Two incredible tapas streets in Spain

Logroño, in the Rioja region of Spain has turned into a foodie hotspot because of the iconic tapas streets of Calle del Laurel and Calle de San Juan.

Calle de Laurel

Calle de Laurel is definitely the more popular of the two streets, likely due to recent posts on Instagram by “influencers.” That said, it’s still a place where you can get incredible tapas and have a great time checking out the different bars.

Mushrooms are especially popular in this part of Spain. There’s even a mushroom festival not far from Logroño every spring. In Logroño, Bar Soriano is the best-known spot for edible fungi. They serve one dish, a tower of mushrooms, sautéed with olive oil and held together with a toothpick. You can get your mushrooms with or without shrimp. This tapas is so popular that there’s a sign in Soriano that reads “In Paris, the Eiffel Tower. In Rome, the Vatican. In Logroño, mushrooms at Bar Soriano.” It would be bragging if it weren’t true.

Trying to manage the mushroom tower is a bit of a trick. I’ve seen people try to eat them like corn on the cob, but the best, least messy way seems to be to tilt your head and pull off a single mushroom from the toothpick with your teeth, being careful not to get the garlicky oil on your shirt.

While Bar Soriano makes a mean mushroom tower, I really love the mushrooms at Bar Cid. Like Soriano, they only serve one dish; mushrooms. So your only decision will be what size. Bar Cid uses Oyster Mushrooms that cook up so beautifully on their griddle. Served with a toothpick and bread, you can stab a mushroom and plop it in your mouth or make it a real tapa by putting the mushroom on top of the bread, which is my preferred method. That way the oil starts to seep into the bread. Highly recommended!

There’s more than mushrooms on Calle de Laurel. Jubera is famous for their Patatas Bravas. I’ve never seen dishes come out the kitchen so fast. One order of Patatas Bravas after another. I watched the waitress send an order to the kitchen “three, three, four!” she said, not specifying what they were ordering. There’s no need; it’s always Patatas Bravas.

Dulce Laurel – Flor & Nata Calagvrris 1960 is another nice spot on Calle de Laurel. More chill than places like Jubera or Soriano, Dulce Laurel serves a nice menu of quality food. My favorite is the tapa with green asparagus and edible flowers with a puree of white asparagus on a piece of bread.

Calle de San Juan

Just a couple minutes walk from Calle de Laurel is Calle de San Juan. Laurel gets most of the love from foodies, blogs, and YouTube, but Calle de San Juan is every bit as tasty and interesting as its tapas cousin.

in fact, Calle de San Juan has my favorite tapas bar in all of Logroño, Umm No sólo Tapas. Technically, Umm No sólo Tapas’ address is Calle Marques de Vallejo, but it’s on the corner of Calle de San Juan, so it’s the perfect place to start your tapas crawl up the street. Recognized by the Michelin Guide, everything I’ve had at Umm is delicious.

They’re known for their spin on Patatas Bravas called Patatas Barbaras where the skins are left on the potatoes. Umm also has skinny little fried green peppers that resemble unripe cayennes. While they look like little heat bombs, they’re actually mild and super tasty. Highly recommended.

Bar Tenessi specializes in Bocadillo, a famous Spanish sandwich usually made with ham. But, Tenessi also has a vegetarian version with roasted green peppers, mushrooms, and a little tomato sauce. So good!

Just up the street from Tenessi at #17 is Bueno… Bueno! They have a nice selection of tapas and tostas including a simple one of bread topped with tomato and roasted red peppers marinated in oil.

There’s literally dozens of tapas joints all along Calle de Laurel and Calle de San Juan. You could never visit them all so find a couple you like and munch away!

About the Author

Brent Petersen is the Editor-in-Chief of Destination Eat Drink. He currently resides in Setubal, Portugal. Brent has written the novel “Truffle Hunt” (Eckhartz Press) and the short story collection “That Bird.” He’s also written dozens of foodie travel guides to cities around the world on Destination Eat Drink, including in-depth eating and drinking guides in Spain to Madrid, Cordoba, Jerez, and El Puerto de Santa Maria. Brent’s podcast, also called Destination Eat Drink, is available on all major podcasting platforms.