Wool Growers on Pioneer Drive has been feeding Kern County ranchers, farmworkers, and assorted locals since 1954, when it opened to serve the Central Valley's Basque sheepherding community. The name references the wool trade that first brought Basques to California. Like the Noriega, it operates on the boarding house model: communal tables, set-price meals, wine by the pitcher, and courses that keep coming until you call a halt.
The regulars at Wool Growers tend to be working Central Valley types — farmers, oilfield workers, agricultural contractors — which gives the dining room a different atmosphere from the Noriega, which draws more tourists and visitors. The food is straightforward and plentiful. The lamb dishes are the ones to order; the stew in particular is what the place does best. If you can only eat at one Basque restaurant in Bakersfield and you want the one that feels most like an authentic working-class institution, Wool Growers is the choice.