Santiago Rivera, the Chef

Santiago Rivera, the chef of the bar-restaurant

I was born on August 3rd, 1960, at the 31 de Agosto street in Donostia-San Sebastian, next to Bar Restaurante La Viña. I was trained as a bartender and a cook, but my parents taught me to run a restaurant. I have studied at the Basque Culinary Centre and here I have also given lessons for cooking enthusiasts, to whom I have taught some of my techniques on cooking pintxos and about cooking in general.

My cuisine focuses on the pintxos laid on the top of the La Viña’s bar counter , and on the menu we offer in our small and select dining room. If I had to mention a key influence, which has determined the personality and the evolution of my cuisine, I would undoubtedly point at the movement of the New Basque Cuisine, starting in 1977.

Santiago Rivera