Pintxos, cider, bustling food markets and sparkling seafood are emblems of the Basque Country in northern Spain. Add to that Michelin stars galore, superlative steak and mysterious gastronomic societies, and you’ll understand why food lovers the world over are drawn to the area. It was only a matter of time before this obsession spread beyond the region’s borders and now it has arrived in London, where Basque restaurants have never been more popular. Chefs are reeling in guests with giant ribs of seductively charred meat and fish deftly cooked whole, all grilled on wood-fired systems that would defeat even the most competent barbecue cook.
‘The Basque philosophy of taking the best product available and doing the minimum possible to it has caught people’s attention,’ says head chef Adam Iglesias at the latest Basque hotspot to hit the capital, Prince Arthur in Belgravia.
Iglesias transports diners to the streets of his beloved San Sebastian and Bilbao in dishes such as txangurro crab on turbot-dripping potatoes and whole turbot pil pil, with fish taking centre stage. ‘That crab draws inspiration from a pintxo at El Globo in Bilbao. In the Basque country there is a deep understanding of fat, and the most overlooked is fat from fish. In the north, pil pil is fish fat emulsified with olive oil and garlic and is deeply delicious. We use turbot fat a lot in the restaurant,’ he says.
Other chefs spreading the word about their region’s cuisine in London include Bilbao-native Nieves Barragán at Sabor in Mayfair and three Basque sisters who last autumn opened their second branch of La Maritxu in Soho, which sells just one product: Basque cheesecake. But it’s not just Basque-rooted chefs; Iberophile Richard Bigg is set to open a Basque pintxos bar in Covent Garden called Pintxito in the spring, boasting an all-Basque drinks list with wines from Rioja Alavesa (the Basque bit), plus beer and cider. There is also a rapidly growing number of British chefs behind celebrated Basque-inspired restaurants in London, from Brat’s Tomos Parry to two Michelin-starred, Clove Club chef Isaac McHale, who last week opened the Basque-inspired eatery Bar Valette in Hackney.
‘I think Londoners are increasingly knowledgeable about and interested in great produce, from the best prawns to amazing dry-aged steaks and organic vegetables, and these are key to Basque cooking. And they know they will find them in Basque-inspired restaurants here,’ says McHale.
One man above all others has been quietly laying the Basque foundations in the capital – Nemanja Borjanovic, or Mr Txuleta, as people call him. The meat importer and restaurateur has been banging the drum about the Basque preference for older beef, either from the Galician Blond breed or retired dairy cows (txuleta), for more than a decade. The cows are slaughtered at 10+ years, rather than the average of two in the UK, and British chefs are now turning to the beef in their droves, citing superior flavour and texture. Borjanovic is so convinced by the quality that he has started a project to rear the meat in the UK. ‘We now have 24 cattle on two UK farms and are pushing for 100 in the next two years,’ he says.
Chefs are reeling in guests with giant ribs of seductively charred meat and fish deftly cooked whole, all grilled on wood-fired systems
Borjanovic was also the first to open a Basque restaurant in the UK, called Donostia, in 2012, followed by Lurra in 2015, both in central London. More recently, he decided to shine a spotlight on the French side of the Basque region with his latest opening, Ibai, close to Smithfield Market. ‘Basque cuisine has become something of a trend in London, so we decided to open a new restaurant focusing on a part of the region that has not been so well represented,’ he says. There are subtle differences on the French side, he explains, such as more butter and less olive oil, and instead of Pata Negra, they have Noir de Bigorre ham, while Espelette pepper is used liberally.
‘Cooking has come full circle, back to where we started as humans: cooking meat and fish over the fire. Basque cuisine fits well into this as its focus has always been on simplicity and focus on the product,’ says Borjanovic.
Six of the best Basque restaurants in London
Prince Arthur
The year started with the opening of this hot ticket in Belgravia, Prince Arthur, where ex-Brat chef Adam Iglesias is showing off his Basque roots in this elevated pub dining room with dishes such as lobster rice and saffron aioli, whole wood-roasted turbot pil pil and txangurro crab with turbot-dripping potatoes (plus a line in own-label caviar). ‘The Basque idea of taking the best product available to you and doing the minimum possible to it is what people want now,’ says Iglesias, who keeps the fishmonger-style counter in the dining room brimming with sparkling seafood, from baby eels to sea urchin.
