Sagardi UK

What an experience. It was an honour and a pleasure to be invited to cook at the incredible Meatopia event for the 7th year.

Half a tonne of meat & more than 2000 dishes sold in 2 days.

We always find this festival energising, inspiring and delicious. It not only brings our teams together but it also allows us to interact with people who are as passionate as we are about quality, responsibly sourced meat.

Thank you Meatopia for such an incredible weekend and creating this continuous opportunity for the Sagardi team. We appreciate every single person that queued over an hour to have a chat and eat with us - total respect to you all. Already looking forward to 2025!

And just like that, we're getting ready for another year of Meatopia. This will be our 7th year at the iconic To***co Dock in East London. Smoke was billowing from the Sagardi corner last year as we grilled half a tonne of beef in two days. The aroma of fat dripping & caramelised salt-crusted beef over the hot coals always excites us & we can't wait. Led by Mikel who will be serving grilled txuleton from Xose Portas of Discarlux with seasonal peppers. The energy at Meatopia is incredible every year and we are so honoured to be invited back again, it is full of vendors that are fuelled by a passion for what they do and we are really excited to get going again. We will be there Friday 30th & Saturday 31st August.

8 years of Sagardi!

We're entering this week on a high as we reach a great milestone in our restaurant's life. It has been an honour and a pleasure to have cooked for so many of you over these past 8 years and we thank you so much for all the support.

We were the 30th restaurant to launch of Sagardi Group in summer 2016 & the 1st in London, and we're so grateful and lucky to have such an incredible community around us in Shoreditch.

As we reflect on the past 8 years, we're so proud of every single person who helped us get us this far. The team led by both Head Chef Josep Roca and Restaurant Manager Marc Collell (for the first 6 years), followed by Pedro Sousa alongside Executive Chef / Founder Mikel Lopez de Viñaspre have brought together an incredibly passionate and hard working team.

Many many thanks to everyone who has supported, worked & dined with us, past and present, and we're really looking forward to continuing to learn, progress and keep growing!

Everyone, meet Pedro, our new restaurant manager at Sagardi Shoreditch.

Pedro's been with us for 6 years. In fact, he was there in 2018 at Sagardi Muntaner, the very first restaurant opening of The Sagardi Group before moving to Sagardi Muntaner in Barcelona as a Matire in 2023. As many of you will remember, Marc, our previous restaurant manager, moved to Sagardi Muntaner after 6 years in London, so Pedro comes to us with great learnings and leadership skills.

“I love this city” he says. “It is packed with great restaurants, interesting people and I am so excited to get to know the regular customers and the Shoreditch community that support us everyday".

We are beyond excited to welcome Pedro to the London team. He has already made such a huge and positive impact on our little restaurant, and we're really looking forward to the future. Give him a big hello on your next visit!

Donostia-style seafood soup has been on the menu since we opened our doors to Sagardi in 2016. The combination of seafood, both hot and sweet paprika and vibrant herbs gives us a rich, silky and delicious flavour.

Not only does it carry some of the best flavours we've tasted, but the recipe's no compromise approach and commitment to good produce is inspiring.

By honouring these traditional Basque recipes, we hope to capture the essence of those small unassuming spots in the Basque Country run by local families that are bustling with people enjoying local delicacies.

A memorable Sunday morning for us as we learn the news that Design My Night has written very kindly about our restaurant. It was an honour to have been included as one of the best Sunday roasts in London and we are so grateful to have stayed on the Best Steak in London list amongst acclaimed company and restaurant friends. Reviews and articles like this really do give us an accolade to celebrate everyone's work and we are thankful for the team who come in every day with such huge talents, passions and dedication to our hospitality industry. Thank you to everyone for all your support over the past 8 years. We look forward to growing, learning & continuing to welcome you to Sagardi. Thank you!

Cooking for you all is an honour and a pleasure.

One of the best aspects about the incredible hospitality industry we have worked in since 1996, is the people and exposure to different cultures. London is an incredible city and one we're so proud to be in.

Iñaki, owner of Sagardi studied Food Anthropology at university and is obsessed with being in the kitchen. "Our cuisine is like our religion" says Iñaki "full of flavour, heritage and culture" and "driven by a desire to recreate childhood flavours and introduce traditional Basque gastronomy to the rest of the world"

Mikel his brother and co-founder studied geography at university, and is always so excited to expand Sagardi into new territories. "It not only brings on board new team members, but it helps us grow and continue to learn, which is so important," says Mikel.

Seeing your pictures and reading your reviews when dining at Sagardi London really brings our mission into focus for us. It inspires us to keep going, and gets us excited to continue on the trajectory of representing Basque food authentically and sincerely.

Mornings at Sagardi

Coming into the restaurant early is always a treat, the morning light bursting through the windows, the smell of freshly baked bread and the comforting sound of charcoal being gently shuffled onto the parrilla.

While the embers are starting to crack and the parrilla senses the heat, we get together to taste & test the kitchen's first dishes of the day.

Everyday is different.

From stretching the txistorra sausages to axing the big chops, slicing duck skin and shaping Basque cheesecakes before they meet the oven. The cooking style and approach of the wonderful Basque country inspires us every day and we cherish the mornings when we can spend time as a team to learn, engage and prepare for service.

