I Walked 1,000 Miles for Mushrooms on a Stick (A Guide to Calle Laurel in Rioja)
Looking for a guide to Calle Laurel in Rioja so you can “do Logroño the right way”? Look no further.
Blisters, Breakthroughs, and the Best Tapas Street in the World
There are journeys you take to find your soul. And then there are journeys you take to find the perfect mushroom on a stick.
Somewhere along the way—roughly 1,000 miles of walking, give or take—a line blurred for me.
I set out on the Camino de Santiago, twice in one summer (as one casually does), chasing clarity, purpose, meaning, healing…
I found all of the above, an idea for a business, and a street along The Way where the bodily and the heavenly alchemize into one.
A street that smells like sizzling garlic, sounds like clinking glasses, and feels like the reward at the end of every blister.
Welcome to Calle Laurel in Rioja.
If the Camino is a spiritual pilgrimage, Calle Laurel is a delicious afterparty.
A Welcome Mural Like No Other
As pilgrims shuffle into Logroño, somewhere between exhaustion and enlightenment, they’re greeted by a mural: a pintxo skewered on a toothpick with the phrase “Camino se hace por (e)tapas.”
It’s a cheeky twist on “the road is made by walking,” except here it suggests the road is made… for tapas.
That feels more accurate.
Because Logroño—capital of the legendary Rioja wine region—isn’t just another stop along the Camino.
It’s the moment you realize that maybe the meaning of life involves a glass of Tempranillo and something grilled to perfection on bread.
Increasingly, it’s being recognized as the culinary heart of the Camino. If you ask me, it’s one of the culinary hearts of the world. And Calle Laurel? That’s the pulse.
Meaning of Life Served On a Toothpick – What’s a Pintxo, exactly?
Let’s get this straight before we go any further, because this matters.
A pintxo (or pincho) is not just a tapa. It’s a tiny, glorious construction—often served on bread and held together with a toothpick (“pincho” literally means “spike”).
It’s precise, intentional, and, in Calle Laurel, often perfected to a single iconic bite.
This is not the place for indecision. Each bar typically does one thing. Maybe two. And they do it better than anyone else on earth.
So you don’t sit. You don’t linger. You move. Bar to bar. Bite to bite. Glass to glass.
A true pilgrimage, if you ask me.
Heaven Is a Narrow Street in Logroño, And It Smells Like Garlic
There is a rhythm to Calle Laurel, and if you surrender to it, magic happens. You start with something small, tell yourself you’ll pace yourself. Lies.
Here are the essential stops on Calle Laurel in Logroño:
1. Bar Soriano – Champinones a la plancha
The undisputed king. Mushrooms grilled in garlic butter, stacked three high, dripping with flavor, crowned with a shrimp. One bite and you’ll consider canceling all future plans to stay here indefinitely.
2. Bar Ángel – Seta con gamba
Another mushroom moment, because clearly one is not enough. Or in case Bar Soriano is impossibly crowded, which it will be.
3. Bar Lorenzo – Pincho moruno
Juicy, spiced meat skewers, sizzling hot and unapologetically messy. Eat standing up, preferably with a napkin you will absolutely ruin.
4. Bar Donosti – Solomillo con foie
Fresh bread topped with foie gras. Simple. Best bites of food outside of Pais Vasco proper. Also try their excellent house made croquetas.
5. Entretapas 941 – Sirloin pintxo with pineapple
Sweet, savory, juicy—this is the kind of unexpected combination that makes you pause mid-bite and reconsider everything you thought you knew about flavor.
6. Bar Paganos – Tortilla de patatas
Spain’s most iconic comfort food, executed with quiet confidence. Soft, golden, and just runny enough in the center to make you emotional (or is it just me?).
7. Bar El Muro – Morcilla “Ferrero Rocher”
Yes, you read that right. Blood sausage transformed into something that looks like dessert and tastes like genius. Equal parts absurd and brilliant—very Spanish indeed.
8. Pata Negra – Jamon & grilled tetilla cheese
Jamón needs no introduction. Grilled tetilla, on the other hand… Salty, melty, deeply satisfying. The kind of bite that reminds you simplicity, when done right, is undefeated.
9. Pulpería La Universidad – Pulpo a la Gallega
Tender octopus, paprika, olive oil—Galicia making a strong guest appearance in Rioja, and absolutely earning it.
Note: if you’re walking the Camino be sure to seek out a proper pulperia when you get to Galicia, it’s a bucket list food experience.
