Toledo Restaurants: Reviews & Recommendations

[magnolia]

Am going to Toledo over Easter weekend, and would welcome any suggestion for restaurants in or near the city...

[Valde]

A beautiful place to stay and eat is the Hostal de Cardenal right in the walls of Toledo.  I recommend staying there for the night too.  Not expensive at all.

The restaurant is excellent.  I only stayed one night so I had no other dinner experiences there.

[magnolia]

A beautiful place to stay and eat is the Hostal de Cardenal right in the walls of Toledo.  I recommend staying there for the night too.  Not expensive at all.

The restaurant is excellent.  I only stayed one night so I had no other dinner experiences there.

That is actually where we are staying!

[g_camper]

In early April, my wife and I will be driving from Madrid's Airport to Aranjuez to Jaen, then Malaga & Costa del Sol for golf and on to the Costa de la Luz and Jerez then a brief tour through Extremadura and finishing in Toledo.

We have traveled on several occasions in Spain and I lived there years ago in Chipiona, but as things change, we are always looking to find new places.

We are going armed with a recent Red Michelin, but would appreciate any guidance that this fine board might offer.

We will spend a night each in Aranjuez and Jaen on the trip south.

We will be on the Costa del Sol for a week at the Marriott Marbella Beach Club, and generally have found the food around there to be either lacking or too expensive to really enjoy, so we are planning some trips for dinner and would welcome suggestions.

We will be in Jerez or Sanlucar de Barrameda for a couple of nights. Does anyone know if Tendido Seis (I believe it was called) is still in Jerez and good?

Then to Teruel (correction - Trujillo not Teruel) or Guadalupe in Extremadura for one night.

Finishing in Toledo for two nights.

Please give me any thoughts you might have.

We are looking for good quality spanish cuisine, that will not break the bank.

Thanks,

Edited January 29, 2005 by g_camper (log)

[endless autumn]

Two suggestions for Sanlucar which are extremely well-known, but none the worse for it.

Casa Bigote is as trad a fish restaurant as it comes; the (apparently) simpler the dish, the better it will be.

Casa Balbino is a bustling bar famed for its lacy peerless tortillas de camarones; it is unthinkably cheap.

There'll be plenty about them on these boards I should think.

[Bux]

Michelin is reliable, but I think Campsa is a better judge of restaurants. The street maps in Michelin are worth having however.

There are several good restaurants for simple seafood at the wharf at Bajo De Guia in Sanlúcar de Barrameda. We were pleased at Restaurante Mirador Doñana. I can't say if it's any better of worse than Bigote. Manzanilla was the perfect wine for most of seafood we had. It's not really as alcoholic as most people think and when it's fresh, it's just great with seafood.

My notes are not that good for Jerez, but I think the tapas bar at which we spent a lot of time was called Gallo Azul. It was on an acute corner and seemed popular with tourists and locals.

We thought the Hacienda Del Rosalejo in Villamartin (east of Arco De La Frontera) was a great find. It wasn't a match for some of the best meals we've had in Spain, but we thought worthy of a good recommendation and maybe a star or better. I'd certainly go out of my way to go back. I am surprised I don't hear more about it, but it's off the beaten track.

The truly great meal between Aranjuez and Jaen is Las Rejas in Las Pedroñeras. It's a detour for sure, but it's a true destination restaurant. Aranjuez has a good restaurant. I thought I read something here recently.

[vserna]

Then to Teruel or Guadalupe in Extremadura for one night.

←

Wow! Jerez to Teruel is a long, long 500-mile drive, just for a one-day stay! Guadalupe seems more feasible.

There is one outstanding, not just good, restaurant in Aranjuez: Casa José is a bit less avant-garde than El Bohío, but in a similar class quality-wise.

Don't stop at Jaén. This is a rather charmless, mostly modern city built around the Alcázar and cathedral. Instead stay at nearby (20 miles) Baeza or Ubeda, two wonderful, monumental, Renaissance towns. Better hotels and food, too.

You'll find a recent thread here on the Costa del Sol scene in which I mentioned the charming Alcaría de Ramos in Estepona. There are better places around than what your earlier experience indicates. Follow the Campsa, not the Michelin, when on the Costa del Sol - it's much better in that specific part of Spain.

La Meridiana, beautiful (a villa with lush gardens) but expensive, will be the best restaurant in Marbella, presumably, until the ultra-avant garde chef Dani García, formerly of Tragabuches, opens his new restaurant at the Meliá Don Pepe hotel in February. Oddly enough, one of the best Chinese restaurants in Spain, Tai Pan, is in Marbella. The Carihuela in Torremolinos is like a lesser version of the Bajo de Guía in Sanlúcar - the old fishermen's quarter. I've eaten very well at El Roqueo, and it's less expensive than Marbella!

