Noriega Hotel
Noriega Hotel, formerly known as Iberia Hotel, and commonly known as Noreiga's, was a Basque and American restaurant, Boarding house and 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. The future of the business is unknown. 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. In 1931, the Elizalde family bought the property. In 1940, the current restaurant and portion of the building was added, and was opened to the public. In 2011, the restaurant won the James  Beard award. In March 2020, 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. Noriega's has been featured in Huell Hower California's Gold, LA Times, NY Times, and Smithsonian Magazine. The future of the building, and the brand, is unknown, but it may reopen in the future 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, American Classic Award. This award is given to "given to restaurants with timeless appeal, beloved for quality food that reflects the character of their community"