Here is finally the continuation of my series on the Basque Country with a focus on local gastronomy, embellished with a few photos that I hope will make your mouth water. I also take this opportunity, as is my habit, to give you some great gourmet addresses that I had the chance to discover and test in the region during my stay.
Table of Contents
Some Basque specialties
Below are some delicious Basque specialties that you must taste (at least in my opinion) during a stay in the Basque Country.
The Basque Cake
I think you will find as many Basque cake recipes as there are Basque cooks. With cream, with bitter almond (as at Pariès), with black cherry jam… The best thing is to taste them all and form your own opinion. The two houses mentioned below (Adam and Pariès) each make their own. It even comes in several flavors (cherry, chocolate, bitter almond…). For my part, my preference clearly goes to the one with black cherry jam, but this opinion is entirely personal…
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Basque Cider Houses
A true institution in the Basque Country, you cannot miss a nice, festive evening in a cider house to discover this drink (which is not necessarily what you think it is) and the traditions that surround it.
The principle of an evening at a cider house is to come and visit the premises, discover the production cellars, and taste the drink directly from the barrel, accompanied by a special cider house menu—because you also eat at a cider house, particularly huge prime rib steaks grilled directly in the dining room!
And then, at the end of the evening, if you stay until closing, you might be lucky enough to end up, like us, at the cider house bar with a few bottles of slightly stronger drinks… For my part, I tried the artisan cider house Txopinondo near Saint-Jean-de-Luz once again.
Txopinondo Za Lan Zelai route de Saint-Jean-de-Luz 64310 Ascain
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My top addresses in the Basque Country
Below you will find a small selection of great gourmet addresses that I had the opportunity to test during my stay.
La Maison Adam
With them, it is their macarons that caught my attention the most. And yet, this house founded in 1660 is full of gourmet treats: chocolates, sweets, Basque cakes, and nougats are on the shop’s menu. It was a colleague who introduced me to these succulent cakes from the Saint-Jean-de-Luz shop, and I must admit that I rushed to buy a box just before catching my plane. I strongly advise you to go and taste these delights if you are in the area.
Maison Adam 4 place Louis XIV - Saint-Jean-de-Luz or 27 place Clémenceau - Biarritz
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The Maison Pariès
The Maison Pariès, which has existed since 1895, comes from Bayonne and not from Saint-Jean-de-Luz. At first, it was a chocolate factory, specializing in a strange caramel, named Kanouga (still a best seller of the house today). Another specialty is the Mouchou (from ‘muxu’ which means kiss in Basque), a fresh almond cake that made the reputation of Pariès.
Pariès 9 rue Gambetta - Saint-Jean-de-Luz Pariès also has shops in Biarritz, Bayonne, Socoa, Paris and San Sebastian
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Restaurant Chez Pablo
A very traditional restaurant, apparently well known to locals in Saint-Jean-de-Luz and one of the oldest in the city. You have to go there for the no-fuss, simple and tasty food, but also for the strong character of its owner. I challenge you to manage to leave the restaurant without finishing a dish; for my part, I finished my plate being spoon-fed, in the “one spoonful for daddy, one spoonful for mommy” style…
Chez Pablo 5 rue Mlle Etcheto - Saint-Jean-de-Luz
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Restaurant de l’Hôtel Arraya
This restaurant, which is a bit more upmarket and approaches gourmet status, is located in the small town of Sare, further inland. The place itself is worth the detour, as this very beautiful hotel, housed in a 16th-century Basque manor, is also a former Compostela relay.
I also recommend it because the food is very fine and of high quality. The atmosphere is a bit more “chic” as well, but the prices inevitably go with it (menus at 25 € and 36 €). For my part, this is where I consider I ate the best Basque cake tasted during the trip!
The little extra: the establishment has a very beautiful terrace, ideal for sunny days.
Hôtel Arraya 64310 Sare
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Restaurant Ispeguy
This restaurant located on the seafront in Ciboure, facing the small Fort de Socoa beach, is obviously a very famous place to taste fish or a cider house menu. The traditional cuisine is tasty, the produce is fresh, and the terrace is very pleasant in summer but also in the off-season (the proof: we ate there at the end of October).
Ispeguy 35 av du Cdt Passicot Socoa 64500 Ciboure
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You can also find the gourmet opinions of my travel companions here and there.
Find all my articles on the Basque Country (in France and Spain) below:
⇒ All my articles on the Basque Country
⇒ All my articles on Nouvelle-Aquitaine
MY ARTICLES ON THE BASQUE COUNTRY
⇒ My top addresses in the Basque Country
⇒ My tips in the Basque Country
⇒ The Ossau-Iraty AOP
⇒ San Sebastian (Spain)
⇒ My Basque restaurants in Paris
Photo credits: Mademoiselle Bon Plan Photos are not royalty-free, photographer's authorization mandatory before any use
