Mesón Alai, traditional Basque cuisine in Labastida.

Mesón Alai de Labastida, the feeling of Basque gastronomy in Rioja Alavesa.

Labastida, a town of vineyards par excellence, offers us the gastronomic richness of its land through its restaurants. After checking the range of options we have in this town and the recommendations of our hostess, Maite, we decided to taste the dishes of Mesón Alai.

When we entered the main dining room, the stone, wood and traditional Basque decorative elements welcomed us, we were at home, or at least that’s how we felt. A hard day of visits to museums and wineries, combined with routes through vineyards, had sapped our strength, it was time to replenish it, it was time for Mesón Alai.

This Bastidense establishment has been writing its history in capital letters since 1976, a history divided into different stages. Currently, the Mesón Alai, lives its second stage in the hands of Mari Carmen, Dani and Lucia, its second youth. Aesthetically renovated, the kitchen of Mesón Alai, offers traditional dishes with some touches of modernity, dishes with very competitive prices without neglecting the quality.

A traditional restaurant, good raw materials and competitive prices, a winning formula on paper, and in practice?

Our menu: We opted for several starters and a main course, a good option to taste as many dishes as possible and essential to be able to obtain a well-founded overall opinion.

There are several dishes that caught our attention, among them, the octopus slices or the gorgonzola croquettes, 2 dishes that were explosive and that together with the good level of the rest of the dishes, left us with a very good taste in our mouths. None of them disappointed, the weakest, perhaps the ham, we expected more. If you want to know the menu of Mesón Alai you can consult it on their website. By the way, excellent mojito sorbet.

The price: Comparisons are odious, yes, but in this case it seems essential to argue the good value for money of the restaurant Mesón Alai. When comparing, we must take into account that each and every one of the raw materials used were of high quality, but let’s compare:

• Sirloin steak: 13€.
• Scorpionfish: 18€.
• Octopus: 15€.

Do you think the prices are bad? If we compare with other restaurants of similar quality in the Basque Country, the price is very competitive. In fact, it seemed cheap to us and as we tasted more dishes we found better value for money.

Alai spaces: 2 dining rooms, bar and terrace, form the spaces of the renovated restaurant Mesón Alai, different spaces, same line.

• Gran Alai Dining Room, 80 diners.
• Alai intimate dining room.
• Alai Bar.
• Alai Terrace.

All of them, with a careful traditional aesthetic, where stone and wood form the main structure while country utensils adorn the walls.

Location: In the urban core of Labastida, next to the road that crosses the municipality, a few meters from the historic center, we find this small jewel of Labastida.

Attention: We are in the land of wine, a land where it is essential to have an expert in this universal drink in every good restaurant. At Mesón Alai, not only do they have Lucia, but they also put at our disposal the wine shop they have in the center of Labastida, less than 5 minutes walking from the restaurant. The service was perfect, nothing to reproach, much to thank.

TurismoVasco Tiketa: We could not leave Mesón Alai without first accrediting you with “TurismoVasco Tiketa” our exclusive tourist accreditation.

Conclusion? We will visit Mesón Alai again.