Iretza Sagardotegiko

The Basque country is known for cider houses, where hard apple ciders are made. Many of these cider houses serve meals as well, usually steaks. The ciders usually have an alcohol content of 4-6% and are served directly from the barrels.

We had to try one and found Iretza Sagardotegiko, located at Troia Ibilbidea 25, just south of San Sebastian.

We sat in a barrel. The barrels at the end of the restaurant contained different types of cider. The set menu included all-you-can-drink cider. The meal was €35.

The meal started with an amuse bouche. I think it was filled with bacalao--salted cod.

Tortilla de Bacalao--bacalao omelette. This was good but it was a huge portion for 4 people.



Fried Bacalao

The fries were good--nice and crispy.

Chuleton--T-bone steak. This was one of the most flavorful steaks I have had (even better than ones I've had in Argentina) but my friend thought it was too gamey. It definitely had a lot of fat that needed to be trimmed.

Quince & Cheese. I'm not a big fan of Spanish cheese and these hard cheeses were just okay.

Walnuts

It was an experience we had to try but I probably wouldn't go back to another cider house and have the full menu. I did like the steak and may order it on its own.



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