Restaurant 33, one of the best restaurants in Tudela.

Get to know and enjoy the creations of the restaurant 33, the gastronomic temple of the Ribera Navarra.

During our motorhome trip through the Ribera Navarra, we made a stop along the way to enjoy the local products and the culinary expertise of its people. Our choice: Restaurant 33. A modern and attractive place that fuses high quality products with the new concepts of gastronomy. All this without forgetting the traditional cuisine. This establishment, together with restaurants like the Remigio, is one of the best restaurants that we find in Tudela. One of the great ambassadors of Navarrese gastronomy. And it is that, the orchard of Navarre, finds in these 2 restaurants, 2 great representatives of its products.

After weighing all the options to eat in Tudela, we chose restaurant 33 for 2 simple reasons: quality and flexibility. Surely the word flexibility has caught your attention, right? It is not for less. When we were in the restaurant selection phase, when we were considering several options, we saw that in many of them it was incompatible to enjoy the menu and the vegetable tasting menu at the same table. According to what they said, the a la carte and the tasting menu were incompatible, hence the flexibility of restaurant 33, one of the few gastronomic establishments that allowed us to choose between these two varieties without any problem. Although we can come to understand the problems/inconveniences of rhythm caused by the number of dishes that differ between one type of menu and the other (2 dishes of the menu versus more than 7 of the tasting menu), we do not understand why they refuse to do so if the client understands the inconveniences. And the fact is that, once the diner is on notice, it is he and not the restaurant staff who will suffer the consequences of such a decision.

We had already had the pleasure of enjoying the products of this land in one of our previous trips to Tudela. All of them in menus of the day in the Plaza de los Fueros and surroundings, unfortunately, none of them ended up convincing us. This time, we returned to Tudela to taste the specialties of the Ribera Navarra in style, in the restaurant 33. The conclusion we have drawn after enjoying both culinary experiences is very clear: although the price of the dishes of the restaurant 33 may be high, it is really worth it. A small treat that is not easily forgotten. And, although the price has nothing to do with the texture, freshness, flavor and presentation of the dishes, neither does the price, 20€ compared to 50€. By the way, comment that, although the specialty of the house are the vegetables, all dishes are a real wonder, we attest.

We had heard wonders about the dishes at Restaurant 33, one of the best restaurants in Tudela, but, as always, you never know if you are really going to be surprised until you experience it firsthand. Fortunately, that was the case. Its managers do not hesitate to affirm that the limestone soils, the irrigation of the Ebro river, the Navarrese market gardeners and the climate of La Ribera make the vegetables grown in this land one of the best in the world, a fact that, together with the good work of its chefs, has placed Tudela as one of the best places to enjoy vegetables.

It is clear that the vegetables and the restaurant 33 form a duet of height, of fear, but the rest of the dishes are not far behind. In addition to trying their tasting menu, we also tried 2 of the dishes on the menu, two works of art that put us between a rock and a hard place when it comes to recommending one or the other.

History: The origin of the restaurant 33 dates back to 1952, the year in which the mother (grandmother in Basque) of the current owner, Ricardo Gil, cooked in the canteen of the Gallur station. Her son, Ricardo’s father, started in the business at a young age, with great experience and knowledge, a fact that pushed him to create his own restaurant at the age of 23, called Club 33. This same story was repeated with Ricardo, as it was he who, years later, took the same path that his father had taken. Today, Ricardo and his wife, Maria Pilar, have created one of the best restaurants in Tudela, the restaurant 33, an establishment that continues to maintain the number 33 as a nod to the family history and whose success has led them to open restaurants in Zaragoza (Casa Lac) and Madrid (La huerta de Tudela).

Attention: The treatment of the people in charge and workers of the restaurant 33 was great from start to finish. However, at the beginning, when the dining room was half empty, they were too attentive, a bit overwhelming, but nothing to detract from the incredible culinary experience we had.

Location: Located in the center of Tudela, parallel to Avenida Zaragoza, less than 5 minutes walk from the Plaza de los Fueros, offers a luxury location for all those who want to know the city and eat without using any transport.

Price: The vegetable tasting menu has a cost of €45 excluding drinks, so, unless we drink some wine or any other beverage, the price of the menu exceeds €50. On the other hand, the price of the dishes that we find in their menu, makes that the prices of those who eat a la carte and those who enjoy the vegetable menu are practically equal. So we can conclude that the average price of the restaurant 33 is about 50€ per person. You pay for the good things.

Our experience: Tasting the dishes of the restaurant 33 in Tudela turned out to be a success, a great experience! Traveling to Tudela and not tasting its vegetables is practically a crime. And it is here, in the Ribera Navarra, where some of the best vegetables of the whole peninsula are obtained. Of course, if you do not like vegetables, do not worry, in the restaurant 33 make you like vegetables to those who think they do not like, we strongly recommend you to try a dish. Anyway, if you do not dare, you can order a tasting menu and an a la carte menu and try all of them, this was our case.

Although all the dishes on the vegetable tasting menu were to be highlighted, the one that surprised us the least, the one that least caught our attention was the pencas. We left aside the vegetable menu of restaurant 33 to talk about its menu. The dishes chosen were wood-roasted crystal peppers and lamb shoulder roasted in 12 hours (Bardenas Reales denomination). Both were pure butter, to lose your mind! We must also highlight the role played by the desserts, simply stunning. The work of Maria Pilar Vicente, a pastry enthusiast and current head of the restaurant 33.

What to see: Tudela and the Riberra Navarra provide us with everything we need to enjoy a land rich in culture, nature, gastronomy and history. For our part, we do not tire of touring the historic center of Tudela while we take the opportunity to enjoy the incredible desert landscape of the Bardenas Reales, the caves of Arguedas, the views from the Virgen del Yugo or simply walk along the paths that stretch between its huge vegetable fields.

Where to sleep: Although on this occasion we went by motorhome, where we slept the same or better than in a hotel, we must mention that in Tudela we have extraordinary hotels. An example of this is the Hotel Aire de Bardenas, an exclusive and different hotel that delights all those who dare to pay its chilling rates.

We end these lines by recommending the restaurant 33 in Tudela to anyone in love with gastronomy. Although the price may be a disadvantage for certain wallets, it is really worth enjoying all its dishes. A pleasure for the palate.