Walter Ponce
Few streets in Spain are as famous as Calle de la Estafeta in Pamplona. For eight days every July it is the stage of the San Fermín bull run; for the rest of the year it is a lively old-town street of bars, shops and restaurants. Asador Erretegia, at Estafeta 53, is a bar and grill right on it.
We went for dinner on the evening we arrived from Zaragoza.
What we ordered
We ordered the house classic: a large grilled chuletón, the bone-in rib steak, which came carved on a hot plate and served with a salad.
The bar itself is the traditional kind, with Iberian hams hanging from the ceiling above the counter.
What is a chuletón (or txuleta)?
The chuletón is the great steak of northern Spain. In Basque it is called txuleta, and you will see both names on menus in Navarre and the Basque Country.
- The cut: a thick, bone-in rib steak, usually from the high rib of the animal, often weighing a kilo or more. It is designed to be shared.
- The beef: the most prized txuletas come from older cattle, whose meat has more flavour and more intramuscular fat. Many asadors age the meat for several weeks to concentrate it.
- The cooking: the steak is seasoned with coarse salt and grilled over high heat, ideally over charcoal or wood embers, until it is well charred outside and very rare inside.
- The serving: it is carved off the bone and brought to the table on a hot plate or clay dish, so each diner can leave their slices on the hot surface a little longer if they prefer them more cooked.
The usual sides are simple: a green or tomato salad, roasted piquillo peppers and sometimes chips. The point is the meat.
Navarre’s grill tradition
An asador (erretegia in Basque) is a grill house, and Navarre shares this tradition with its Basque neighbours. Grilling over embers is used for beef, lamb, fish and vegetables alike.
Navarre is also one of Spain’s great vegetable regions. The Ribera, the fertile land along the Ebro in the south, produces some of the country’s most famous vegetables:
- Piquillo peppers from Lodosa, roasted over wood and peeled by hand.
- White asparagus from Navarre, served thick and simply dressed.
- Artichokes from Tudela, a local pride in winter and spring.
- Pochas, fresh white beans cooked in a stew in late summer.
A meal at an asador in Pamplona often combines the two: vegetables from the Ribera to start, then a txuleta to share.
Calle de la Estafeta and San Fermín
San Fermín runs every year from 6 to 14 July. It opens with the chupinazo, the rocket fired from the balcony of the town hall at noon on 6 July, and the city fills with people dressed in white with red neckerchiefs.
Each morning of the festival, the encierro, the bull run, crosses the old town from the corrals near Santo Domingo to the bullring. Estafeta is the run’s longest straight stretch, and its narrow width makes it one of the most famous sections. Ernest Hemingway’s novel The Sun Also Rises (1926) made the festival known around the world, and there is a bust of the writer next to the bullring.
Outside July, Estafeta is a normal, busy street, and walking the route of the run is one of the best ways to understand the old town.
Pintxos in Pamplona’s old town
Like San Sebastián and Bilbao, Pamplona has a strong pintxo culture: small bites served on the bar counter or cooked to order, eaten standing with a drink. The busiest streets for a pintxo crawl are:
- Calle de la Estafeta, with bars along its whole length.
- Calle San Nicolás and Calle San Gregorio, a short walk away, packed with bars.
- Plaza del Castillo, the main square, with historic cafés under its arcades.
The custom is to have one pintxo and one drink per bar, then move on. Many bars in Pamplona take part in a yearly pintxo competition, and award-winning pintxos are advertised on their counters.
What Google reviewers say
Google rating: 4.6 out of 5 from 738 reviews (October 2026).
The rating is high for a bar and grill on one of the busiest streets in the old town. Read recent reviews on Google for current impressions of the food and service.
Getting there
- On foot: the old town is compact and Estafeta runs from near Plaza del Castillo towards the bullring, so most central hotels are within a few minutes’ walk.
- By car: Pamplona is roughly a two-hour drive from Zaragoza and about an hour from San Sebastián. Driving in the old town is restricted; use one of the underground car parks around the centre.
- By train or bus: the train station is outside the old town, a short taxi or bus ride away, while the bus station is close to the centre.
- By plane: Pamplona has a small airport with limited connections; Bilbao and Biarritz are the nearest larger airports.
What to drink
Navarre has its own wine region, DO Navarra, known in particular for its rosado (rosé) made from Garnacha. With a chuletón, a red from Navarra or neighbouring Rioja is the natural pairing. Before dinner, a zurito (a small beer) or a txakoli at the bar is a common start. After the meal, try pacharán, the sloe liqueur that is Navarre’s traditional digestif.
When to go
Lunch in Navarre usually runs from about 1:30pm to 4pm, and dinner from 9pm. The old town is lively on weekend evenings and at its busiest during San Fermín, when tables are very hard to find and prices across the city go up. If you visit in July, book well ahead.
Tips
- Share the chuletón. It is sold by weight and meant for two or more people.
- Ask for it rare, as is traditional, and use the hot plate to cook your slices a little more if needed.
- Start with vegetables. Piquillo peppers, asparagus or a salad balance the meat.
- Combine it with a pintxo crawl on Estafeta and San Nicolás before or after dinner.
- Book ahead for weekend evenings and any time during San Fermín.
Verdict
Rating: 5 out of 5, based on Google reviews (4.6 from 738). Asador Erretegia is a good fit for meat lovers who want a classic chuletón in the heart of Pamplona’s old town. It also suits anyone exploring Estafeta who wants a traditional bar and grill rather than a pintxo crawl.
FAQ
Where is Asador Erretegia? At Calle de la Estafeta 53, in the old town of Pamplona, on the route of the San Fermín bull run.
What is a chuletón? A thick, bone-in rib steak, called txuleta in Basque, grilled over high heat and served rare, often carved on a hot plate.
When is San Fermín? Every year from 6 to 14 July, with the bull run on Calle de la Estafeta each morning of the festival.
Where are the best pintxo streets in Pamplona? Calle de la Estafeta, Calle San Nicolás and Calle San Gregorio, all in the old town near Plaza del Castillo.
What wine is typical of Navarre? DO Navarra wines, especially Garnacha rosado, plus reds from Navarra and neighbouring Rioja.
Do you need to book? It is recommended for weekend evenings and essential during San Fermín.