The best restaurant in Jerez is La Mesa Redonda. A couple of modern notes, but basically, outstanding Jerez-style traditional fare. The best restaurant in the 'marco de Jerez' (the viticultural triangle between Jerez, Sanlúcar and El Puerto de Santa María) is El Faro de El Puerto, in El Puerto de Santa María.

On Sanlúcar's Bajo de Guía dock there are no bad places for shellfish and fried fish, but possibly the best four are Mirador de Doñana, Casa Bigote, Casa Juan and the less well-known, less expensive Joselito Huerta.

If you do go to Guadalupe, the inexpensive Posada del Rincón or the classic Parador de Guadalupe are two good places to stay (and eat - this is no gastronomic haven!)

Toledo has a number of good restaurants these days: the outstanding Adolfo (and its less expensive, very nice subsidiary, La Perdiz), the unassuming but good Hierbabuena, and the avant-garde (in a very old building!) Casa del Temple.

[g_camper]

Michelin is reliable, but I think Campsa is a better judge of restaurants. The street maps in Michelin are worth having however.

There are several good restaurants for simple seafood at the wharf at Bajo De Guia in Sanlúcar de Barrameda. We were pleased at Restaurante Mirador Doñana. I can't say if it's any better of worse than Bigote. Manzanilla was the perfect wine for most of seafood we had. It's not really as alcoholic as most people think and when it's fresh, it's just great with seafood.

My notes are not that good for Jerez, but I think the tapas bar at which we spent a lot of time was called Gallo Azul. It was on an acute corner and seemed popular with tourists and locals.

We thought the Hacienda Del Rosalejo in Villamartin (east of Arco De La Frontera) was a great find. It wasn't a match for some of the best meals we've had in Spain, but we thought worthy of a good recommendation and maybe a star or better. I'd certainly go out of my way to go back. I am surprised I don't hear more about it, but it's off the beaten track.

The truly great meal between Aranjuez and Jaen is Las Rejas in Las Pedroñeras. It's a detour for sure, but it's a true destination restaurant. Aranjuez has a good restaurant. I thought I read something here recently.

←

Thanks for your comments. I knew Gallo Azul when I lived in Spain, and it was a great Tapas bar - glad to hear it is still there. I will take you up on Hacienda Del Rosalejo - it is either new(er) or I missed it entirely when I lived there.

[g_camper]

Then to Teruel or Guadalupe in Extremadura for one night.

←

Wow! Jerez to Teruel is a long, long 500-mile drive, just for a one-day stay! Guadalupe seems more feasible.

←

I corrected my original post - Trujillo (not Teruel) Brain Burp.

Thanks for the other suggestions. We will use them and I will report back.

Edited January 29, 2005 by g_camper (log)

[vserna]

This rural hotel is a nice place to stay near Trujillo, which is a wonderful town. The noble palaces of the upper town, derelict and occupied by squatters only 15 years ago or so, have been reclaimed and restored by a number of families (mostly from Madrid), and the town as a whole has been revived around the wonderful Plaza Mayor with the imposing statue of Francisco de Pizarro, the Trujillo-born conquistador of Peru, by 19th century American sculptress Anna Hyatt Huntington.

Right on the plaza is the classically appointed, endearing Trujillo restaurant, run by the Carrasco sisters, Isabel and Manuela, who specialize in authentic, very rustic Extremadura cookery: tomato soup with figs, 'extremeña' potatoes (braised potatoes with bell pepper strands and chorizo sausage), stewed red partridge, roast lamb, truffle-stuffed hen, 'huevecillos con leche' (a dessert made with eggs, white bread, milk, cinnamon, sugar and lemon rind).

Trujillo is just 25 miles from Cáceres, which is one the most impressive medieval cities in all of Europe, and is also home to Atrio, one of Spain's best restaurants. And the torta del Casar, like Portugal's great queijo da Serra, is a fabulous soft cheese - the equivalent of vacherin Mont d'Or among sheep's milk cheeses. It comes from El Casar de Cáceres, on the outskirts of town.

I've found a well-designed web site which details the 13 'gastronomic routes' of Extremadura: those of Ibérico ham, sheep's milk cheese, goat's milk cheese, lamb, kid, cold dishes, game, olive oil, smoked 'pimentón' (paprika), tench (a curious stgnant-waters fish the Extremadurans crave), fruits and fruit brandies, wine and river fish...

[butterfly]

Resurrecting this ancient thread, because I couldn't find any others on Toledo...

Can anyone recommend a nice (but not too formal) spot for lunch in Toledo? We'll be bound to the tourist route with visiting family and won't have a car or an exorbitant amount of time...

Thanks!

[butterfly]

P.S. I know this is probably sacrilege during lent, but are there any good spots that make mazapán year round?