We love grilling meat over the charcoal fire every day. Every morning the restaurant is filled with the sound of crispy pork skin over the parrilla and fresh duck fat dripping from the skewers. ⁣
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The middle part of our menu 'Basque Grill' (separate to the big blackboard chops), features meat options inspired by traditional cooking methods. ⁣
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We're sourcing beef tataki from Discarlux which have been taken from the cows lower loin. Seared over a hot charcoal fire quickly but gently, keeping the inside rare. At the moment, we're serving it with pan-fried peppers from Gernika, slow cooked ratatouille & a bit of beef sauce. ⁣
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The ducks we source are from Iparralde and the process is influenced by many bird cooking methods. We gently grill breast skin side first, render out some of the fat lying underneath the skin and work to get that deliciously crispy char on the outside. The breast is then touched on the parrilla to keep it juicy and served with a duck sauce & fruit. At the moment we're serving it with apples that have been poached in cider and sautéed in txakoli. We love how the apples give the gamey flesh a little sweet note. ⁣
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Beef sweetbread is also gently grilled over the parrilla, simply brushed with olive oil and a bit of salt, then rested. A dish that's been on the menu in different forms since we opened depending on the season. At the moment, the sweetbread is carved and served with seasonal artichokes which have been hand picked from the gardens of Tudela in the beautiful Basque Country countryside & a bit of beef sauce. ⁣
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We're so honoured to be serving such quality produce. Thanks as always to the incredible suppliers that work hard every day to make it happen.

Beef sweetbread gently grilled over the parrilla, simply brushed with olive oil and a bit of salt, then rested
A dish that's been on the menu in different forms since we opened depending on the season. At the moment, the sweetbread is carved and served with seasonal artichokes which have been hand picked from the gardens of Tudela in the beautiful Basque countryside.
Beef sauce is trickled over, adding further to the flavour.
Typically taken from the cows neck or chest - we source ours from the chest. It's close to the heart, has a rounder shape, better texture and less fat, so we consider it the best type of sweetbread.
There's nothing quite like it and we're incredibly lucky to be cooking sweetbreads like these which are rich, tender and succulent.

It is wonderful for the kitchen when beautiful and pristine fish from wild waters arrive. The bright, metallic sheen of the fish skin is testament to how the fish has been consciously caught and handled with the utmost care and respect. We believe in grilling wild fish using a Donostia recipe and cooking method. It is typical from the Basque Country. We see this way of cooking in many Basque staples such as codfish, potatoes and marmitako too. We're so proud to be serving fish with this level of quality. Thank you to our suppliers Ocean Fish Cornwall for making it possible.

We're sourcing our morcilla (black pudding) from Kepa Loidi Harategiak, a family butcher in Gipuzkoa, widely recognised in the Basque Country as the recurring winner of the traditional Morcilla de Gipuzkoa contest in Orio.

The sausage from Bizkaia is made from pig's blood and stuffed with rice, onions, leeks and some subtle spices.

We're grilling them over fire until they're cooked through, we want to give them a nice crumbly texture inside with a lightly charred crust.

Thick slices of the sausage are then served with strips of sweet piquillo peppers that have been slowly oven-roasted to cut through the richness.

Quite an intense flavour and works really well with a Ribera wine with its deep ripe fruits.

Bread has a rich history that reaches back thousands of years and has some interesting origin stories. Well, quite a few actually. One is that fermentation to make bread rise was discovered by accident - when someone left some dough in the sun and it rose.'The best thing since sliced bread' in 1928 when Otto Fredrick Rohwedder invented a slicing machine - a huge step forward for bakers. Today, bread is just as popular - but mass produced, so can lose charm and natural qualities. That's why we're working with e5 Bake House who believe in wholesome, artisan bread made from organic yeast, flour, water and salt. We're serving it with everything; fish, meat, soup but also with stews, pintxos and chocolate - not chocolate spread but real chocolate. It's that good.

Not only is Hondarribia one of the Basque Country's most charming towns, but it's home to one of the best fishing ports on the Basque coast. We're so grateful to be receiving mackerel from the Hondarribia port this season, it's healthy, sustainable and has a uniquely rich flavour.

We're flash marinating the mackerel for just a few minutes with sugar and salt, really simple to preserve its natural taste. We're then torching the skin to char those delicious crispy bits and serving with a fresh vinaigrette to cut through the oil of the fish.

Choose beef this Easter

Pushing the tradition of lamb aside, we're sticking to what we do best and grilling kilos of txuleton beef steak this Easter.

Apart from beef, we have plenty more good things going on the parrilla.

Wild monkfish caught by Ocean Fish Cornwall fishermen from deep waters around 50 meters - mild, sweet flavour without being too fishy.

From Orio in the Basque Country, we're grilling txistorra sausages served with E5 Bakehouse toasted bread, and morcilla (black pudding) from Biscay with strips of sweet red pepper to cut through the richness.

Seasonal artichokes that have been planted and grown in the Gardens of Tudela are being grilled and served - on its own with Iberian ham, as a complement to the beef sweetbreads or simply as a mixed veg starter.

