Located in front of the Ernio and Izarraitz mountains, Añota Sagardotegia offers good value for money in the Urola valley.
In the interior of Gipuzkoa, in Azpeitia, we find Añota Sagardotegia, a cider house that proposes us to enjoy a good cider house menu accompanied by beautiful views and a good personal attention. This Basque cider maker (hereinafter sagardotegi), is a member of the association of natural cider of Gipuzkoa, an association that works by and for the Basque cider (hereinafter sagardoa).
We went to Añota Sagardotegia, after visiting 2 local producers, Txakoli D.O. Getaria and cheese D.O. Idiazabal, Urkizahar and Xoxote respectively, 2 typical products of our land that together with the cod, txuleta and sago that we tasted in Añota made our day a full day, a round day gastronomically speaking.
Before going to Añota we inquired about their prices, menus and location. Traditional menu of sagardotegi with sagardo al Txotx and bus service from the center of Azkoitia or Azpeitia, 33€ VAT included. What do you think? Reasonable right? Do you want to know our opinion about Añota Sagardotegia? Attentive.
Añota Sagardotegia.
Our trip in the Urola Valley ended with our visit to Añota Sagardotegia. A last gastronomic stop, the last dinner. A private bus hired by the sagardotegi itself, took us from Azpeitia to Añota, a short trip, in which, although it was getting dark, the curves and slopes indicated that we were accessing the top of one of the slopes of the valley.
Location: Upon arrival, its views fascinated us, views of the Ernio and Izarraitz mountains with the town of Azpeitia at their feet, photo, and that, it was at night and not well appreciated.
Its location, together with the free bus service offered to its customers, is one of the strong points of this emblematic establishment in Azpeitia.
Menu: We were given several options, among which, despite being in April (out of season), was the traditional sagardotegi menu. We did not think twice, we wanted the traditional, the typical. A sagardotegi should always have the traditional menu: cod omelette, cod, txuleta and cheese with quince jelly and walnuts. What else?
Codfish omelet: Codfish omelet? No. A surprise that we did not expect, in Añota Sagardotegia they propose us a different omelette, jerky omelette. A juicy dish, with good flavor (mild for jerky) that surprised and pleased us.
Codfish: A dish, presented with peppers, a codfish that turned out to be a little saltier than normal but with good flavor and texture.
Txuleta: Undoubtedly the best dish of Añota Sagardotegia. There were 5 of us, they brought out 2 txuletas. One small, one normal. The normal one, tasty, juicy, with good flavor, the small one, delicious, better flavor, better texture. I repeat, the best dish on the menu.
Cheese with quince jelly and walnuts: Perhaps the weakest dish of all, but not bad, the txuleta set the bar very high.
SummarizingA good menu, which surprises by substituting the typical cod omelette for the cecina omelette and from which we highlight the txuleta, a well cooked and good quality dish.
Here is a video of how to open the nuts in a sagardotegi 😀
Establishment: Añota Sagardotegia, not only offers cider service, it also has a bar and restaurant, 3 spaces that make this sagardotegi out of the standard of the sagardotegis providing an extra that makes it different. The space reserved for the sagardotegi has 2 differentiated zones, on the one hand the zone of the kupelas (barrels) and on the other hand the dining room. The area of the kupelas, has two lines of kupelas (wood and stainless steel) between which one breathes a healthy atmosphere, an atmosphere of Txotx. The dining room with tables and benches was separated from the kupelas area by a large door, a fact that helped to maintain the right temperature in each of the spaces.
Price: 33€. Traditional sagardotegi menu and bus to the sagardotegi included, certainly a good price considering the quality of the menu and the bus service, a detail that is appreciated. A very good value for money.
Cider: It was not the best of the ciders we drank during our travels throughout Euskal Herria but it flowed easily down our throats.
Attention: Having 2 separate areas, it is difficult to realize when we have the dishes on the table. A situation that requires that the waitress who attends the table, is constantly monitoring our comings and goings to the kupelas area, worrying about taking out the dishes at the right time so that they do not get cold. A 10 for her!
Guided tours: Although we did not have the opportunity to enjoy the guided tour of Añota sagardotegia (it seems that they only take place during the harvest season according to their Community Manager, Ander), it is a topic that we have pending and that we will write down in our agendas.
As you can see, Añota Sagardotegia represents a very good option to taste the traditional sagardotegi menu in the Urola Valley. For this reason, it has been awarded with our exclusive“TurismoVasco Tiketa” accreditation.
Let us know what you think of Añota!
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