Disclaimer: The information that we share in this post is from our visit to the establishment over time the prices, hours or information could have changed since the time of our visit. It is highly suggested that you research the locations and check for current information before your visit. Also, all opinions represented in this post are expressly our opinion and no one else. We do not receive compensation for our reviews of the places we visit.
609 H St Los Banos, CA 93635 – Website
Family-style meals have been served since being built in 1890 and serving the community for over 100 years. The place is hard to find because it is not hard to miss the small sign on the building and the small parking lot. When you enter into the building you will see two sets of swinging doors, one will lead you to a bar area and the other to the dining area. They are closed on Mondays. Tuesday to Saturday they are open for lunch from 11:30 AM to 2:00 PM and dinner from 4:30 PM to 8:30 PM. Sunday they are open for lunch from 11:30 AM to 3:30 PM and dinner from 3:30 PM to 8:00 PM.
They do accept reservations online, which we did not make, when we arrived around 6:30 PM on a Sunday there were only 2 other tables being used. The dining area is a good size and can hold around 100 people at a time, by the looks of it. It is community-style dining so you could share a table with others.
We have enjoyed Family-Style Basque Restaurants in other cities throughout the years. This one is not on the top of our list. We will try again one day as we enjoy this type of restaurant and hopefully, it was just an off day.
Typical Basque-style dining where you choose from several main courses and share family-style side dishes. All entrees come with the “set-up” which includes a bottle of house wine, bread & butter, vegetable soup, Basque beans, salad with house dressing, potato salad, lamb stew, fries, and for dessert ice cream or dry cheese. They do offer just a set price per person on all main courses. The main courses are only available until sold out.
They have standard main course options daily including baked chicken, tri-tip, roast lamb, pork chops, and New York steak. Along with these options they have daily specials Tuesday is pig feet, Wednesday is oxtails and ribs, Thursday is lamb shank, Friday is fish, shrimp scampi, lamb chops, and lamb chop loin, and on weekends it is prime rib.
Our server never checked on us except to bring food, the check, and plastic bags when we asked for a container for the stew which we were told, goes in a bag we don’t have containers…. So, we asked for an extra bag so it did not leak in the car. She seemed upset when we asked for an extra bag. You are not even given a bigger bag to place all the smaller bags so you are carrying out a bunch of bags… they took the meaning of “doggy bag” seriously. The food was not as flavorful as what we are used to having at Basque restaurants, the side dishes were the better part of the meal. We asked for a cup to put the soup in and she told us they only have bags. The house wine was not good at all it had a very bitter taste, so we just drank water. The lamb stew was all bones, which could be cause it was later in the day. Unlike other Basque restaurants, the side portions are enough to accommodate everyone in your group, or not you could ask for more. Here we were told it would be an extra charge for an additional portion which was odd to be told that from the beginning, but we knew better than loading up on the sides so we had plenty and some to go.
There is also a Wool Growers in Bakersfield, CA, but my understanding is they are not owned by the same people.