Pinchos or tapas... fun, fast food in Logroño...

   In most places they are known as tapas, in this region of Spain they are called pinchos (or pintxos in Basque).  Whatever you call them, they are a fun, fast, and friendly way to eat.  Logroño has two short streets that have pinchos bars from end to end... Calle del Laurel and Calle San Juan.  They are close to each other, and about five minutes from our hotel, how convenient! 

                                                                  

   So, what are pinchos... ?  They are small plates of food, usually downed in a few bites, and the variety is endless.  Everything from chorizo or jamon iberico on a small crusty roll, sometimes with a quail egg or with a slice of green pepper, to a stack of mushrooms on a slice of bread with a shrimp on top.  And everything in between.  Some things are battered and fried.  And each pinchos bar has its specialty.  Some offer only one thing.

   So, how do you order and eat pinchos... ?  Locals have their favorite places, but as a tourist you cruise the street looking into each place for something that might strike your fancy and when you see it you wander in, step up to the bar, and point at what you want.  (Especially if you don't know the names of things).  Each pincho has a toothpick, they count your toothpicks when you are finished and charge accordingly.  Most pinchos are 1.50 euros, amazingly cheap.

   So, what do you drink with pinchos... ?  You are in la Rioja wine country, what do you think you drink?  Most people drink the local red or white wine.  Young Rioja wines are under one euro per glass, aged Crianzas are 1.50 euros per glass.  Some locals drink clara, half beer and half lemonade. 

   So, what does a pinchos evening look like... ?  You walk the streets of the Old Town, people watching and working up an appetite.  You cruise both Laurel and San Juan  to see what looks good.  You eat a pincho or two and drink a glass of wine, pay, and leave.  You walk some more, not wanting to miss that special pincho.  You find it, eat one or two, drink another glass of wine.  The total tab for two people... eight pinchos and four glasses... maybe 18 euros, at most.  Last night we had three pinchos and two glasses of wine in one place and the tab was 5.70 euros.
  

At a friendly pinchos bar...

A happy couple...

Mushrooms and shrimp... who would have thought... ?

Giant stack of jamon iberico on slices of bread...

 

 

   Most of the pinchos bars are open all day, some are closed certain days.  The two streets are packed at certain times, relatively empty other times.   It certainly makes a fun and inexpensive way to dine here in Logroño, and a great alternative to sitting in a restaurant for a couple of hours.  Oh, forgot to mention, the restaurants here don't open until 9 pm!  Pinchos anyone... ?

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