At the start of Calle del Laurel, the central thoroughfare of Logroño’s bar district, La Tavina, offers three sharp, modern spaces in which to eat and drink. Start off in the ground-floor bar, where you can pair by-the-glass vinos with tapas such as ham croquetas and tuna tataki. Then, move up to the first-floor cellar and tasting room – where 500 varieties are ready for sipping – and order a bottle of your favourite to enjoy with lunch or dinner in the dining room above.

The next night we actually started off sitting inside a bar with a simply fantastic world wine collection called La Tavina. It was here we ate dangerously more-ish slabs of boiled pigs cheek skin doused in rough sea salt (the worlds best pork scratching) and fat wedges of oozy tortilla with chorizo, spinach and piminto. I’ve always seen a Spanish tortilla as an okay sort of dish, but after discovering how it is meant to be eaten, still soft and eggy in the middle, I’m become a total convert and I think they are among some of the best things I ate.

La Tavina is a special place in Logroño; a 3-floor establishment with something to drink, something to eat and a huge wine shop to select from!. The entry level is the wine shop with over 600 references and a very generous corkage fee (+2 euros to open a bottle there and then!) . Then on the 2nd and 3rd floors, it's time to find somewhere to sit down, enjoy a delicious pincho and start working your way through their wine list, or an open bottle from the shop below.

Located on the famous Laurel Street in Logroño, La Tavina is a modern space where wine is king. The restaurant is divided in 3 floors: the bar on the ground floor where tapas and pintxos are served up with wine, the cellar on the second floor filled with an amazing wine selection and the dining room on the third for a more formal dining experience. You can pick out your wine in the cellar and enjoy it with your dinner.

As well as having hundreds of Rioja wineries with superb wines a short drive away, they can stroll to several great little restaurants like La Tavina or Tondeluna who care for this lovely beverage. The last one to join this group of vino champions is Wine Fandango, located in a stately home in the centre of the city.

At the entrance of Calle Laurel, in La Tavina pinchos are secondary to wine, with three floors to drink, buy, enjoy and pair it with something to eat. La Tavina has a street counter and a second one on the inside to eat tapas and drink some of the 25 different wines by the glass that are renewed every season.

Su careta de cerdo era ya famosa antes de que Ferran Adria le diera sus bendiciones. «Una capa fina y crujiente que ha sido premiada en numerosas ocasiones» en los campeonatos de pinchos de la ciudad. Pero la oferta de La Tavina no se acaba ahí, tienen una carta de lo más apetecible.

Stand at the bar, grab a glass of Rioja, and start picking: the gilda with quail egg, crispy pig ear, or the braised pig cheek. The pig cheek, in particular, is rich, delicate, and the kind of thing you’ll remember weeks later.

La Tavina - C/Laurel, 2 42.4655798, -2.4477914 ☎ +34 941-102-300 Opening Hours: Daily 11:00–00:00 Ask when is the next and food pairing event to enjoy the mix of flavours.

Pero lo que nos ocupa ahora mismo son los pinchos que encontrarás en su barra. Los más populares son la careta de cerdo, los pimientos rellenos y el lomo con pimientos.

Among the many bars in the center of Logroño, there are some such as Wine Fandango, La Tavina, La Luna or the Asterisk that we especially recommend.

La Tavina, with its lively atmosphere, impressive wine selection, top-notch service, and fantastic food, feels like a home away from home.