The pintxos route in Pamplona
So, let’s get started! And we’re going to begin with one of the most deeply rooted traditions in the capital of the old Kingdom: going out for pintxos. You’ll soon discover that Pamplona emanates food culture everywhere you turn, and you can find a good example on the counters of its bars. And when is a good time? Well, here we go out for pintxos before lunch or in the early evening, before dinner.
Whether you go for the revered traditional pintxos of txistorra sausage and deep-fried prawn, pepper and egg or would prefer to try miniature haute cuisine with a creative touch, your mouth will start to water with just a glance at the array of food on offer.
You’ll always want to try more!
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Gastronomic experiences
Because in Navarre, gastronomy isn’t just celebrated around the table.
We invite you to take part in some of the fun, educational and even surprising food tourism experiences available, an assortment of which you can find here.
Click on the red button to find out more.
Wine tourism in Navarre
Let’s move swiftly on to wine. Because all you need to do is take a quick look at our Designations of Origin to understand that this is a land of wine. We have our own D.O. Navarra and share D.O. Rioja with Rioja and the Basque Country. Both designations are recognised all around the world for their outstanding quality.
Navarre’s vineyards turn out reds, rosés, whites and sweet wines. But make no mistake; Navarre isn’t behind the rest of the pack in the world of sparkling wines, either; the magnificent cavas made in Mendavia and Viana bear the D.O. Cava.
And food tourism here has come up with experiences which go far beyond mere wine tasting. You can join in with the grape harvest and grape treading, ride through vineyards in a horse and cart, attend workshops to develop your more creative side, do yoga in vineyards or treat yourself to a vinotherapy session.
Not to mention taking a traditional tour of a winery, wine tasting included.
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The Navarre Wine Route
Almost a religious experience.
That's what you're going to have on this wine route, which takes you on a sensory journey through the world of wine at 25 locations in the Central Zone and the Ribera.
The route relies on the participation of carefully selected wineries, bars, restaurants, agroshops and accommodation, all making their unique contribution.
And now it’s time to eat!
After hearing all this, aren’t you just dying to sit down and eat?
Now you know that Navarrese cuisine is fresh, healthy, traditional and avant-garde. And diverse, too, because there’s something for everyone.
On the one hand, you have those traditional restaurants that appear in all the prestigious Spanish and international guides, including, of course, the odd Michelin-star eatery.
And then you have newer talent, gradually reaping well deserved success thanks to hours and hours of hard work and enthusiasm, all with a good dose of innovation; the traditional cider and grill houses that specialise in serving that irresistible meat and fish cooked till it is “just right”; and one of the latest arrivals on the scene, the Slow Food movement, with its emphasis on chiefly organic, local products and respect for the environment.
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Restaurants for foodies
Let’s start with the more established restaurants in the region. The ones run by chefs whose work has been deservedly acknowledged. Their main objectives? Respect for Navarre’s gastronomic identity, innovation and only using the finest ingredients available.
Check out the Kingdom’s restaurants.
And here’s another association. This one is more recent and brings together Navarrese vegetable and local product enthusiasts. Its members include not only renowned chefs and sommeliers but also younger talent with plenty of upside and whose success in numerous gastronomic competitions makes discovering them well worth everyone’s while.
Passion, loving care and a large dose of creativity at very reasonable prices. Who could resist?
See the restaurants that belong to Zaldicook
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Grill and cider houses
You can’t visit Navarre without experiencing another of our most deep-rooted traditions. eating out at a grill house (asador) and a cider house (sidrería).
That’s right, at both. Because each has its own charm, as you will see:
At the cider houses, particularly from January to May, the menu on offer is very specific and there is one star dish: chorizo cooked in cider. But there are more things, too: cod omelette, cod loins with green peppers, the revered rib-eye steak and, for dessert, cheese with walnuts and quince jelly. Simply delicious! All washed down with the fresh cider of the season that you serve yourself straight from the barrels lining the dining room.
And another really popular food choice in Navarre is eating out at a grill house, where you don’t only have delicious charcoal-grilled meats, such as rib-eye steak, sirloin, rack of lamb or suckling pig, paired with a good D.O. Navarra wine, but can also eat wild-caught fish, brought straight from one of the nearby fish markets. These are charcoal-grilled, too. Try some delicious hake, monkfish, red seabream or turbot.
Discover Navarre’s closed-cycle cider houses -
Locavore restaurants
Navarre’s locavore restaurants (which are called “km 0” here) prepare all their dishes with local, high quality, mainly organic ingredients produced within a radius of less than 100 km.