Dish to try: Tuna, caviar, urchin on turbot-dripping potato
Brat
The first opening in Shoreditch from Michelin-starred Welsh chef Tomos Parry in 2018 elicited an outpouring of praise for the seemingly simple dishes heavily influenced by the Basque region. And his devoted fan base continued to grow with the opening of a Hackney sibling and its Soho counterpart Mountain, in 2023. Like Basque chefs, Parry’s raison d’être is cooking over flames, with Brat signatures including whole-grilled turbot, spider crab and the burnt Basque cheesecake. Add to that an intriguing wine list with a strong natural focus – and yes, a Txakoli or three (from Ameztoi) – and you could be in San Sebastian.
Dish to try: Whole turbot, grilled red peppers
Bar Valette
Isaac McHale is one of the capital’s most revered chefs, wowing diners with his two Michelin-starred The Clove Club. In late January, he opened Bar Valette in Shoreditch, which is inspired by the Basque way of cooking, he says. ‘We’re using the best quality British seafood, meats and dairy, cooked in a simple way to highlight their quality and deliciousness.’ Dishes include McHale’s take on Basque crab tarts, drawing inspiration from celebrated San Sebastian pintxos bar Ganbara’s spider crab tarts, but instead using British brown crab and devilled spices. The drinks list, too, has a Basque accent. ‘It’s not just Basque wine that we list, we’ve also put a British spin on Basque cider, serving small glasses from large format bottles in a nod to Basque drinking culture,’ says sommelier Wilem Powell.
Dish to try: Devilled crab tart
Bar Topa
French Basque native Hugo Meyer Esquerré opened Basque residency Bar Topa inside his Holloway Road deli Provisions last autumn. The chef is Simon Shand, formerly of Leroy in Shoreditch, who has swapped a conventional kitchen for a one-man, one-oven space, where he serves up a dozen or so pintxos and smart larger plates, from Basque classics such as La Gilda, to veal tartare, bonito and capers. Says Esquerré: ‘I think the popularity of Basque cuisine is the simplicity of it. It’s a cuisine that focuses on the ingredients, with never too many on one plate. And there is something about the atmosphere of a Basque pintxos bar; a way of eating that is laid back and casual.’
Dish to try: Whole roasted quail with preserved lemon and green olives
Ibai
This buzzy French Basque asador in a stylish cavernous space near London’s Smithfield Market wowed critics when it opened last June. The brains behind it are ex-Chiltern Firehouse chef Richard Foster with Nemanja Borjanovic and Will Sheard, the team behind renowned meat supplier, Txuleta, that specialises in Galician Blond and retired dairy beef. You can feast on the handsome meat along with most diners here, or plump for the ambrosial king crab rice, after sharing the memorable Croque Ibai and a plate of crisps topped with Le Noir de Bigorre ham and smoked Piparra peppers. To drink? ‘I particularly love this light red Txakolina called Ilun from Gorka Izagirre with the crab rice,’ says sommelier Hugh Jones.
Dish to try: Croque Ibai, made with Carabinero prawn, boudin noir and Tomme de Brebis
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Sagardi
It was one of the first Basque restaurants to open in London back in 2016, where the undisputed star of the show continues to be the txuleta steak, housed in glass-fronted fridges near the entrance for all to gaze upon. The Shoreditch restaurant formed part of an international expansion for the Barcelona-born business, started by two Basque brothers, Inaki and Mikel Vinaspre, with an empire that now stretches from Buenos Aires to Amsterdam. Here, the Basque tradition of cider is pushed into the spotlight, where they’ll tell you that it’s one of the best kept secrets of fine dining – notably those from Miguel Zapiain. Next-generation txakoli wines are also waiting to be explored.
Dish to try: Txuleta steak, roasted piquillo peppers from Tolosa
