Where to Eat in Logroño: Your Ultimate Foodie Guide
You might think that a trip to Logroño, capital of Rioja, is all about wine, wine, and more wine.
But this is Spain! Here, wine is the bottom third of the food pyramid. Drinking wine is part of the mealtime experience, which means that for native
For me, no trip to Logroño, capital of La Rioja, could be enjoyed without a fair whack of food, wine, and pintxo-hopping! But with so much choice of wine, food, and bars, where are you meant to start? And what in the name of God are pintxos?
For answers to these questions and more, read my foodie’s guide to what to drink and where to eat in Logroño.
Contents
Eating in Logroño: Pintxos, tapas, and everything in-between
Welcome to the north of Spain, where everything is pintxos, pintxos, pintxos.
This style of tapas is becoming super trendy in the hipsterising neighbourhoods of Madrid and Barcelona, and it’s something you’ll need to learn about quick! Why? Well, pintxos are pretty much the only thing you’ll be eating.
So what are pintxos, and how do you order them without looking stupid?
What are pintxos?
Pintxos, pinchos, and even pinchus—these are the spiky crown of northern Spain’s food scene. You’ll see them at almost every bar in La Rioja, Navarra, the Basque Country, Cantabria, and Asturias.
The name comes from the verb pinchar (to poke/stab), literally meaning a bit of food skewered to a piece of bread with a toothpick.
Walk into any bar and you’ll likely find dozens of these toothpicked treats lining the counter, for as little as a euro a piece! The most traditional feature some simple meat, fish, or veggie, maybe with some sauce or oil.
But, now that Basque cuisine is super en vogue, the humble pintxo is hitting puberty and finding itself developing in ways it didn’t know possible. There’s even an annual pintxo competition!
You see them with foams, with gels, and even without the bread!
But remember: pinxtos aren’t a meal. They’re the way most locals start their evening, but most will go home or move on to a sit down meal later on. You’re on vacation-diet though, so go nuts!
How to order pintxos like a local
This is the hardest part of food in Spain. Every bar has an unspoken code about just how you are meant to order (and eat) the food they serve. Before you start thinking about where to eat in Logroño, first you have to figure out how!
So how are you meant to do it in Logroño—without coming across as a clueless tourist?
The first thing you need to know: there’s only one thing to eat.
A bar might have a long menu, with dozens of brightly covered pintxos covering the counter. But if you look around, you’re going to see that everyone else is eating the exact same thing.
That’s because in Logroño, just like anywhere in Spain, that bar is famous for one dish.
You might see a poster of that star pintxo on the wall, but the best way to work it out is by looking at the locals. Just like in When Harry Met Sally, you want what she’s having.
So, if every bar is famous for just one thing, how do you make a meal? Well, you pintxo-hop! Locals will head to at least two or three different bars, and have the signature pintxo of each one, plus a glass of Rioja wine to go with it.
They’ll pool their funds into a shared kitty, and leave one person in charge of paying the bill as they go!
Where to Eat Pintxos in Logroño
Armed with the knowledge of how to do pintxos like a pro, where should you go to eat them?
There are as many bars here as there are pintxos to eat, but luckily there’s a great way to start narrowing down the list. Because in Logroño, there are only two streets you need to know!
They are: Calle del Laurel, and Calle San Juan.
These two streets are wall-to-wall bars, built for pintxos-crawling (sometimes literally, after too much wine). Famous among locals for its huge number of bars, Calle del Laurel even has its own website to help you navigate the choices! These two streets alone are worth knowing when planning where to eat in Logroño.
After lots of “research”, I’ve found my own favourites. I’ve put them below, along with the star dish at each.
Calle del Laurel
- Juan y Pínchame (Calle del Laurel, 9). Pintxo: a skewer of grilled shrimp and pineapple.
- Bar Soriano (Travesía de Laurel, 2). Pintxo: Eat. The. Mushrooms.
- Bar Páganos (Calle del Laurel, 22). Pintxo: pincho ibérico; a flame-grilled skewer of Iberian pork shoulder steak.
- Bar Cid (Travesía de Laurel, 1). Pintxo: grilled wild mushrooms.
Calle San Juan
- Los Rotos de San Juan (Calle San Juan, 14). Pintxo: “rotos” fried egg with various mushrooms, meats, fish.
- Bar Samaray (Calle San Juan, 3). Pintxo: “revuelto” (scrambled eggs) with mushrooms and pancetta.
Restaurants in Logroño
Pintxos aside, there’s plenty more to sink your teeth into in Logroño. After crawling through the bars of Calles del Laurel and San Juan, why not check out some of the best restaurants the city has to offer?
