Faustino Noriega immigrated to the United States from
Santander, Spain in 1872 as a shepherd. In 1893, he partnered with Fernando Etchevarry, a Basque immigrant, to open the
Iberia Hotel. In 1906, the name changed from Iberia Hotel to
Noriega 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 1931, Jean and Grace Elizalde bought the property. In 1940, the current restaurant and a portion of the building were added. 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. At the time of the sale, the restaurants was co-owned by the two granddaughters of the Elizaldes, Linda Elizalde-McCoy and Rochelle Ladd. Mrs. Ladd, a regular hostess, died in January 2023 at the age of 70 of a longstanding heart condition.
Post-closure After the sale, a new Noriega's opened at 4809 Stockdale Highway in June 2021 and continued with the same recipes, as well as tables, chairs, plates and other memorabilia. However, it too closed in early 2025. The original building at 525 Sumner Street remains vacant as of 2026. The original bar and neon sign were moved from the original location were moved to the
Kern County Museum. ==Cuisine==