Burgos was the last stop on our road trip but not in any way our least favourite. Burgos was named Spain’s gastronomic capital in 2013 and that was a primary reason to stop in & verify that title! We were once again more than adequately informed with hot spot details from Restless Fork blog…so off we went.
We arrived a wee bit late into Burgos as our old Land Rover Gertie fails to attain the highway’s top speed of 120kmph…she’s a wee bit more like 90. And it proved to be a seriously long haul from Porto to Burgos. So as we set off into our first night, we were a tad tired, dazed & confused, so we sort of wandered aimlessly, searching for one of Restless Fork’s choices – El Morito. We found it, but unfortunately for all involved (us & our Jack Russell Billie) they do not allow dogs. We put it on the schedule for the following night when we would be sans Billie…But the bartender @ El Morito was more than helpful & scribbled out a list of places we may have some success with our wee canine. That took us to Calle San Lorenzo & Mesón Los Herrero’s. And what a winner…bustling with local folks, bar stuffed to the max with tasty tapas, excellent wines by the glass (the David Sebastian Crianza was a serious find) and Billie was welcome! We closed out our first night here…to bed, to bed.
Up very bright & early for Burgos town we made a bee line to a very highly recommended establishment – Juarreño’s. The description we had in our notes said a bun fight has been known to break out as the folks get impatient for their sweet tooth indulgence. But we were warmly greeted, quickly served & tucking into some excellent pastries (Hound #2 said it was the best custard she’d tasted in years) and hand warming coffee.
We had a good Burgos wander taking in the castle atop the hill offering us excellent views of the city, the gorgeous gothic architecture and Burgos’s love affair with statues & sculptures. Burgos has a beautiful wee river flowing right through the city centre with a nice bit of grassy land to either side (excellent for Hound #1) and reed beds & wonderful plantings. Spotted about 3 or 4 trout too – excellent.
As lunch time rolled around & we had strolled most of Burgos’s Old Town streets, we went in search of another recommended eatery – La Favorita. And once again our gastro advice was spot on and after several dead ends, we arrived to a smashing tapas bar with wines to match. We met a very nice local fella who was a photographer & had lived in New York City for 10 years he graciously guided us through the various tapas on offer & also changed our wine order to a better value drop & then proceeded to shout us a couple of glasses. Burgos – your folks are great.
Post our La Favorita nibbles, we made one last shopping pit stop before our afternoon rest – El Lagar wine shop. One of my minor passions since moving to Spain is to track down & explore the Mencia grape from the Bierzos region just outside of León. And this shop had an excellent selection of Mencia as well as many other wines from Spain – and the owner once again ticked the ‘nice folks in Burgos’ button.
With the final destination for our final Burgos night already decided (El Morito), we decided to make a few warm up stops. First on the list was Pecaditos which was given a two thumbs up by the friendly chap we’d met at La Favorita – he told us it was the bargain drinking & eatery in town. And he was spot on – they were running a tapas & a BIG caña of beer special for €2! Nuff said – we ordered & ate.
Then we took a very short wander & came across El Pez situated right next to El Morito – easy peezy. And it continued in the theme of ‘Burgos has very nice folks’.
I ordered a glass of tinto wine but Hound #2 was itching to try the local vermut as a low alcohol alternative to the sometimes too sweet mosto. Viola! El Pez brews there own so a glass was quickly ordered…and followed up with 2 wee packets of chorizo & sausage – gratis! As well as a small bowl of bread stick crackers to go with our tapas & beverages.
Then it was on to El Morito…..
Morcilla (blood sausage) is one of the region’s specialties – so we figured the best place to give this beast a try was El Morito. Not bad at all – both of us thought it tasty as and not at all hard to swallow unlike a few our of experiences with a full cooked English breakfast.
Then it was on to the mains – and to say they were big plates would be an understatement. Hound #2 went with the roasted veg & gulas (supposed to be baby seals but just pressed fish) platter while I leaned towards the seafood side with some perfectly cooked calmari. We finished the plates & stumbled & rolled our way home…
So if you have never been to Burgos then you must put it on your ‘to do’ list – the folks are just so nice…you will not be disappointed.