of Jokin supplies himself made from fresh fish to serve a seasonal cuisine and quality.

For many years, the Josetxo restaurant has been a reference point in Pamplona. After closing in 2012, it reopened in 2015 under the name Errejota. Today the grandchildren of the founders run this restaurant of traditional cuisine. There are three menus to choose from: the "Erre" and "Jota" menus, which include a starter, main course and dessert, and the tasting menu, which is a very good and tasty way to get to know the culinary heritage of Pamplona and Navarre in general.

Although the Hotel Pamplona Catedral is housed in a former convent of the Casco Viejo de Pamplona, its restaurant - called La Capilla - occupies the former chapel. The original architecture of the sacred place has been completely preserved, with its heart and its meticulously worked stained glass windows, while the walls, floor and ceiling are immaculately white, creating a unique visual atmosphere. In this unusual setting, one can enjoy a traditional cuisine revisited and presented with great care. A very original experience!

La Mandarra de la Ramos is a casco antiguo bar whose decoration pays homage to Pamplona's festivities, the famous Sanfermines. An impressive collection of photographs is on display on the walls, showing a beautiful slice of the city's folklore. A place of culture, the restaurant's service room also serves as an exhibition space for the works of local artists. An appetizing selection of pintxos and other tapas, especially tostadicas served on a nice slice of bread. An emblematic place in Pamplona.

It is impossible to miss the Cerveceria La Estafeta, with its ancient wall bearing two lions and a medieval coat of arms. This tavern is one of the places well known to the people of Pamplona, with a well-stocked bar serving simple but absolutely delicious dishes. Alberto's warm welcome and local atmosphere: you can eat standing up, close together, for a small fee. A very good option for those with strong appetites who would like to avoid ruining themselves while getting a little closer to the authentic Pamplona.

Located next to the bullring, it is one of the most renowned restaurants in Pamplona since it was awarded a Michelin star. Here you can enjoy a modern cuisine that values the products of the land with dishes of varied and original flavours: potato and truffle tortilla with its onion cream; blue lobster lasagne with fennel or ginger; roast hare with its peanut sauce. On the dessert side, some surprises like the whisky tart or the creamy roasted white chocolate and its semi-picky strawberry ice cream. Elegant setting and good value for money.

Modest and welcoming, Asador el Cerco is a small restaurant with a rustic canteen atmosphere, offering a rich daily menu, much appreciated by the locals. The home-made cuisine is very tasty: the chef has a definite preference for stews, which are served with a bottle of cider. Upstairs, there are a few pretty rooms and all the comforts of Castilian decoration. A warm and family address perfectly recommendable for a gourmet and restorative stopover in a local atmosphere.

An excellent address, known for its authenticity. In fact, Túbal is a family story. The current owner, Atxen Jimenez, readily recounts that from a young age she helped her parents run the Bar Túbal, also located in Plaza de Navarra. Nowadays, her children have taken over and are renewing the traditional Navarrese recipes with imagination. The dishes can be enjoyed in an elegant dining room with a piano bar area. Some suggestions? Mushroom risotto, duck confit, roasted lobster...

In this modern restaurant, the famous Tudela vegetables come mostly from the vegetable garden of Manolo, the owner's father. The care given to the produce is therefore immense, as is the warm welcome reserved for the customers (in French!), and it is above all this that makes the difference. The cuisine we taste here is both simple and refined, authentic and sincere, and largely vegetarian. The wine selection is also worth a visit. A beautiful address. A highly recommended healthy stopover!

The Asador Mediavila is a grill restaurant located in the medieval centre of Sangüesa, which seduces with its rustic décor and huge stoves visible from the restaurant hall. Lovers of good bidoche will be in heaven here, and to accompany your meats, you can choose from several wines from Rioja and Navarre. If grilled meat or fish isn't part of your daily diet, you can always find something to suit your taste in the many suggestions for starters! Typical Navarrese address.

With its terrace overlooking the main paseo of the village, this small restaurant constantly attracts a crowd of locals. It's hard to find your way around, but if you do, you'll be rewarded with tasty and inexpensive traditional cuisine. After a few patatas bravas or slices of chorizo with cider to share, you will have the choice between several salads, some platos combinados (meat or fish with garnish), a short list of burgers and sandwiches. Sweet tooth, be aware that the desserts here are quite tasty.

Here, the Navarrese culinary tradition is in the spotlight. In well garnished plates, enjoy stuffed asparagus, accompanied by cod or crayfish. Meat is also well represented, with deer, duck breast, lamb chops a la plancha or a beautiful entrecote steak with roquefort sauce on the menu. The desserts are rather tempting too, whether it is the fresh cheese mousse with raspberries and honey ice cream or the fig ice cream with coffee sauce. Simple cuisine, old-fashioned decor, good value for money.

In an old restored 17th century palace, this renowned restaurant-cider house serves regional cuisine based on cod, chuletas and vegetables, not forgetting cider, when it's in season. As for the owner, he is very welcoming and is not short of anecdotes! The establishment also has a guesthouse on the first floor, where you can stay in one of the three single rooms or the four double rooms with the simplest of decorations, all of which have their own bathroom and a small balcony overlooking the street.

A stone's throw from the cathedral, a table renowned throughout the city for its traditional cuisine that has been updated. Under the direction of the young chef Ramón Piñeiro, seasonal dishes are cooked with good local products from the stalls of the Plaza de Abastos every morning. Special mention for the beautiful presentation of the dishes, to which the chef pays special attention. A la carte, try the pochas (white beans) with truffles, lamb simmered in sauce, or opt for the excellent menu of seasonal vegetables.

