Pyrenees Cafe

Courtney was our fun mixologist today. The bar staff is a cohesive unit working well together to make sure all their customers are well taken care of. We decided to check out the bar on a Saturday afternoon. The place is packed with happy, friendly locals. The atmosphere is Party Time, Very loud & engaging. Great place to make new friends. We ordered the Fried calamari with chipotle ranch, garlic Parmesan parsley fries and Shrimp stuffed jalapeños with blue cheese dip. It was delicious. Our appetizers came out quickly. This is so much better than my last experience here. The Pyrenees is one of Bakersfield's timeless and historic eateries. If you want a delicious meal or a fun bar experience come on by.

Bakersfield has the largest collection of Basque restaurants in the United States, with the Pyrenees Cafe being a super old one. I think it was first opened around 1901 as a boarding house, mostly for men, and brothel house on the side that served people coming in from Spain and other areas--the food and the women. It was also quite busy during prohibition making their own booze. Whether it was good, who knows, this was years and years ago. There are not as many Basque places in Bakersfield as their once was and I wish they would all come back. They are just great. The food is wonderful. It is often served family style and you just feel welcome. The ladies of the night are long gone and it is kid friendly. These establishments like Pyrenees carry the traditions of their ancestors, offering a Basque food experience to everyone. It is on a long street and there are several Basque places to eat and we love them all. This one is a favorite. Customarily, meals at the Pyrenees Café are multicourse, served family style at long tables, but they also have smaller tables and a bar counter. We always get started with the 'set-up,' a generous spread of bread, soup, beans, salsa, pickled tongue, vegetables, French fries, and spaghetti. Now you don't have to do this and you can have just bread or whatever to start, but we love the 'set up." I don't like tongue, but I drive it back to my dog who loves me for it. I am sure it is great, just not for me. The entrees include lamb, chicken, pasta, ox tail and seafood, or the special entrée of the night, which is always great.So, go. It may be a new experience for you and the entire Downtown (near the tracks) Bakersfield area can really use the business. It is super safe and it is fun. Oh, and now they have Breakfast. Yummy.

This is a local gem, finally get to go there with a friend for a proper review. Three place to sit, the super fun old school bar, indoor restaurant, or outdoor patio. The patio is my favorite, a rustic courtyard with brick wall, string lights and red umbrellas. The wait staff was friendly and attentive.The food is the legendary Bakersfield basque food with modern presentation. The garlic fries and shrimp appetizers were amazing. My main course was ribeye, nicely marbled, perfectly prepared, nicely seasoned. Every dish had great attention to details. Very satisfied and I will always return here.

Had jury duty and was craving a french dip. With a longer than normal lunch period decided to give this place a try. Bar was full and all the booths in the bar were "reserved" so we were shoed off to the other dining room with booths along the walls and family style tables in the center. Ordered the french dip and my friend ordered the tri-tip sandwich. Both priced around $20 and came with fries, onion rings, or a lil of both. The plate of food was enough to warrant a $20 charge and the service was fast and friendly. But the meat on both our sandwiches was so bland and the au jus as well. I thought it may have been me as I have cut back on salt over the years, but my friend agreed it was bland. The fries and onion rings dipped in ketchup were ok. I really wanted to like this place. I will try something else in the future before I give up on it..

Breakfast is always good here and a Bloody Mary is a nice way to start your day! Food is always hot and portions are large. Cant go wrong with anything on the menu. This a fun place to get together with friends.

This was my first time visiting this restaurant. Our visit was for a company event 22 people I called and made reservations in advance. On the day I arrived for our reservation our table was ready the staff was very professional and polite they greeted me by my first name that is a major plus. Our server was made sure we were taken care of during our whole dining experience. The food is very delicious we started with 3 samples very fresh and tasty also the bar drinks were made very well and we didn't have to wait long for them. I ordered the rack of lamb with the Dinner set up everything was cooked perfectly and was fresh and so delicious. The dining area was very neat has a very great ambiance and it's relaxing they also have a full Bar area with music a place to relax and enjoy yourself they offer patio area seating as well. For dessert I got some ice cream and an after dinner drink very nice way to end a great meal the prices of all the menu items is not bad for the great quality of food and portions you receive. They offer Breakfast Lunch and dinner go and check them out and enjoy yourself you will not be disappointed.

Yikes. $33 for breakfast, tip and a drink? Chicken fried steaks at our table were just not that good. The meat did not taste or feel fresh (frozen and not highest quality?)- but the ranch potatoes were pretty decent. Service was good and polite. Maybe I just caught them on a bad day?

Where do I start.It's located in a sketchy part of downtown Bakersfield. You enter into the bar area. The dining area seemed unwelcoming. Booths along the sides and long tables down the middle. Not for handicapped patrons. We sat in a booth ordered water and tea. Looked at menu and decided not to order The Basque food because it was very expensive. Ordered 3 sandwiches. Pastrami, lamb french dip and BTLA. Was not good. Too salty. fries and onion rings were over fried. Typical bar food. Ugh! I will probably not go back. Service was slow and we went at 5:00 which was pretty empty in the dining area. Seemed like it was more of a bar party place.I was very disappointed.

So my first time eating there and we were a rather large group. It understandably took us a while to get drinks but the one waitress we had did a pretty good job trying to keep up. The hot pastrami looked great but once I bit into it, it was pretty salty In my opinion. The pastrami instead was a bit over cooked, almost bacon like texture. Fries were salty to . The NY steak sandwich was also a bit salty and wish the steak had been cut into slices vs just a whole steak slapped in a bun. Would have made it easier to eat. Firecracker shrimp was tasty. Had a good crunch and flavor reminiscent of some Panda Express type sauce. Wish it was spicier though. Had a few michelada modelos as well. They were served in a glass half full of mix with the bottle on the side for you to pour in. They weren't bad but I prefer mine with a bit more of a kick. What can I say. I like spicy food.

Love that this is a staple with so much history but definitely needs a remodel on their service. I was party of a larger party and of course not one person is going to pay for 20 people so it would make sense to be prepared to separate the checks. Well that's not done here which is a huge inconvenience for the guests. The service was average, waters were refilled only if we asked all the food came out at different times which is uncomfortable for everyone. Over all the food was average. Probably would not come for breakfast lunch or dinner with so much competition surrounding it.