Talking about architectural gems in Rioja, the one I really want to see is Ysios.
PS, I’m not sure we’ll make it to ARREA! as that will mean leaving San Sebastian later, and devoting to it half a day essentially. The plan right now is pintxos in Logroño for lunch and dinner at Palacio de Samaniego which looks promising. Any tips for Logroño?
Phil is so very funny. I would love to meet him. I do know Marti Buckley who guided him around San Sebastián (along with Eva Longoria on her recent visit).
For Getaria fans who spend a few nights there…in addition to all the excellent turbot grills in town (Elkano came in at number 24 in last night’s The World’s Best List) and the short drive to Bedua, one of the Basque Country’s great asadors…
within another short drive one can go to Orio, the besugo capital, founded in 1329.
Here you can dine splendidly at Bodegas Katxiña, high up in the hills, with spectacular views, which has a lovely grill restaurant and produces an excellent txakolí.
It´s where we have had our anniversary dinners and the food is quite memorable.
Or for something more charmingly rustic and going strong now for 68 years, there´s the acclaimed Asador Bodegón Joxe Mari.
https://bodegonjoxemari.com
The now very expensive besugo (sea bream) is to Orio what txuleta (Basque rib steak) is to Tolosa. Both towns are meccas.
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Ysios is another architectural gem but my wine tour guide friends (including mikelg) just do a “drive by”.
Don’t get mikel started on Calatrava! 
Ziggy,
Lots of tips for Logroño
In the Laurel zone (not only Calle Laurel but Travesía de Laurel, Albornoz and San Agustín) you have 80+ bars from which to choose. No, I haven’t eaten in all of them…yet…
Torres Laurel on Calle Laurel offers modern SS style pintxos rather than the very traditional tapas you´ll find at some of these bars, serving only one dish.
Bar Soriano, on Travesía del Laurel is the Mecca for their grilled mushroom, a champi, on top of a slice of bread and topped with a secret sauce. You´ll see locals and tourists spilling out on the street having this one treat. It´s legendary. And it´s tiny.
Bar Lorenzo Tío Agus Bar on Travesía also does one dish, its Tío Agus, a pintxo moruno
El Muro, the oldest bar on Laurel is famous for its cojonudo, a picadillo of chorizo with a quail egg and slice of red pepper.
Bar Jubera´s one hit wonder on Laurel is its patatas bravas
Bar Sebas´s claim to fame is its tortilla española. It´s on Calle Albornoz.
At the end of Laurel you have another SS style pintxos bar that we like, La Tavina with a much better selection of wines and creative pintxos.
Since the Laurel zone gets very crowded at night on weekends and quite rowdy (notice the signs alerting the hen and bachelor parties about $$$ fines for public urinating and such…), we mostly go to the other tapas/pintxos street, Calle San Juan with our local friends for more upscale fare.
Here on Calle San Juan we like very much Tastavin, which has high tables, an extensive wine list and you won’t find folks spilling out on the street. (no party-ers)
Also Torres San Juan makes a mean bocata de calamares and like its sister on Laurel, it offers a nice selection of wines by the glass.
At the very beginning of San Juan at the corner of Marqués de Vallejo, we also like Umm, No Solo Tapas.
So…Don´t go only to Laurel, la Senda de los elefantes. Make sure you discover these more sophisticated, gastronomic spots on San Juan.
In addition to the Laurel and San Juan tapas-pintxos scene, you now have several Michelin and Repsol recommendations for sit down dining in Logroño. It`s become another gastro hot spot in La Rioja.
Our favorites:
Ikaro
Aitor Esnal
Ajonegro
Wine Fandango across the street from the Parque Espolón, where you should park in their underground garage.
Taberna Herrerias, where Marqués de Murrieta sent us for lunch
Arsa, the couple who were nominated for “revelation chefs of the year” at Madrid Fusion.
Kiro Sushi has a Michelin star but we haven’t been.
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I failed to mention that Joxe Mari in Orio is featured in the Somebody Feed Phil, Basque Country, along with Casa Urola, the Zapiain cider house, Etxebarri (2nd best restaurant in the world, according to World’s Best), Pastelería Otaegui for its pantxineta pastry, Bar Néstor for his txuleta (Basque rib steak) and the Sociedad Gaztelubidem the gastronomic society, from 1934.
