Catachu - Pamplona/Iruña

Thought price was reasonable we were all stuffed after eating. I had the patatas gratinadas which were excellent and carrilleras the only thing is that the tabl... read more Thought price was reasonable we were all stuffed after eating. I had the patatas gratinadas which were excellent and carrilleras the only thing is that the tables are really narrow and it does get busy. You have to choose dessert when you order as well but that never bothers me. The salads looked good. The croquettes weren’t for me but the salmorejo was amazing. The sopa de marisco was also good. The entrecot didn’t have a supplement but it wasn’t a prime cut more of a thicker beef filet. The food came very quickly and the firsts came all at once the seconds took a bit long for everyone to be served. Overall I would return 100

This used to be our favourite restaurant in town for many many years. It gained so much popularity that in peak times it was and probably still is) almost impos... read more This used to be our favourite restaurant in town for many many years. It gained so much popularity that in peak times it was and probably still is) almost impossible to get a table, which is NOT the reason for the bad rating. This normally is a good sign but unfortunately in this case it seems like the owner has become greedy. The problem number one is the customer service, which is non existent. It never was a place with great customer service but I always defended this place for providing great homely Spanish food from the northern mum’s kitchen. But that is not the case anymore either, which is the second biggest problem I see, and it is why I decided to write this. This has become a tourist trap, where years ago it used to be a hidden gem. : I’m disappointed. Now, the waitress is not only rude but the food has become worse, meaning cheaper ingredients and smaller quantities. Same with the wine, it used to be decent, but now they only have vino peleón, which basically gives you headache. They refill the wine bottles with some bad, cheap wine, which is not even worth 10 cents a litre. Desert was disgusting, worst crema catalana of my life. The third problem is the place is dark, dirty and decorated with egg cartons. The owner should invest in some proper customer service training. I mean, since the food quality is going down, at least treat the customer right and with respect, give some eye contact, say hello at least, if not a warm welcome. Smiling would also help a lot. There are better places in pamplona where you eat better and get better customer experience. They seem to only want to take note quickly and get you out as quickly as possible. When you order your food out of the menu, the new thing is that you have to also decide on a desert. You haven’t even served me a drink or anything and I should already know what desert I will eat in half an hour?? It’s a pity to see how a great and original idea has been ruined by greed. I don’t think we will ever go back. No volveremos mas al catachu, adiós!

To many people triing to eat in a dark and dirty restaurant. the food was late, cold and bad. when I say bad I mean unedible... A very tall and skiny waitress t... read more To many people triing to eat in a dark and dirty restaurant. the food was late, cold and bad. when I say bad I mean unedible... A very tall and skiny waitress took to long taking our order and very, very rude. it is very sad that the wellness of the customers it´s sacrificed for the owner´s money.

Any time we travel, we are not interested in the chain places to eat. We always ask the locals where they go. This was a great suggestion. Great food and servic... read more Any time we travel, we are not interested in the chain places to eat. We always ask the locals where they go. This was a great suggestion. Great food and service. Highly recommend for the traveler that wants to experience the local culture. good times.

This restaurant is tucked out of the main hustle and bustle of Pamplona's old town. It's a bit hard to find as the street is very quiet after about 1 pm, when t... read more This restaurant is tucked out of the main hustle and bustle of Pamplona's old town. It's a bit hard to find as the street is very quiet after about 1 pm, when the shops close down for siestas. They were also very accommodating for children, and there are two armchairs with an odd lamp made out of a retro hair dryer that my two kids ended up playing with for most of the meal. Note no English menus, but the waitress was very happy to explain what the items were (although in Spanish). A children's menu exists, but is not widely advertised so you do have to ask for it. We only noticed it after ordering. The place was quiet when we visited for lunch, although the separate dining room filled up while we were there, mostly with locals. It was never heaving though, and seemed quite staid and genteel. That said, they certainly don't mind if you make a bit of noise. We started with salmorejo (an Andalucian version of gazpacho, but with bread and heaps of olive oil mixed in) topped with cubed jamon and boiled egg. Almost everyone ordered this. My wife had a delicious sopa de pescado, which was fish and shellfish soup mussels, razor clams, hunks of cod and hake in saffron broth. Easily the best dish we had. Someone else had beans and peppers stewed broad beans in tomato sauce and pork stock with crunchy sour pickled peppers. For mains, I had braised lamb with chilli peppers. This wasn't really spicy, but the meat was melt in the mouth tender, had been flaked with a fork, and was covered with sweet pimenton sauce. My wife had braised chicken thigh with stewed vegetables, wrapped in a crepe with cheese sauce on the side. The cheese sauce was mild, made I think with the local idiazabal cheese. Someone else had pork cheeks stewed in red wine don't be fooled, these were huge hunks of meat, perfectly done, tender enough to cut with a fork. For dessert I had blueberry cheesecake, which was nice, but not really outstanding. The wife had goxua, which is apparently a typical Basque dessert. This one was served as a flan sponge cake base, whipped cream layer on top, then a layer of custard (passed under a blowtorch to caramelise it) on top of that. Sort of a cross between creme brulee and a trifle. All this cost about €15 per head, including a bottle of red wine and a bottle of white wine. Pretty good value, and the street outside is quiet enough for a 1 year old to toddle around in. Brilliant place.