Tapa Thursdays: Eating (and drinking) La Rioja

When it came to the last region of Spain left to visit, I didn’t have to do much planning: I was in La Rioja, Spain’s wine country, and I was going to drink as much vinate as possible.

But, as any adult knows, moderation is key, as well as stuffing your face to minimize the effects of the garnacha grape that’s been fermented.

One of Logroño’s most famous sites is Calle Laurel. This pedestrian stretch of street in the historic quarter is home to the city’s pintxos – the northern version of a tapa – bars. Being in Logroño on the weekend meant we had plenty to see, do and stuff our faces with, as the average pintxo and glass of house wine ran under 2,50€. As a lover of eating and drinking on the cheap, I felt almost too much at home in Logroño!

Stop One: Pintxo of Tortilla with a Spicy Sauce and glass of tinto: 2,20€

Parada 1: Pintxo de tortilla y tinto at Bar Sebas: 2,20€

Stop Two: Pintxo de Chorizo and a glass of tinto at Bar Villa Rita, 2,10€

Stop Three: Pintxo of Champi with shrimp and a glass of tinto at Bar Antonio: 2,80€

Stop Four: A Pintxo of Queso de Cabra con confitura de Mermelada, a pintxo of Pimiento Relleno de Setas y Gambas and a glass of tinto: 4,30€

I really just wanted Tana’s morcilla, though…

Stop Five: Meat on a Stick! Pintxo Moruno and glass of red at Páganos: 2,10€

self-timer portrait, yikes!

Stop Six: Pintxo of Piruletas de Solomillo con beicon and a beer (noooo more wine!), while my friends snagged the last three mini hamburgers: 3,50€

I’d say we made out like bandits, but we really made out like fatties. We would return to Calle Laurel just once more, instead choosing to try Calle San Juan, where the pintxos were even cheaper and the bars less crowded.

How do you eat while on a trip? Have you ever been to La Rioja?

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About Cat Gaa

As a beef-loving Chicago girl living amongst pigs, bullfighters, and a whole lotta canis, Cat Gaa writes about expat life in Seville, Spain. When not cavorting with adorable Spanish grandpas or struggling with Spanish prepositions, she works in higher education at an American university in Madrid and freelances with other publications, like Rough Guides and The Spain Scoop.

Comments

  1. Everything looks delicious!
    Nicole recently posted..Road ID {Giveaway}My Profile

  2. does this mean i’m really meant to go to spain, and eat like a pig EVERYTHING in site. god, look at those pics, and of course, bite me, it looks so easy those little ‘step five’ , right! you know i’d mess it up so badly….
    gabi klaf recently posted..Sex, A Lady Boy, A Blonde, A Huge Black Guy, and Me- Siem Reap, CambodiaMy Profile

    • Sunshine and Siestas says:

      The great thing about tapas, Gabi, is that you cannot cannot cannot ever mess them up! The dishes are so small and we were so hungry after a long day, that they just went right into our tummies!

  3. You ate like royalty! Looks like your trip was amazing :)

  4. Yum Yum yum!
    Lauren @ roamingtheworld recently posted..Guest Interview on My Spanish AdventureMy Profile

  5. yum, yum, yum! i love those food photos – they sure make me want to visit!!
    wandering educators recently posted..An Insiders Guide to Bermuda: Top 10 Tips for Renting A ScooterMy Profile

  6. So jealous! I cannot wait to get to La Rioja.

    And you mean after five wines you didn’t want another?! I drink Toro wine a lot in Zamora and it usually has 14 or 14.5% alcohol (once had one with 15%!), and after five wines I’d be ready for SLEEP!
    Kaley [Y Mucho Más] recently posted..So You’re Dating a Spaniard—CatMy Profile

  7. Yum! I spent some time on Calle Laurel in June during our Camino stop in Logroño. It was one of THE best nights. The streets were alive with the San Bernabe festivities and the Rioja was flowing. I even splurged on a hotel room, so I could see night fall and not have to be back to the albergue by the 10 p.m. curfew! I wish I tried all the delicious tapas you did!
    Kara of Standby to Somewhere recently posted..El Camino de Santiago…Es Mi CaminoMy Profile

  8. Oh, these look so delicious! I’m ready to hit the tapas bar right now…
    Micki recently posted..I Want to Go with Oh to BarcelonaMy Profile

  9. Lauren’s right. Everything does look delicious. Even the meat. And I’m a flesh-phobic vegetarian.
    Matthew Hirtes recently posted..San Andres: Northern ExposureMy Profile

  10. Nicole’s right, my tired fingers meant to type in the previous post.
    Matthew Hirtes recently posted..Vegueta’s Cathedral in the Sky, Catedral Santa AnaMy Profile

  11. Tapa Thursday…now this is a series I can get behind. Thanks for making me hungry:)
    D.J. – The World of Deej recently posted..The Dali Museum – St. PetersburgMy Profile

  12. Very civilised and healthy way to eat (and drink), love tapas all over Spain!
    Maya recently posted..Christmas Comes But Once a Year (And I’m Fine With That!)My Profile

  13. Ooh, I like that idea of Tapas Thursdays. You can’t go wrong with those!

    • Sunshine and Siestas says:

      It’s definitely giving me a great excuse to keep eating! I publish every two weeks, so look for the tag “Tapa Thursdays” for more deliciousness. Thanks for stopping by!

Trackbacks

  1. […] was our destination, and it wasn’t long before I was taking the edge off with a glass of Rioja and cheap tapas. My friends, thankful that one of us had legal papers in the country, were glad I was driving and […]

  2. […] by the cops, and barely made it to one piece to La Rioja, Spain’s Wine Country. While there, we feasted like kings on the famous Calle Laurel and took a trip to Marques de Riscal’s gorgeous bodega in nearby […]

  3. […] food posts? I also told you everything I ate while in La Rioja, Spain’s de-facto wine capital. Do you like Italian food (or food gluttony)? Share […]

  4. […] my favorite part of Spain is, and it’s really a loaded question. I’ve drunk wine in La Rioja, hiked through Asturias, considered a move to Madrid. A piece of me can be found in each part of […]

  5. […] Greece could be just what I need. I’m usually a DIY traveler, but between trips to Croatia, La Rioja and Italy in the past five months, I’m a little tuckered out. I quite like the idea of just […]

  6. […] with more than 50 tapas restaurants spread over four blocks near downtown. For more info, check out this excellent travel post by blogger Cat Gaa from her Sunshine + Siestas […]

  7. […] – in family-run bodegas that sell al granel in DO Jumilla, in world famous wineries in La Rioja and even in a fancy wine shop in Seville, but I’d rarely learned much past the […]

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