10. Bar Calderas – Tempura Piparras
Light, crisp, slightly tangy peppers that you’ll keep munching on “just one more” of until suddenly you’ve had the entire cone.
11. Taberna del Tío Blas (La Laurel) – Lollipop pintxos
If you know, you know. And if you don’t—you’re about to understand why everyone is smiling before they even take a bite.
12. Torres Laurel – Bocadillo de calamar
A sandwich that somehow manages to be both humble and iconic. Crispy calamari tucked into bread, it’s – as a Spanish chef friend of mine once said – Spain’s answer to the Vitruvian Man.
13. Bar Jubera – Patatas bravas
Crispy potatoes with a fiery sauce that reminds you that Spain takes its sauces, and its potatoes, seriously.
14. Bar El Perchas – Oreja de cerdo
Specializing in pig’s ear sandwiches. The spicy pig’s ear sandwich is incredible. The bread is very soft and soaks up the sauce perfectly.
15. Bar Blanco y Negro – Matrimonio (anchovy + pimiento)
A marriage of flavors that works better than most actual marriages. Ask me how I know…
At each stop, you order the house specialty and a small glass of Rioja. Note: Obviously, don’t stop everywhere. If you do – you must write and tell me, respect!
Pick and mix, just don’t skip the garlic mushrooms. It’s the Logroño signature, as seen on the mural.
Repeat until emotional.
PRACTICAL TIPS (LEARN FROM MY HUNGRY MISTAKES)
Calle Laurel in Rioja runs on Spanish time, which is to say: not your time.
- Best days: Thursday through Saturday for peak energy
- Best hours: 8pm to 11pm (earlier is a rookie move, later is chaos)
- How to do it:
- One dish, one drink, move on
- Stand at the bar—this is not a sit-down affair
- Don’t over-order (you will fail at this, it’s fine)
And most importantly: go with curiosity, not a plan. The street reveals itself bite by bite.
WHERE TO STAY, BECAUSE YOU WILL NEED TO LIE DOWN AFTER
In Logroño proper, right in the aftermath:
- Áurea Palacio de Correos by Eurostars – Elegant, central, and dangerously close to temptation.
- Sercotel Calle Mayor – Charming and perfectly positioned for repeat visits.
In Rioja when touring the region before or afterwards:
- Hotel Marqués de Riscal – A short trip away, but worth it for the Frank Gehry architecture alone; a wine-lover’s dream wrapped in titanium curves.
Unless you’re a Camino pilgrim, in which case you’ll want to seek out a proper albergue de peregrinos for camaraderie, which in Logroño is especially important.
A Quiet Masterpiece Next Door
Just steps away from the noise, the laughter, and the chaos of Calle Laurel sits the Co-cathedral of Santa María de la Redonda—calm, grounded, almost understated by comparison.
And inside, without much ceremony, hangs a painting by the Michelangelo. No dramatic spotlight, no elbowing crowds—just quiet brilliance, existing as if it has absolutely nothing to prove.
It feels like the perfect reflection of Calle Laurel—and Spain as a whole. Genius, deeply soulful, and never not humble. You come across greatness here.
Sometimes it’s on a cathedral wall. Sometimes it’s on a slice of bread.
And whether you stop in before your tapas crawl to pray for the stamina (and appetite) required for what lies ahead, or after to quietly ask forgiveness for what you’ve just done… either way, it feels entirely appropriate.
Logrono: Come for Enlightenment, Stay for the Tapas
Here’s the thing no one tells you about walking 1,000 miles: You think you’re doing it for clarity. For growth. Inner transformation.
But somewhere between the dust, the silence, and the endless horizon, your mind starts drifting… to croquetas. To patatas. To that one perfect tapa waiting at the end.
And when you finally get to Calle Laurel—when you take that first bite, then the second—and suddenly you’re standing there, glass in hand, surrounded by laughter, noise, life…
If you’re not crying tears of joy by the second dish, I genuinely don’t know what to tell you.
El Camino se Hace por (E)Tapas
Take it from someone who walked a thousand miles to justify one extra mouthful of mushrooms on a stick:
The Camino de Santiago will help you find your soul. But Logroño? That’s where you go to feel alive.
And for me, a humble blogger forever inspired by Anthony Bourdain and the idea that food is the story, Calle Laurel is the real pilgrimage.
Did you find our guide to Calle Laurel useful? Let us know in the comments or tag @eightyflavors on socials!
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