‘Logroño wouldn’t be Logroño if we didn’t have the Calle Laurel’ Angelines Gonzalez, co-owner of DellaSera ice-cream (regarded as one of the best ice-cream makers in Spain) tells me while we sit outside sipping coffee the next evening. ‘For us here it’s part of the fabric of our lives and the heart of the city.’ A couple of her friends walking by stop to say hello and explain that they are off for a couple of tapas at the Laurel. It’s a Sunday, Laurel is full of people from the outlying villages, and when we arrive it’s almost as busy as the previous night but with a slightly more laid back atmosphere.
Angelines with her husband Fernando Sáenz are themselves a huge part of the modern Logroño food scene. Sáenz is the creative director of DellaSera and he describes their ice-creams as ‘frozen gastronomy.’ Using all natural ingredients and creating new flavours every year such as this year’s fig leaf ice-cream, they have played and continue to play a big role in raising the food profile of Logroño. It’s obvious how much they are admired in the city from the number of people who stopped to say hello and then tell me how lucky I am to be talking to them. Both Angelines and Fernando are so passionate about La Rioja that during the pandemic they produced a film about the province’s produce, La Cesta, which won the Best Short Documentary prize at this year’s Malaga Film Festival.
Over a tiny Iberico pork sandwich I ask Angelines and Fernando how a city can be so focused on the one street of tapas bars, ‘people of all ages come to eat and drink and socialise, it’s what unites us all here, it makes us who we are.’ says Fernando. As if to make his point for him there’s a toddler sitting with her family nearby, a piece of bread in her hand shouting hello to everyone walking past who duly stop, smile and reply. ‘There’s the next generation, learning how to Laurel’ says Angelines with a smile.
While the Calle Laurel is the heart of Logroño’s food offering here are four of the best for some time off the Laurel across the province:
Cafetería Tizona, Ciriaco Garrido, 14: A recent winner of the best tortilla in Spain, you have to elbow your way into Cafetería Tizona through what can feel like the whole of Logroño, who are stopping by to try the tortilla and have coffee before they go to work in the morning. The cafe menu also has hamburgers, tapas and sandwiches for an informal lunch or dinner.
Matute Asador, Laurel 6: If you want a sit down meal in Calle Laurel with traditional Riojan food then Matute Asador has what you are looking for. Piquillo peppers, oxtail and fire grilled meats are on the menu for a true Riojan taste.
El Portal de Echaurren, Ezcaray: The Paniego brothers, with Francis at the helm of the kitchen and Chefe in charge of the front of house, run this well loved two-Michelin-starred restaurant in the village of Ezcaray, about an hour’s drive from Logroño. Chef Francis has taken up the traditional inland flavours of La Rioja and given them a shake up using innovative techniques and his own skill.
Nublo, Haro: Right in the middle of the wine capital of La Rioja, Nublo is run by Dani Lasa, Llorenç Sagarra and Miguel Caño, all former employees of the mythical three-star Mugaritz. The food is all made slowly and on a wood fire, eschewing the latest techniques in favour of tradition. Nublo has proved a hit with the Michelin inspectors gaining a star in the recent Michelin guide announcements in Spain.