Iruso, Leitzalarrea’s restaurant.

Iruso Restaurant, the gastronomic temple of Xabier Perurena.

The Iruso restaurant in Leitza, has become in just a few months one of the most striking restaurants in Leitza. A small gastronomic txoko, which, led by Xabier Perurena, has made a place in the agendas of people who decide to enjoy the great natural paradise that represents Leitzalarrea. Our adventure in the Iruso restaurant began to take shape in the Peru-Harri museum, during a conversation about good food with Iñaki Perurena. According to Iñaki himself, Iruso, his son Xabier’s restaurant, is not a bad place to eat. Knowing the great fame that precedes the products that the Perurena family sells in its butcher’s shop in Leitza and the price of Iruso’s star menu, we wanted to know in person Xabier’s culinary proposals. Dishes that, with just a glance at the menu, we can confirm that they are clearly committed to the traditional, to the home. If you are looking for a restaurant in Leitza, Iruso restaurant is a great option, an establishment to take into account. Xabier Perurena Zubitur has followed in his father’s footsteps both in the meat sector and in the artistic sector, on television. The young Perurena, at only 22 years of age, already combined his work as a butcher and actor. Today, these two jobs have been joined by a new business venture, the Iruso hostel and restaurant. An establishment that, with only a few months of life, promises to become a space to follow closely. Above all, for those people who want to follow the so-called “Leitzalarrea trail”, a route in the middle of nature that attracts hundreds of people to Leitza throughout the year.

The people in charge of the Iruso restaurant made us feel at home, very comfortable. Really, the gastronomic experience offered in this establishment, coupled with the location in which it is located, make this space a very attractive place for those who want to leave behind the hustle and bustle of big cities and enjoy nature. In addition to the indoor dining room, Iruso has an outdoor terrace that provides another space to take into account, especially in summer.

Currently, the Iruso restaurant has two options to enjoy their creations: menu or rations. In our case, we opted for the full menu, we were hungry. Although there is only one menu, we must emphasize that it has good quality and quantity of dishes. 3 starters, 1 main course and dessert. Suitable to satisfy the hungriest and most demanding stomachs. A menu that we recommend.

Iruso is committed to traditional food with some modern touches. Homemade proposals, of all the life. The raw material used, responds to top quality products, many of them local. An example of this are the meat products, coming mostly from the family butcher’s shop, the Perurena butcher’s shop in Leitza. In addition, you should know that the main supplier of the Perurena butcher’s shop is the cattle ranch that Iñaki and Inaxio, father and brother of Xabier, have in the family baserri (farmhouse in Basque) Gorrittenea. Therefore, we can say with complete peace of mind that this is a 100% Perurena gastronomic experience. A family that controls each of the dishes from start to finish. In our humble opinion, the presence in the menu of a traditional dish like the talo, difficult to find in the big Basque cities, makes clear the bet that Xabier and his family make for the popular cuisine of their town. Very successful. You will love it. Continuing with the starters, the Idiazabal cheese salad, complete and of great flavor, surprised the diner once again. On the other hand, the last of the starters, the cod omelette, turned out to be a little dry for our taste. Perhaps the weakest dish on the menu. When it was time to choose the main course, we wanted to taste the chops from the family livestock, so we opted for Perurena’s chops. Pure butter, very tasty. To finish, we ordered the dessert, the homemade cake, the baked cheesecake, brutal, great flavor and texture. As you can see, although like any other menu, the menu presented by Xabier Perurena has aspects to improve, it is clear that this is a menu to recommend. We are sure you will like it. We ended up on the verge of exploding. Satiated and happy. We will come back.

Iruso is not only a restaurant, this Navarre establishment also has 3 rooms available to its guests. All of them have mountain views, private bathroom, heating, television and wifi. In addition, there is a nice living room, a common space, where you can relax and unwind. This rural guesthouse is also offered as a whole rural house, offering a total of 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 6 beds and 1 living room, a house that can accommodate up to 8 guests. As for the facilities to reach Iruso by private vehicle, there is a small free parking just a few meters from the entrance of the premises. The only negative point that we can find is that the road by which we arrived to the restaurant itself continues its route until you reach Leitzalarrea, next to the restaurant. But to tell the truth, the time we were there, we hardly counted 4 cars passing by. A very quiet place to enjoy.