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I just had the most wonderful ice cider from Zapiain at Simpar in Santiago!
Another great post. TY
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@erica1
In Asturias the llagares are also producing ice cider (along with sparkling). One of the best Asturian ice ciders is Valverán 20 Manzanas from the bodega Valverán, en Sariego, northeast of Oviedo. One can purchase it at El Corte Inglés Club del Gourmet.
I’m excited that I was just able to make a reservation at Bodegón Asador Joxe Mari for mid-July, before it becomes too famous from the Somebody Feed Phil Basque Country episode.
The price of the besugo is “s.p.m.”, (según el precio en el mercado), which means it will cost a King’s ransom, but dining in Orio and not ordering the sea bream is like going to Güeyu Mar and not have the rey!
Or…going to Elkano or Kai Kaipe and not having the rodaballo!
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Which is exactly what Phil did. They didnt have it. That visit was a little disappointing
I agree! I was really surprised about that. Bourdain did.
Wineries in the Rioja Alavesa (the section of the D.O.C. located in the Basque Country, Alava province) with wine bars or shops:
Ysios
Ostatu
Torre de Oña
Baigorri
(each with varying hours, so check their web pages)
Those in Haro, the “capital” of the Rioja Alta now with wine bars/shops in its Barrio de la Estación:
Gómez Cruzado
Roda
C.V.N.E.
Bilbaínas
Muga
La Rioja Alta, with a nice tapas menu at “El Garaje del Club de Cosecheros”
(again, opening hours vary)
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Side note. I surprised Mrs Z last night with an episode on Basque Country, and she returned a surprise by falling asleep 10 minutes in.
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Has Mrs Z seen “Rioja Paired”, starring the very media savvy Marti?
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Retuning to the subject of “must order” fish, I found this article, but in Spanish, about a restaurant in Galicia where the star is their grilled lubina, or sea bass.
The restaurant is TIRA DO CORDEL in Fisterra, a long way from the Basque region and the topic of this thread but I could not resist posting.
I should begin a thread about “essential” fish to order in Spain, if you all have not already covered most of them. We could add the tuna at EL CAMPERO to a new thread…
I’m so excited that there is a new season of Phil; if I can get Netflix here, I will try to watch the Basque episode tonight.
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Not that I have any desire to be a pushy NYker and suggest what to actually eat, but adding to @Maribel’s suggestion of Casa Urola, I will just say that whatever they are serving as “seasonal,” I would not leave there without eating the scallop (in my experience, always on the menu, but only one scallop, and just sayin’–I wouldn’t be sharing!) and the Torrijas (it’s often described as french toast-like, but this one is the best I have ever had anywhere–maybe with coffee ice cream, can’t recall–and I also have trouble sharing this, though if I really liked my travel partner…).
Gosh, I am looking forward to your report, and wish the Italian board (where I am heading at the end of the summer) had such knowledgeable folks to guide the adventurous traveler!
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Yes! This is great, thank you.
If we spent a day touring in the car in the area, are there a few places walking distance in Laguardia to taste wine on another day?
7 years ago on my San Sebastian Pintxo crawl, looks like I ate in Ordizia, La Cuchara de San Telmo, Casa Urola just mentioned by @ninkat, where we had the “Urola” with lobster, squid, scallop, and a Gilda, Néstor Bar where we had steak and tomatoes outside while standing. I think that was Phil’s last scene, or one of the last. And we finished at La Vina. That was before the Basque cheesecake was a thing in the US.
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erica1,
I thought you had planned Tiro do Cordel, but I may have dreamed it. It’s another Mecca. You should be able to get the new season of Phil. We watched the Basque Country and the Amsterdam episodes last night on Netflix.
We always have the torrija at Casa Urola for dessert, when we are dining with with Gabriella, but Pablo’s in season creations vary, it’s best to order from his seasonal menu, with the best of the season. He is constantly inventing and each season is different.
Marti made the Basque cheesecake even more famous with her book. Now people think there is a Basque cheesecake, when it, the burnt one, was invented at La Viña, very much a creation of La Viña, then copied by the emporia at the very new Bassak Cheesecakers, coping La Viña’s. While everyone thinks there is an actual ¨Basque cheesecake¨ created in Donostia, actually it´s the burned cheesecake invented at La Viña, no where else, which gave it its fame. Now there are copies. Here´s one:
