The best Basque restaurants in London
The Basque Country is a region that straddles the western coast of north Spain and southern France, running up over the Pyrenees and down the other side. The autonomous region was re-established in 1979, having had its state of autonomy abolished during the reign of Franco. Being a melting pot of Spanish, French, Jewish and Portuguese cuisines, due to its geographical location and its hosting of immigrants over the years, its dishes are varied and borrow the best from each of these cultures, though in terms of cuisine as well as culture, it is distinct and has its own identity.
The Basque treatment of ingredients, which is informed by its bountiful location that encompasses land and sea, is largely underpinned by low-intervention preparation of fresh, local meats, fish and vegetables over a coal fire. This love of open-fire cooking lends the dishes a smokey, earthy flavour. ‘Basque cooking is very simple, very plain, focussed on amazing local ingredients of high quality, and very little herbs or spices to distract from that. It is very honest, produce-focused cooking,’ says Isaac McHale, chef and owner of Bar Valette in Shoreditch, one of several Basque restaurants to crop up recently in London. For Isaac, opening Bar Valette gave him an opportunity to ‘share [his] love of Basque and southern French cooking, inspired by summer holidays and food trips to the region, and to showcase my take on the food,’ he says. ‘I love the passion of the Basque people, and their love of life and good food’. In an effort to emulate this passion, Isaac has conceived of dishes such as ‘turbot on the bone with wild garlic sauce vierge’.
The Basque region's tapas equivalent, called pintxos, is a ready made small-plates offering, while the Jewish diaspora which put down roots in the 16th century introduced plenty of confectionery and patisserie. Today, many readers will be familiar with the famous Basque cheesecake, characterised by its caramel top and wobbly baked custard centre.
One chef spearheading the growing popularity of Basque food in London is Rob Roy Cameron, who has recently opened the doors to his first solo restaurant – Alta (a MAD restaurant group project) in Soho's Kingly Court. ‘I like how straightforward Basque cuisine is it is. There’s no hiding behind technique, it’s all about product, fire, and timing. There is also a deep respect for ingredients. Compared to other cuisines, there’s less decoration, less fuss. It’s confident food without ego,’ says Rob, whose menu includes delights such as ’sardine empanada’, ‘pork trotters, beef tongue and tripe’ and ‘razor clam in white saffron escabeche’, each a delicious representation of this unpretentious attitude.
Should you be lucky enough to enjoy a meal at Alta, you will be met with something of a dilemma towards the end: pudding here is truly special, and includes offerings of a mousey, light ‘chocolate, bread and olive oil’ and ‘almond and honey flan’, both fabulously moreish and certainly worth ordering. Just around the corner from Alta, however, is the newly opened second branch of La Maritxu, a family-run eatery dedicated to Basque cheesecake. ‘While Basque cheesecake was starting to become trendy in London, it was mainly available as a dessert in restaurants or in some cafes and deli shops. There wasn’t a bakery focused solely on this product, so we saw an opportunity to create a shop where people could come specifically for authentic Basque cheesecake, made with care and passion,’ says Lucia Larragoiti, one of the three sisters who founded the shop. According to Lucia, it is the characteristic Basque technique of cooking the cheesecake at a high temperature, resulting in a caramelised top and wobbly centre, that makes the cheesecake so popular. This, combined with high quality ingredients, has resulted in an astonishing reaction on social media to La Maritxu's creation, earning it the moniker ‘London's viral Basque cheesecake’: hungry dessert-lovers flocked to the first branch on Connaught Street, and will be delighted to hear there is now a second.
Fans of good quality ingredients cooked simply will be, like me, delighted by the current uptick in Basque restaurants in London, which is why we have rounded up some of our favourites to book now.
The best Basque restaurants in London
Pintxito1/5Pintxito, Covent Garden
Named for a diminutive form of the Basque equivalent to tapas, Pintxo, this Covent Garden spot is bound to transport you to sunnier climes. For those looking to try a little of everything – this is the place to be. The flavours are big and bold: salty anchovies, crispy sweet piquillo peppers confits in garlic and smoked Basque cheese served with quince jelly and walnuts are just a few of the dishes on offer here. With a large outside area and buzzy vibe inside too, Pintxito provides a lively spot to share a meal with friends as well as one to quietly enjoy good wine, delicious food while people watching.
Helen Cathcart2/5Alta, Soho
The latest Basque offering in London comes from chef Rob Roy Cameron, who cut his teeth working at El Bulli, the Spanish restaurant once hailed the best in the world. Alta's menu covers land and sea – with most dishes cooked over an open fire according to traditional Basque techniques. Don't leave without trying the steak – smokey and tender, it is a fine example of how good ingredients need only the smallest amount of attention to be transformed into something spectacular. Another delight is the moussey, light ‘chocolate, bread and olive oil’ – creamy chocolate atop bread sorbet – a wonderfully sweet way to round off a brilliant meal.
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3/5La Maritxu, Mayfair and Soho
This family-run establishment made the big time as soon as it was picked up by social media, quickly going viral for serving up the creamiest Basque cheesecake around. The trick, we are told, is in quality ingredients cooked at a high temperature. It recently opened its second branch in the heart of Soho, with the original shop still going strong in Mayfair. This creamy dessert is an indulgence, it's true, but one that is totally worth it.
4/5Brat, Hackney
Since Brat opened in 2018, Tomos Parry’s whole grilled turbot and Basque-inspired dishes (the burnt cheesecake is legendary) have put this Shoreditch restaurant firmly on the foodie map. Meat, fish and game are cooked over fire, and you will find plenty of seaweed, samphire and laverbread, too – a nod to Tomos’ Welsh roots. The first-floor dining room is large and busy, but fortunately you can book ahead. - Blanche Vaughan
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Benjamin McMahon5/5Mountain, Soho
Another from Brat's Tomos Parry, Mountain offers the same informal, unpretentious dining atmosphere as its sister eatery. Set over two floors in the heart of Soho, this is the spot to find well-sourced ingredients, cooked traditionally to make somewhat out-there dishes. While some are rather Marmite (the menu includes beef sweetbreads served with leeks and squid with blood pudding), others are more ubiquitous, such as grilled chorizo, smoked sardines with citrus and braised courgettes. Whether you are looking to try something new or find comfort in the familiarity of seasonal ingredients, this is a brilliant place for both.
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