Garena

If you’re on the lookout for a unique dining experience, head to this delightful 17C “baserri” (traditional country house) surrounded by vineyards and boasting impressive views. It also features the unusual ancestral custom of burning laurel branches to ward off evil spirits before each sitting. Garena boasts a bar area and terrace, a main dining room on the first floor, and a private space (usually reserved for groups) on the floor above. Chef Julen Baz showcases modern Basque cuisine with a firm focus on tradition and locally sourced ingredients and a penchant for grilled dishes. The cooking here is centred around two menus: Gurea, and another more extensive offering called Garena, through which he explains the subsistence cooking specific to Basque farmhouses and a gastronomic journey across 500 years of history, albeit from a more contemporary culinary perspective. As part of the experience, learn about native cattle breeds from the Mugarrieta cattle farm, basic preserving methods, and enjoy chilled ciders that are the perfect pairing for the desserts here.