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In La Rioja, wine and gastronomy create a pairing that is difficult to separate. It is not in vain that we hold the honour of being the region with the most Michelin stars per inhabitant in Spain, five in total. With this endorsement, it is not surprising that in this land we boast a gastronomy that transports you to the cuisine we have learnt and inherited. But also to a cuisine that has managed to fuse the best of several generations. Experiences with smell, flavour and sensations that will remain engraved forever in your memory. Always, close to you. Unfasten your seatbelts because today we are going to visit the restaurants on the Rioja Alta Wine Route.
First stop: Ábalos.
La Cocina de Merche is a restaurant and gastrobar located in the Hotel Villa de Ábalos. Each dish and its preparation is expertly prepared by Merche, who will make you discover the authentic flavour of vegetables cooked al dente, stewed meats and desserts made to order. An intimate and cosy restaurant with the best Riojan gastronomy and a gastrobar with uninterrupted
with uninterrupted gastronomic proposals of all kinds.
Second stop: Badarán.
Restaurante Conde de Badarán, located in the hotel of the same name, is a place where you can taste the tastiest dishes of our land: Potatoes Rioja style, vine-shoot steak, lamb chops are some of the delicacies that will tempt you.
Third stop: Briñas.
Restaurante Tondón prepares honest cuisine, close to the produce, designed to meet the local producers. The surroundings of Palacio Tondón offer a wealth of cuisine and landscapes that give rise to a coherent and varied proposal, always with an eye on the territory. Enjoy a snack on the terrace with the wine bar menu or with the à la carte and two tasting menus in the restaurant.
Fourth stop: Briones
Los Calaos de Briones Restaurant. Visitors can enjoy traditional cuisine with innovative and modern touches in an incomparable setting, two 17th-century wine cellars that conserve all the charm and flavour of traditional winemaking. Vivanco Restaurant. Tradition, local produce, creativity in the kitchen and sophistication at the table. These are the hallmarks that characterise its cuisine. A gastronomy that understands wine not only as an accompaniment, but also as a raw material with which to prepare dishes.
Fifth stop: Casalarreina
Flavours of La Rioja at Entrerailes Restaurant, which offers traditional, homemade and delicious cuisine. Rioja and Basque recipes that pay homage to the products of our land and vary according to the season to offer the best quality. Restaurante Lumbre is a gastronomic proposal with Riojan roots that seeks the maximum expressiveness of traditional raw materials, respecting their language. A cuisine of intangibles, that creates sensations, that reinterprets memories, that dialogues with diners and invites them to travel with their senses. A respectful gastronomy that avoids eccentricity and escapes from definitions. Restaurant Asador La Vieja Bodega. A pleasant place in which to enjoy a meal of pleasant memories, accompanied by one of the best wine lists, with the finishing touch thanks to exceptional service. At La Vieja Bodega the pleasure of eating is rediscovered day by day, and every corner has a unique charm and flavour.
Sixth stop: Cuzcurrita
The owners of Asador Aker, Angel and Ana, are passionate about good gastronomy and heirs to a long tradition in the restaurant business, which is continued by their children Lander and Aritza. The new generation assures all visitors a careful attention, focused on providing a unique and unforgettable experience through traditional cuisine for all types of diners.
Seventh stop: Haro
Since 1941, the Beethoven I restaurant and bar has been a typical Rioja mesón with a rustic-style flavour. The bar has a long bar of “pinchos” and tapas, such as the famous pepper stuffed with mushrooms, the truffled cod canutillo with tomato and pip jam, or the mushroom sachet with mushroom and mustard sauce. The informal restaurant combines casseroles from La Rioja with a classic menu that includes the stews of the day, the trunk of fresh cod with fried vegetables, the T-bone steak, or the much sought-after roast milk lamb. Restaurant El Claustro de Los Agustinos is located within the centenary walls of the imposing Hotel Los Agustinos. Its renovated kitchen team offers a menu based on traditional products from the land of La Rioja that does not renounce innovation. A surprising tiger mussel with edible shell or grilled scallops on cream of organic saffron from La Rioja are proof of this. Avant-garde, quality cuisine.
Eighth stop: San Asensio
Casa Marisa is a traditional restaurant, located in a rural house that offers traditional home cooking with the best Spanish and regional flavours. Each dish is carefully prepared with fresh, top-quality products, such as patorrillos a la riojana, secreto ibérico al aroma de la serena, fresh fish and various homemade desserts.
Ninth stop: San Vicente.
Casa Toni. Acquired in the early 1960s by Remedios Monge and her husband Antonio Saez, Casa Toni’s cuisine has always been markedly traditional. As the baton was passed on to their children, they have been modifying it and making it more creative, but without forgetting the legacy and the roots left by the couple.
Last stop and a final stop.
After this gastronomic ecstasy in the restaurants of the Rioja Alta Wine Route, it’s time to stop and rest. Flats, rural houses, charming accommodation, for families, for groups… Find them all here.
Find them all here.