The best address in Nájera, where you can enjoy La Rioja specialities in a contemporary setting. The "typical" menu includes the famous patatas a la riojana (potatoes with chorizo) as a starter, pimientos rellenos (stuffed peppers) as a main course and cuajada as a dessert. You can also enjoy pinchos in the bar area or have an aperitif on the large terrace: codfish millefeuille with mushrooms and zucchini, duck wings confit, octopus and its potato-pepper cream, salmon toast and fresh cheese...

The Mesón El Buen Yantar restaurant is a small, unpretentious asador that delights pilgrims with its hearty dishes and grilled meat (and fish). Its decoration is nothing extraordinary, but its simple and tasty cuisine is appreciated for its wide variety of typical dishes of La Rioja gastronomy. A very good value for money, a "home-like" atmosphere, what more could one ask for? This asador is definitely a recommendable address!

Founded in 1921, it's a classic Calahorra. The Casa Mateo restaurant offers carefully prepared local dishes, especially the tasty vegetable menestra with artichokes, peas and asparagus. You can also opt for a piece of meat (beef, lamb, pork) or one of the fish on the menu that day, unless you prefer a lighter salad (especially as the small vegetables of the region are incredibly tasty), all to be accompanied by good wine. Lunch menu, during the week, recommended.

A restaurant with an original setting, fitted out inside a cellar, and made up of several small rooms with an intimate atmosphere. The menu plays on consensus, with traditional recipes on one side and more modern dishes on the other. Something to suit all tastes. In bulk, a few suggestions: varied croquetas, soups or salads of local vegetables as a starter; bacalao al pil pil, tuna steak or lamb chops as a main course; and a selection of cheeses followed by a homemade dessert (Torrija con helado de galleta for example) to end the meal.

A very original address, which occupies an old bodega dug into the rock (the irregular walls painted in white create a really unique atmosphere). You can eat good grilled meats(chuletón) on large wooden tables, installed in the old galleries. The homemade desserts deserve a little space: homemade flan, rice pudding, chocolate mousse or coulant, tiramisu and the famous contesa. In two words, a friendly atmosphere and quality products... for a meal in an atypical place!

Managed by Maite López Santxotena, representative of the fourth generation of a whole saga of cooks, the Santxotena restaurant serves traditional dishes made with local and seasonal products. Rather than the large dining room, prefer its cosy little comedor, where you can see the cooks at work. A la carte, soups, fish (koxkera hake, monkfish or squid cooked in squid ink) and good meat stews (the veal cutlet and game in season deserve to be carefully considered).

The Nikolaurenea is a nice little restaurant on the edge of the mill canal, where children usually come to bathe in the summer. The restaurant has a lovely terrace with shady tables overlooking the canal and a typical stone comedor. On the plate side, you will find typical Basque dishes that are simple, but also some generous portions of trout or game with seasonal mushrooms. A frank and rustic cuisine to be accompanied by the very affordable vino de la casa.

The Asador Aritza is a restaurant with a decoration as warm as its owners, Juanjo and Aurora, who offer traditional regional cuisine made with delicious seasonal products. You can taste vegetables from the fields or vegetable garden (mushrooms, asparagus, red and green beans, spinach), meats (mainly beef but also seasonal game, especially pigeon), fish a la parilla, and the typical ajoarriero. Each ingredient comes from organic agriculture and livestock farming. An authentic address.

Charming rustic restaurant in the heart of the village, with a fireplace in the dining room and a nice terrace upon arrival of the beautiful days. We eat a complete desert menu with seasonal products.

Located in the center of the village, near the fronton, Ibarberoa is an establishment that houses a bar and a dining room where you can enjoy a menu of the day, but also more elaborate menus that explore all the richness of Navarrese soil. The restaurant has a vegetable garden, whose fresh vegetables are used to prepare traditional dishes: Castilian soup or mushroom and shrimp omelette for starters; grilled grouper or grilled rib steak for the main course; homemade cheese flan or countess pie for dessert... A feast in sight!

Notice the little house with blue shutters, in the district of La Marina: it is the former fishermen's brotherhood. Since 1938, excellent maritime cuisine has been served in this picturesque setting, to be enjoyed in an always very friendly atmosphere. The house is famous for its fish soup, renowned throughout the region! But you will also taste excellent fish à la parilla (grilled), and as a dessert, a divine caramelized torrija.

In an enchanting setting, a sturdy stone house, where customers used to come by boat to enjoy a potato and green pepper tortilla. Very fashionable since it served as the setting for the film Ocho apellidos Vascos in 2014 ("Eight Basque names"), this restaurant remains true to its roots by offering fish, seafood and meat grilled parilla style, and tasty vegetables from its own vegetable garden. Sea bream, turbot, monkfish, sole... the best fish are prepared in their simplest apparatus. A charming address!

Daily harvest of fish and charming view over the harbour. Simple but good.

An Ordizia classic founded in 1890. Located in the heart of the village, just a few metres from the famous market, the restaurant is run by the chef Xabier Martínez, who serves very good seasonal cuisine as well as good classics: hake with garlic, oven-roasted lamb... The dishes are served with a smile, and the good value for money is sure to whet your appetite. In the bar area you can enjoy pintxos and raciones in an informal atmosphere. On Wednesday, market day, it's crowded to taste scrambled eggs with mushrooms!

It is the typical bar-restaurant of the village, which lives at the rhythm of its inhabitants. It is located in front of the town hall and offers a very correct daily menu, as well as sandwiches, pintxos and take-away food. For example, you can opt for a cream of vegetables as a starter, pork shank with beer as a main course, and for dessert, homemade rice pudding. All this is served in a modern, yet rather impersonal setting. On sunny days, its large terrace is always lively, at any time of the day.