Pyrenees Cafe

Bakersfield · Basque · $$

Basque shepherds came to Kern County in the late 1800s to run sheep, and the boarding houses that fed them served whatever was cooked, at long shared tables, to whoever sat down. Pyrenees has kept that service since 1887: dinner opens with soup, beans, salsa, cottage cheese and pickled tongue before anyone mentions an entree, and the bar out front is the oldest in the county. Order the garlic fried chicken when the menu finally reaches you.