Bear in mind that anywhere with tables (especially ones with white tablecloths) means different food to pintxos. Ordering off the menu means larger plates to share. Locals will head here after a few pintxos!
For a full meal, check out:
- La Cocina de Ramón (Calle Portales, 30). Famous for up-to-date interpretations of riojano classics.
- Restaurante La Galería (Calle Saturnino Ulargui, 5). Launched in 2005 by chef José Félix Rodríguez, this is a restaurant serving the food of modern Spain. Think Arzak and Ferrán Adriá, with La Rioja flair.
- Mesón Egüés (Calle la Campa, 3). Traditional grilled meats, seafood, and seasonal vegetables served alongside local Rioja wine.
Wine in Logroño: Drinking Rioja in the Capital
Let’s get to the main event.
If you’re travelling to Logroño, you’re probably there for the wine. As the capital city of La Rioja, Spain’s most famous wine region, it’s a favourite destination for wine pilgrims.
So, where should you drink this wine in Logroño?
Wineries near Logroño
There are over 600 wineries in the Rioja wine appellation. And if that number didn’t impress you, just think that this means sourcing grapes from more than 16,000 vineyards!
Logroño makes the perfect base from which to start exploring some of the most important wineries of Spain. And even better, you don’t have to go far!
There are plenty of wineries withing walking distance, or a quick taxi ride, from the city centre of Logroño. Here are some of my favourites!
Bodegas Franco Españolas
One of the oldest wineries in Rioja, Bodegas Franco Españolas is right across the river from the Logroño old town.
Some of the labels from this winery, like Diamante and Bordon, are famous across Spain—and for good reason! This winery has been family-run since 1890, producing the most classically styled Rioja wines.
Visiting Franco Españolas means getting to visit the original fermentation and ageing rooms from the winery as well, making it as much a lesson in history as in wine!
Bodega Viña Ijalba
For an entirely different style of wine-making, head to Bodega Viña Ijalba.
First opened in 1991, this was also the first 100% organic winery in Rioja! Interestingly, all of the grapes from the winery’s estate (whereas as most Rioja wineries buy grapes from farmers).
Even more amazing: all of these vineyards are planted on land reclaimed from old quarries. This is everything I love about sustainable wine-making! On my tour of the winery, we were shown some of the organic means the winery uses to combat pests, before tasting the end products.
Viña Ijalba is even using some of the lesser known varieties permitted to be grown in the Rioja appellation to make wines with a distinct character. If you haven’t tried maturana tinta or maturana blanca, then head to this winery.
Bodegas Campo Viejo
This is a tough one to recommend.
Bodegas Campo Viejo is as much a representation of Rioja wines as Franco Españolas, despite being about 70 years younger. Opened in 1959, this is now one of the largest wineries in the region, producing over 30 million bottles every year.
That’s… a lot.
This is the Spanish version of a wine factory. The fermentation room here is massive and cavernous, and the huge ageing room (the largest in Europe) holds more than 70,000 barrels.
The wines aren’t the best in Rioja (by a long way), and the visit left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. But, it’s an insight into the modern state of Rioja wines, and the vast differences that exist between smaller bodegas and the larger corporate ones!
Wine Bars in Logroño
Winery visits aside, the best way to learn about Rioja wines is via the glass! Practice makes perfect, so the more glasses deep you get, the broader your knowledge I suppose?
Pintxo bars have their own pretty extensive wine list, especially by normal bar standards. Most locals will grab a crianza (an aged, but still fairly young red wine) to pair with most pintxos and tapas, but there should be some good other options as well.
To get even more options in your glass, head to a specialist wine bar. You’ll mostly find Rioja wines (it’s best to drink local, after all!). But you might stumble upon some international gems too, and even some harder to find local wines. Most will also offer a handful of pintxos, so they’re worth knowing if you’re thinking of where to eat in Logroño.
Check out my list of the top wine bars in Logroño to get your own practice in!
- La Tavina (Calle del Laurel, 2).
- Guardaviñas Wine Bistró (Calle Marqués de San Nicolás, 47).
- Wine Fandango (Calle Gral. Vara de Rey, 5).
Read more
Want to read more of my foodie guides? Check them all out here. And if you’re travelling through Spain, don’t miss my guide on where to eat in Malaga, and the best tapas in Seville!
If you’re planning a journey to Logroño, head to this great article from RiojaTrek on where to stay and what to see in town.
Have I left out anything in my list of where to eat and drink in Logroño? Let me know in the comments below.