The Iruso restaurant is located on the first floor of a traditional building of the area, leaving the second floor to the Iruso rural inn. A structure that has been completely renovated to accommodate this new adventure of Xabier Perurena. Iruso is located 4 km from the center of Leitza, 3.5 km from the Leitzalarrea picnic area and very close to the famous Plazaola Greenway. A perfect location for those people who have planned to know all the charms of Leitza at the same time that they wish to visit the centenary Navarrese forests that we find in this environment. In this sense, the forest of Leitzalarrea, one of the most important natural enclaves of Leitza, is a must to visit. A space that offers us the shade and shelter of its beech and oak trees to enjoy a magical walk among meadows and ferns. On the other hand, the proximity of Leitza to Donostia San Sebastian (35 minutes) and Pamplona Iruña (40 minutes), make this small town a strategic point for all those who plan a getaway in Gipuzkoa and Navarra.

All the people who attended us during our visit to the Iruso restaurant made us feel at home. No waiting, with a smile from ear to ear and offering us every possible comfort. Very attentive. Nothing to complain about and much to thank. The fact that both the restaurant and the hostel have a very small number of tables and rooms, means that those responsible can offer the customer a personalized, close treatment. Moreover, we must bow our heads and say that, after the visit to Peru-Harri we called to reserve a table for 4 people, but we got lost on the way, or rather, in the bars of Leitza. We have no forgiveness. So, arriving late and without any excuse, after confirming that the kitchen was closed, Xabier welcomed us, opened the kitchen and we enjoyed a great gastronomic experience. A great detail. Even, when we finished, he stopped by our table to say hello. It couldn’t have been better. On the other hand, we take this opportunity to ask for forgiveness, this type of actions should not take place. Barkatu!

In this section we want to make a small evaluation of the service of the restaurant Iruso, specifically of its prices. In our opinion, Iruso has a more than successful value for money. The mere fact of having a €30 menu with the quality and quantity mentioned above seems to us to be sufficient argumentation. On the downside, we must mention that the opening hours of the Iruso restaurant are somewhat poor. According to its website, this establishment is only open on weekends. Fridays from 16:30 to 23:00, Saturdays from 11:30 to 00:30 and Sundays from 11:30 to 23:00. A pity. Anyway, this gastronomic project has just landed in Leitza, time to time.

To get to Iruso we only have to follow the sign indicating “Plazaola”, an indication that we find in the main street of Leitza, Elbarren. Once we take this direction, we only have to follow the road. Remember that the Iruso restaurant is located in the middle of nature, so you will have to deal with the occasional curve. Iruso is located at the edge of the road that connects the town of Leitza with Leitzalarrea, you can see it from the car, you can’t miss it.

As we did, we recommend visiting the Peru-Harri museum to everyone who visits Leitza. The fusion of Peru-Harri, the Iruso restaurant and Leitzalarrea, creates a 100% winning plan. A perfect getaway, in which we have the opportunity to enjoy the culture, history, gastronomy and nature of Leitza. Are you up for it? If you want more information about Peru-Harri, we recommend you to read our article “Peru-Harri, the museum of Iñaki Perurena“.

As we did with the Peru-Harri museum in Leitza, the Iruso restaurant also received our TurismoVasco Tiketa accreditation. A sticker with which we try to help you, our readers, to find those places that we recommend you to visit. We are sure you will not regret it.

As you can see, Iruso restaurant is a family restaurant, close and cozy, a space that offers a great dining experience. Undoubtedly, a restaurant to take into account if you visit Leitza. If you have any questions or suggestions, we encourage you to use the comments in this article to send them to us. We will try to respond as soon as possible. On egin!