And Navarre was a global pioneer when it opened the first ever Slow Food School at the Ultzama School Farm thanks to the enthusiasm of its founders, Beatriz and Óscar. A true institution since the push for good, clean, fair food began.
Traditional food, to savour at your leisure...
I want to eat out at a locavore restaurant
And on to another treat: Navarre’s vegetables
Part of the old Kingdom’s gastronomic heritage sprouts straight from its soils in the form of tasty and, in some cases, unique vegetables, which, of course, have shaped the local cuisine.
Artichokes, asparagus, borage, cardoon, lettuce hearts and piquillo peppers are often the stars of culinary events.
But they are not alone, because the Community boasts no fewer than 6 Designations of Origin, 6 Protected Geographical Indications and 4 quality certifications, all confirming the outstanding quality of our vegetables.
And with so many culinary distinctions, it’s little wonder that Navarre is home to the town with the greatest number of designations of origin in the whole country: Mendavia, with 11 certifications in just 78 square kilometres.
What's cooking in the different parts of Navarre?
Navarre is the Spanish region with the broadest range of climates and landscapes, and that brings us a wide variety of products made using the finest ingredients, some of which hold one of the no-fewer-than-15 different food quality certifications you can find here. Not a bad number, is it?
If, on top of that, these ingredients are prepared with a cookbook full of nuances and influences from Basque, Riojan, Aragonese and French cuisine, all of which have gradually enriched the local repertoire over the centuries, then you are in a position to write one of the finest menus in the world. Shall we get our taste buds working?
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In the mountains of the north, the Pyrenees
The north is synonymous with mountains, rivers, forests and green valleys. The ideal place for the local breeds farmed to bring us delicious rib-eye steaks and lamb cutlets, for duck and game (try the pigeon, partridge or venison when they are in season), and for trout and river-caught salmon.
From the forests, a great variety of wild mushrooms; and from the local vegetable gardens, those black beans that taste so good in winter. And let’s not forget the local dairy products: D.O. Roncal and Idiazabal cheese, junket and artisanal cakes and desserts. Are you going to leave without trying the pastry horns, the delicious goxua or the txantxigorri cakes?
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Around Pamplona, the capital of Navarre
You can find all the flavours of Navarre in Pamplona, from the vegetables grown on the banks of the Ebro to the stews from the mountains. And these in both their most traditional and their most innovative forms, because there are restaurants for all tastes and budgets.
And that’s not to forget the products from the Pamplona Basin itself, like roast lamb, relleno (a sausage made with egg and rice) and txistorra sausage, a local fresh sausage you can try and buy in the local markets and gourmet shops.
Well, now you know; whatever you do, don’t leave Pamplona without going out for pintxos.
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The Central Zone, land of transition
The Central Zone, garnished with gentle hills and fields of grain, smacks of the Mediterranean, of D.O. Navarra and Rioja wines, wheat flour bread and olive oil.
But it is also the home of one of Navarre’s most prized, and hidden, treasures, the black truffle; and of irrigation farming, which turns out piquillo peppers, asparagus and Sangüesa’s delicious potxas beans; of shepherd’s cheese and of mouth-watering roast suckling pig.
Everything is just begging you to seat yourself at a table.
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In the Ribera, the lands of the south
And finally, the Ribera, the banks of the River Ebro, that prodigious vegetable garden which holds so many treasures in store. Its produce is even praised by the world-famous chef Ferran Adrià.
Its star products are asparagus, sweet red peppers and internationally renowned wines, artichokes, gem lettuces and olive oil. The best thing is that, thanks to the area’s booming food processing sector, all these products can be enjoyed at any time of year.
And for perfect pairing, one of the local wines.
To discover all about Navarrese food
You can find everything in the Taste Navarre leaflet.
Food, the soul of every celebration.
It doesn’t matter when you plan to come, because the hard thing is not to find some kind of food-based celebration somewhere in Navarre. Here are some of the most popular ones, but there are many more.
Artículos de interés
¿Te mueres por el dulce? Tenemos la ruta más golosa por Navarra
Other ways to enjoy Navarre
And what better way to complete your food journey through Navarre than with some of these other ideas?
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Culture and roots
Culture and roots
Travel to the heart of the old Kingdom, where Navarre’s truly splendid cultural heritage will quench your curiosity.
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Wellness and wellbeing
Wellness and wellbeing
A walk, breathing in the fresh air, a spa session or a good massage are some of the best ways to recharge your batteries in Navarre.
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City break
City break
A weekend goes a long way when you're in Navarre. Culture and pintxos join forces to bring you the best of urban leisure.