Noriega Hotel
Restaurant information
Established1893 (1893)
Closed2020 (2020)
Owner(s)Elizalde family
Food typeBasque cuisine with American influences
Dress codeCasual
Street address525 Sumner
CityBakersfield
StateCalifornia
Postal/ZIP Code93305
CountryUnited States
Seating capacity120
Reservationsyes
Websiteweb.archive.org/web/2020*/http://www.noriegahotel.com/index.html/tfl

Noriega Hotel, formerly known as Iberia Hotel, and commonly known as Noreiga's, was a Basque and American restaurant, boarding house and Basque cultural center located in East Bakersfield, California. The business opened in 1893 and was a staple of the Basque American culture in Bakersfield and California at large for generations, but was forced to close in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] The restaurant itself was later sold in June 2020[2] and moved to a location on the Stockdale Highway in Bakersfield, reopening in June 2021. The new iteration of the Noriega Hotel continues with the same recipes, as well as tables, chairs, plates and other memorabilia. However, the original bar and neon sign were moved to the Kern County Museum.[3]

History

Faustino Noriega immigrated to the United States from Santander, Spain in 1872 as a sheepherder. In 1893, he partnered with Fernando Etchevarry, a Basque immigrant, to open the "Iberia Hotel".

The building served as a boardinghouse, post office, employment center, restaurant, and community center for Basques who often only spoke the Basque language. Noriega's is located two blocks from the former Southern Pacific Station, where many immigrants had arrived from Ellis Island only with a lapel that said "Noriega Hotel Bakersfield, California".

In 1906, the name changed from Iberia Hotel to Noriega Hotel.[4] In 1931, Jean and Grace Elizalde bought the property.[5] In 1940, the current restaurant and portion of the building were added.[6]

In March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the restaurant temporarily closed due to the difficulty of social distancing with family style dining. In April 2020, the restaurant announced they would not reopen and the restaurant was sold in June 2020.[7] At the time of the sale, the restaurants was co-owned by the two granddaughters of the Elizaldes, Linda Elizalde-McCoy and Rochelle Ladd.[8] Mrs. Ladd, a longtime fixture at the restaurant and regular hostess, passed away in January 2023 at the age of 70 of a longstanding heart condition.[9]

Noriega's was featured in Huell Hower's television show, California's Gold, the LA Times,[10] and Smithsonian Magazine.[11][12]

The future of the building at 525 Sumner Street is unknown, but the new Noriega's opened at 4809 Stockdale Highway in June 2021.[13]

Cuisine

The restaurant serves a mixture of traditional Basque cuisine and more modern American cuisine. Food is served family style at set times, 7am for breakfast, noon for lunch and 7pm for dinner. The front of the restaurant contains a bar, open until about 10pm. Meals are served in the dining room in the back.

Awards and accolades

In 2011, the restaurant received the James Beard Award for America's Classics.[14][15] This award is given to "given to restaurants with timeless appeal, beloved for quality food that reflects the character of their community"[16]

References

  1. ↑ Zubiri, Nancy. "Noriega's Hotel in Bakersfield Closes for Good". Euskal Kazeta. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  2. ↑ "New Noriega's opens for business". KERO 23 ABC News Bakersfield. June 25, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  3. ↑ DIAS, STEFANI. "THE DISH: New Noriega's aims to feed traditions". The Bakersfield Californian. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  4. ↑ Bass, Steve. "History of the Noriega Hotel" (PDF). BasquesInCalifornia. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
  5. ↑ Bass, Stephen; Ansolabehere, George (2012). The Basques of Kern County. Castle Printing Group. pp. 53–67. ISBN 978-0615646688.
  6. ↑ "Noriega Hotel a pivotal center of Bakersfield's Basque community".
  7. ↑ "'Noriega Hotel will not reopen,' signaling the end of Bakersfield as we know it".
  8. ↑ Californian, HERB BENHAM For The. "Rochelle Ladd, welcoming face of renowned Noriega Hotel, dies at 70". The Bakersfield Californian. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  9. ↑ Californian, HERB BENHAM For The (January 11, 2023). "Rochelle Ladd, welcoming face of renowned Noriega Hotel, dies at 70". The Bakersfield Californian. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
  10. ↑ "In Bakersfield, a hungry and weary soul searches for a bite to eat". Los Angeles Times. May 30, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  11. ↑ Magazine, Smithsonian; Shen, Aviva. "Your Guide to Basquing in the Old West". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  12. ↑ Magazine, Smithsonian. "Indulging in American Basque Cuisine". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Noriega Hotel will reopen under new ownership, at new location".
  14. ↑ "Bakersfield's Noriega Hotel Wins Prestigious James Beard Foundation Award".
  15. ↑ Gordinier, Jeff (May 10, 2011). "The Spotlight Finds a Basque Shepherds' Canteen". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  16. ↑ "JBF Announces 2011 America's Classics Award Honorees". March 10, 2011.
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