Azurmendi Restaurant, the temple of beans in Dima.

Discover one of the best restaurants to eat beans in Bizkaia, Azurmendi restaurant.

Located in the Artaun district of Dima, the Azurmendi restaurant has become a classic of our trips, an icon of culinary excellence. The Arratia valley and its great ecological, cultural and historical value attracts us once again to its domains, this time, we went to Dima for its fair (azoka in Basque), an annual event that brings together the best products of the Arratia valley in the town square.

After enjoying the azoka among Basque pastries, artisan bread, latxas sheep, Pyrenean cows and enkarterri donkeys, we decided to leave behind the festive atmosphere created by the sound of the trikitixas and albokas (typical instruments of Euskal Herria) to get our strength back at the Azurmendi restaurant. We had not made a reservation and feared the worst, but it was our lucky day, a table was waiting for us at the top of the valley, in Artaun.

In the Azurmendi restaurant in Dima, the beans multiply as if by magic, your plate is never empty. In Azurmendi Jatetxea they have a very special menu, “Baba Jana” (bean food), a menu that allows us to taste as many dishes of beans as we want, or rather, as we can. A menu with a price impossible to beat, 16€ per diner. How many bean dishes are you able to eat?

Menu “Baba Jana”, Bean food: Azurmendi’s beans are famous throughout Bizkaia, and no wonder. Nowadays, it is difficult to find a restaurant that prepares good beans like the ones that were prepared in the old days, like those of amama (grandmother in Basque). In Azurmendi, we find good beans, good broth, good flavor and good “sacraments”, characteristics that we feel obliged to mention that it is a good bean dish.

The “Baba Jana” menu consists of a single dish (beans), bread, drink and dessert, a complete and quality menu. In Azurmendi, the condiments are presented in separate dishes, so we find a good stew of beans, a dish with black pudding, sausage, ribs and other sacraments, a dish with chilli peppers and finally another dish with cabbage. A very practical way of presentation, allowing each diner, depending on their tastes, to prepare their own personalized dish of beans.

Beans: Beans from Tolosa. Good sauce, temperature and flavor, what more can we ask for? We dare to say that they use a good ham bone to give more strength to the flavor of the beans. A flavor that does not go unnoticed in the mouth. A taste that pleases.

Sacraments: Bacon, chorizo, black pudding and rib, enough accompaniment to make the beans become a unique dish. Although none of them were of poor quality, we would like to highlight the good taste of the chorizo and the ribs.

Chilli peppers: Chilli peppers of good flavor, although perhaps with too much “gabardine”, too much “skin”.

Cabbage: A typical accompaniment to beans. The condiment we use the least, but not for that reason the worst quality.

Dessert and drinks: Among the desserts we found a great variety of homemade desserts. Our choice was simple, homemade cheesecake. It was delicious. Good texture and flavor. A pity we could not eat more than half of it, the 3 plates of beans we had eaten did not allow us to do so. The wine is simple, which we were warned about, giving us the option to opt for a superior broth if we wanted it.

Location: Located in the Artaun neighborhood of the Biscayan town of Dima, the Azurmendi Jatetxea restaurant offers beautiful views over the Arratia valley. Nature and the imposing baserris (Basque farmhouses) are the protagonists of the environment surrounding the restaurant, an environment that helps this establishment to gain extra points. The restaurant is located practically where the road ends, near a small parking lot, next to the church and the bowling alley of Artaun.

To get to Azurmendi Jatetxea we must go to Dima, once in the center of the town, in front of the covered fronton, we must turn off towards the neighborhood of Artaun, there is no loss, the signs will guide us to the restaurant.

Specialties: In previous visits to Azurmendi Jatetxea we have been lucky enough to taste other typical dishes of their cuisine, among them their famous lamb, another dish that we recommend without hesitation.

Price: Usually we value the price of the services we have enjoyed indicating that the value for money has been bad, regular, good or very good, but in this case, we must make an exception. The Azurmendi restaurant offers us a complete and quality menu for 16€ VAT included, even on weekends. An overwhelming price. A price to go crazy.

Access: The restaurant is located on the second floor of the farmhouse where Azurmendi is located, a slope, which must be overcome by climbing stairs. A detail that makes access difficult for people with reduced mobility. The only section to improve.

Views: The small dining room or the dining room at the back, offers a nice view over the mountain range under which the restaurant is located.

Attention: The waitress who served us, kept our table under her eye at all times, taking care of any needs that might be occasioned during the meal. We did not ask for anything, it was not necessary.

TurismoVasco Tiketa: Our exclusive accreditation this time went to the wall of this restaurant. A simple and humble restaurant as far as aesthetics is concerned, but with great boast in the dishes it offers. Undoubtedly a very good option to eat in the valley of Arratia.

In short, a place with homemade dishes in which the quality always exceeds the price you pay. If you are looking for a place to eat in Dima, the answer is simple, Azurmendi Restaurant.