Zerain

Since it opened in 1997 in the Madrilenian Literary Quarter, restaurant Zerain has become one of the best exponents of traditional Basque cuisine. In this establishment, dishes are washed down with Zapian, the famous cider from Guipúzcoa, which is served directly from the txotx, or barrel.

Split between two levels, both of them rustic and featuring high columns and wood and brick walls, this cider bar offers, at very good prices, a short but select menu with grilled fish and meats: San Sebastián-style cod, beef steak, turbot or monkfish, which can be preceded by a tasty starter such as txistorra, Gernica peppers –only in season-, Tolosa beans and the cod cubes and omelette, which are a must.

Choosing a dessert will not be an easy task either, since it requires picking from rice pudding, junket, Idiazabal cheese with walnuts and quince jelly or the traditional pantxineta -made with puff pastry, crème pâtissière and almonds- amongst other home-made pastries from the Basque Country.