Mendilatz, the restaurant of the Irati Forest.

Restaurant Mendilatz, a perfect place to enjoy a menu of the day at the foot of the Irati Forest.

The Mendilatz Restaurant is one of those places that can not be overlooked, and is that, strategically located in one of the natural entrances of the Irati Forest, represents one of the best dining options for all those who access this enclave Navarre by the entrance of Orbaitzeta. We must indicate that although there are many places from where it is possible to accede to the Forest of Irati, the most habitual and well-known entrances are those of Otsagabia and Orbaitzeta, being this last one the one that concerns us today.

The large garden area, the attention of its managers, its extensive opening hours, its prices and the possibility of staying in the rooms they manage are added to the argument of the location to make the Mendilatz Restaurant a very complete restaurant, a restaurant as God intended. How do you see it? We have plenty of arguments! This great list of advantages is what makes us recommend this Navarrese restaurant to you.

Although our experience in Mendilatz was only gastronomic, we must say that this restaurant also offers accommodation service, a service that although we have not been lucky enough to try we are sure that it will not disappoint you. During our stay in the Mendilatz Restaurant we did not find a single “but”, not a single negative point, a fact, which shows the great work of continuous improvement carried out in this complex of the Navarrese Pyrenees.

If your plan is to make one of the many routes that we find in the Navarre Pyrenees and get strength in the Mendilatz Restaurant, we recommend that you make a reservation before starting your adventure, and is that, once in the mountains, it is difficult to find coverage, so we can hardly call to book. In addition, we must remember that due to the large volume of travelers who visit the Irati Forest in high season, the Mendilatz restaurant usually hangs the sign “sold out” regularly.

The fusion of traditional Navarrese cuisine and local products make this Pyrenean restaurant offer great dishes at attractive prices, a fact that raises the quality-price ratio of the Mendilatz Restaurant.

Attractions: Being just a few meters from the Irati Forest, having a large garden or having a good value for money, are just some of the many strengths of this Pyrenean restaurant. Some attractions that, together with the rest, have caused that the Restaurant Mendilatz has our exclusive accreditation “TurismoVasco Tiketa”, a sticker, which confirms our good gastronomic experience in this house.

Name: The name of this restaurant comes from the mountain that we find next to the Orbaitzeta Factory, in the muga (limit in Basque) with Iparralde (north in Basque, concept used to refer to the French Basque Country). At an altitude of 1,348 meters and close to the Arpea cave, the environment surrounding the Mendilatz mountain is ideal to spend a day among green meadows and abundant forests, an idyllic setting that we recommend you to visit.

Perfect for families: Although this hostel and restaurant is suitable for all types of travelers, its outdoor space makes it win integers for all those who plan to travel with family to the Navarre Pyrenees. The Mendilatz restaurant, its soccer field, its garden area and its swings, make it a perfect space for families who come to the Irati Forest. In addition, the adults can rest at any of the tables on the terrace of the restaurant Mendilatz while watching the little ones of the house, a plan that always pleases everyone. As you can see, Mendilatz is a space free of dangers for the “dwarfs”, a perfect place to relax and rest with the family.

Wifi: Although for us the lack of mobile networks is part of the charm of this rural environment, we understand that for others it may be an inconvenience. That is why the wifi area of the Mendilatz restaurant is seen by many as an oasis of connectivity. A point, in which for most people, reconnecting after spending hours incommunicado represents one of the strong points of Mendilatz. To suit all tastes.

Location: This Navarrese restaurant is located in a typical house of the Navarrese Pyrenees, a building located on the outskirts of the center of Orbaitzeta, which represents one of the closest urban centers to the Irati Forest. Located next to the access road to the Irati Forest through the municipality of Orbaitzeta, in the heart of the Navarre Pyrenees, in the heart of the Irati Forest, surrounded by pastures and forests, the Mendilatz restaurant provides a perfect location to enjoy the tranquility of this majestic natural paradise of Navarre.

It is possible to cross the border and reach the beautiful village of Donibane Garazi (San Jean de Pied Port), a magical medieval urban center of which we have already spoken in previous articles.

Complex Mendilatz: Mendilatz is not only a restaurant, the rest of services offered as a hostel, bar or mountain bike repair service make it a complete rural complex where we find everything we need to enjoy nature in the valleys of the Navarre Pyrenees. Mendilatz is the perfect refuge to get strength after a good adventure in the Navarrese Pyrenees, a very well cared space.

Attention: Correct. During our last stay in the Irati Forest, we went to Mendilatz on several occasions and in all of them we were perfectly attended. The staff, young, polite and friendly, assisted us in everything we asked for, no problem at all. By the way, we must mention that at the next table were John Kelly and Maite Itoiz, two great interpreters of the Basque songbook who made us fall in love again with the concert they gave at the Orbaitzeta Factory. We leave you a video for you to enjoy their music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Om6qQrGhYM

Menu of the day: The menu that we tasted, contained variety and quality, characteristics that are always welcome in any culinary event. Although the menu may vary, we attach the dishes that made up ours so that you can get an idea of the gastronomic offer:

We went as a kuadrilla to the Mendilatz Restaurant, so we had the chance to see and taste more than one dish from each of the sections (first, second and dessert). We had salads, cold hake and shrimp pie, cod, escalope, rice pudding, custard or Basque cake among other dishes, some better than others, but all with a more than acceptable quality. Among the desserts, most of them homemade, we found our beloved Pastel Vasco, a dessert that not many restaurants usually go for, a dish that, although it was a bit dry, is always welcome.

Price: 18€ (VAT included, drinks and coffee not included) reasonable, good. We must take into account that we are in a rural environment, a place away from any large surface, a space in which the restaurants from which we can choose can practically be counted on the fingers of one hand.

The Mendilatz Restaurant joins the locals and spaces that we recommend around the Irati Forest, another place with which we add value to our trips to the Navarrese Pyrenees. Undoubtedly a 100% recommendable establishment, a real discovery in Orbaitzeta.