Huge wine deliveries just a few days prior so the cellar will be well stocked up with all the best sellers and classics.

You taught us to fight in life.
You gave us dignity.
You nourished our bodies and souls.
You are our light.
You made us free.

Emakumeak, beti aurrera!!!

There's cheesecake and then there's our Basque burnt cheesecake.

Rolling back to San Sebastian in the 90's, Chef Santiago Rivera embarked on an experiment to make a new type of cake every day.

Eventually he developed the Basque cheesecake recipe.

It has since reached worldwide fame. Even the New York Times chose the Basque cheesecake, (not the New York cheesecake), as their 'Flavour of the Year' in 2021.

It's a really special dessert - overturning all the rules for classic cheesecake. Basque cheesecake is baked at high temperature and 'burnt' on top with a rich, gooey inside.

Guarantee a spot in Mum's good books this year

Mother's Day is next Sunday - it falls on practically the same date every year and yet, somehow, it always manages to sneak up on us.

We say it often, but we believe the best way to celebrate just about any occasion is through the stomach.

Big beef chops or wild fish will be available on the blackboard, and we're serving our Basque Butcher's Roast from midday. A lovely perk is that you get to enjoy it too.

The trusty torrija (pronounced 'toh-ree-ha')

While some guests will simply finish their main, look at the pudding list and choose what they want, many don't - they ask questions first.

This is especially true as we are serving something unique in Basque cuisine. We're often asked what something is, where it comes from, how it's prepared, or even how it's supposed to be eaten.

Take 'Caramelised Torrija with Idiazabal Ice Cream' for example.

Torrija is an old dessert, and although its origins are debated there is evidence which suggests torrija was served as early as the 15th century. Similar to the British Bread & Butter Pudding, Torrija is made with thick bread slices that are dipped in a mixture of sugar, milk and eggs, then fried and dusted with cinnamon.

The result?

A deliciously golden-brown bread pudding, with a slightly crunchy outside and a creamy inside. We're serving it with Idiazabal Sheep's Milk Ice Cream. How to eat it? Simply dig in and enjoy.

Battle of the sides

It may be controversial to some but we do not serve sauce with our steak. No béarnaise, peppercorn, or any other sauce for that matter.

Frankly, our steak has so much character and depth, it doesn't need the frill.

But if you want to add something, try our steaks with one of our delicious sides. From classic potatoes, salad and veggies to something a little different like ratatouille, piquillo peppers or swiss chard au gratin.

Which Sagardi side do you prefer?

Wild sea bass on the grill for lunch today

Roasted over a charcoal fire in a salt crust to help keep the flavour inside and served with Donostia-style sauce.

These fish tend to absorb the qualities of the water they are in, so you can really taste the clean, oceanic flavour from being wild.

The robust texture of this fish means it pairs better than most other white fish with more full bodied white wines. A bottle of Benjamin Romeo 'Que Bonito Cacareaba', a white rioja from the Basque Country, sits hand in hand with a plate of sea bass.

If sharing a big beef chop doesn't say I love you, then we don't know what does.

There's something particularly special about taking the time to sit down and enjoy some quality food with someone, even more so when you order bits to share in the middle of the table. Makes it that bit more intimate.

Roasted over a charcoal fire in a salt crust, we have some amazing beef chops from a minimum of six years old from Discarlux and wild fish from Ocean fish Cornwall which we serve whole, to share.

Traditional recipes from Grandma and Basque classics for sharing also available on the night include "Roxario" salt cod omelette, "txangurro" (baked brown crab), and Donostia-style seafood soup, among others.

A plethora of wines from all over the world to choose from depending on what you go for.

If you're stuck on what to order, our sommelier is always on hand to help you impress. Reservations for valentine's now open.

Better make it a magnum

The initial thought of magnums is, they're huge! But they're actually the perfect size for big tables. Magnums hold 1.5 litres - the same as two bottles.

What could be more joyous and celebratory than a towering bottle as a proud totem on your table?

From Hiruzta Berezia Txakolina to the more complex Vega Sicilia Valbuena, Sagardi's cellar features an incredible selection of magnums.

What makes these wines special is not just the quality, ageing or that it keeps everyone drinking the same, but we specifically select them in magnum-size because we really love those wines and believe in them.

Above all, they celebrate sharing - everything Sagardi is about.

The big steak debate

How do you like your steak cooked? Rare with a cool red centre, medium with a warm pink centre or well done with little or no pink?

A question that is frequently asked when going to steakhouses - however, we do not ask this question. Why?

Txuleta steaks are taken from retired cattle from 6 yrs old, which in the world of steak is a ripe old age. These beef chops feature a prominent fat edge as a result, which requires particular attention and unique grilling.

The txuleta should be three colours: perfectly charred brown on the outside, half a centimetre of grey and crimson red with flavours inside.

The meat is always served like this because of the higher amount of fat to meat ratio. If the txuleton is cooked for too long, the fat will contract and toughen the steak.

We always advise guests to try it the Basque way first in order to get the most flavour out of the chop. It ticks all boxes in terms of flavour and texture.