Portrait of Pablo Loureiro Rodil
i. Biography
Pablo Loureiro Rodil has led Casa Urola in San Sebastián since 2012, after taking on the restaurateur role there in 2010. The line is narrow by design: Universidad del País Vasco, the Donostian restaurant Rodil, and then one house in which cooking, ownership, and daily service were made to work as a single operation. In that setup, Pablo Loureiro Rodil’s work reads less like a series of moves than a discipline of staying put, tightening the relationship between place, menu, and room.
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The Climb
At Universidad del País Vasco, Pablo Loureiro Rodil built the habits that sit behind long service: precision, discipline, and the kind of routine that keeps a kitchen and dining room steady over time. The earlier stop at the famous Donostian restaurant Rodil placed his training inside San Sebastián’s own culinary frame, giving his background a clear local reference point. For Pablo Loureiro Rodil, that matters: the craft is not detached from place, but formed through it, with the restaurant floor and the kitchen carrying the same demand for consistency. Since 2010, he has been restaurateur of Casa Urola, holding a role that ties him to the room as much as to the stove.
Today
Since 2010, Pablo Loureiro Rodil has served as restaurateur at Casa Urola, and since 2012 he has led the kitchen there as well. That combination brings the bar counter and the pass into the same working frame, with service and cooking moving in close contact. Casa Urola’s cooking is grounded in seasonal products and a charcoal grill, with seasonal pintxos, market products, and a personal, contemporary view of traditional Basque cuisine.
Under Pablo Loureiro Rodil, the format stays recognizable while remaining active: tradition is kept in use, market produce is kept central, and the counter remains a place where the restaurant’s ideas are put into service.
In Their Words “Of course, when I arrived, there were people making pintxos long before me. But, in my opinion, I was an early adopter of restaurant concepts inside the bar counter, such as seasonal pintxos.” “A huge satisfaction, but also, if feasible, a feeling of greater responsibility. These awards strengthen us, but also they are committing us to come up to the mark.”
Recognition
Pablo's honors include Euskadi Gastronomy Award, Best Restaurateur (2018).
FAQ
Asked of Pablo
Where did Pablo Loureiro Rodil train or study?
Pablo Loureiro Rodil trained at Universidad del País Vasco.
What recognition has Pablo Loureiro Rodil received?
Euskadi Gastronomy Award, Best Restaurateur (2018).
Favorite Places
Recommended by Pablo
The Sunday email
Read about chefs like Pablo Loureiro Rodil in the Sunday email.
Every Sunday we send a lead story and up to four more about the chefs, winemakers, sommeliers and hoteliers behind the restaurants, bars, wineries and hotels we cover.
Recent stories
Free. One email a week, and you can unsubscribe from any issue.