I swore the stuff off after overindulging at Christmastime and now I think I'm ready for some more, even though I realize that--if I were stronger--I would wait until next year... Also, are there any other treats from Toledo that I should know about?

[vserna]

Adolfo is the top place in town - on the pricey side. He has a very nice less formal subsidiary, La Perdiz. The most interesting modern restaurant in Toledo is Casa del Temple, one of the most surprising places in Spain for avant-garde seafood cuisine (unexpected in landlocked Toledo!) by young chef Angel León, one of the participants in Madrid Fusión 2005. And the little, unpretentious, up-to-date Hierbabuena, run by the cousins of Madrid's uncanny Abraham García of Viridiana fame, is a very good place too.

[Rogelio]

P.S. I know this is probably sacrilege during lent, but are there any good spots that make mazapán year round?

I swore the stuff off after overindulging at Christmastime and now I think I'm ready for some more, even though I realize that--if I were stronger--I would wait until next year... Also, are there any other treats from Toledo that I should know about?

←

You can find mrzipan the whole year in Toledo.

My favourite places are Horno de Santo Tomé in Plaza de Zocodover (up in the old part) and the ones from Adolfo (the restaurant recomended by Victor), I usually buy both and make competitions with my family. Santo Tomé's are usually the winners.

[butterfly]

Thanks so much for your suggestions!

Ah, I must have beginners luck, because by chance (or good culinary genes) I bought our marzipan from Horno de de Santo Tomé. Very good indeed.

We had a really nice lunch at Hierbabuena, which is right around the corner from the Mezquita del Cristo de la Luz. It's a nice little space, with a sunny little glass-enclosed dining room that surrounds an interior patio on all sides.

I thought the most carnivorous dishes shone brightest--the boar and venison (jabalí y ciervo) was so tender, flavorful and perfectly cooked. Also, the red onions stuffed with morcilla (which was rendered quite creamy in texture).

But perhaps the highlight of the meal was the the greek yogurt Pedro Ximénez ice cream (with wild berries). This is the best ice cream I have had in ages.

Hierbabuena, Callejón de San José, 17. Tel. 925 22 39 24.

I think there may be a second location as well...

[Rogelio]

But perhaps the highlight of the meal was the the greek yogurt Pedro Ximénez ice cream (with wild berries). This is the best ice cream I have had in ages.

←

This is an Abraham García's Viridiana classic desserts that he must have loaned to his cousins.

[Cellar Tours]

Hi all, I just wanted to let everyone know that La Casa del Temple has closed, as the chef Angel Leon has left. It is no longer a restaurant, which is a huge pity as it had become our favorite gourmet haunt in Toledo.

[vserna]

Indeed, Angel León has gone to his native Andalusia for a brief sabbatical after the restaurant's owner decided not no continue. Angel says he has not yet decided what his next venture will be. We wish him the best.

[Schneier]

I had dinner at Adolfo last week, and I can add my recommendation to the others above. The wild mushroom appetizer was delicious, as were both the pigeon (called "dove" on the English menu) and the pheasant. Good desserts, too.

They have a very extensive Spanish wine list, although no half bottles and not much by the glass.

Pretty restaurant, good service...all in all a great experience. (And their English was way better than my pitiful Spanish.)

[raymondsnead]

As part of my visit to Madrid I'm planning a couple of days in Toledo and a day in Segovia. Any recommendations for the best places to go?

La Abadia in Toledo has been recommended to me as a good value and más tipico. Anyone know it?

I know of Mesón de Cándido in Segovia, but worry that it might be too touristic.

[Rogelio]

The best choice in Segovia is Jose María.

[algy]

The best choice in Segovia is Jose María.

←

mmmm suckling pig.

when we were there the restaurant offered a slightly unnerving book of matches - on one side was a picture of chef holding three (live) suckling pigs, on the other was a picture of the three of them as they emerged from the oven.

[fung jiao bao]

Having eaten at Meson de Candido, you are right in thinking that it is a bit touristy. Everything about the meal was excellent; the beans, the sopa castellano, the cochinillo and the cordero. But I did get the impression that it was a bit of a food factory in the kitchen, just putting together the same meal again and again.

In Toledo, Abadia is an okay spot, if only to eat in their dining room. You have to go down several flights of stairs and you eat in what must have been a cellar. Lots of corners and small rooms make it feel a little claustrophobic for some. You have to see it to believe it, as when you are just having drinks at the bar, there is no indication that you will be dining so far below ground.

Depending on the budget, I would reccomend Restaurante Adolfo(Hombre de Palo 7) for a tasting menu and their incredible wine list. Ask if you can tour their cellar, it is incredible, and definitely taste the marzipan - the best in the old city.

A more "tipico" restaurant rec would be Hostel del Cardenal(Pza. Recaredo 24). We were enjoying some very nice quail with white beans when we noticed that the rest of tables were eating the cochinillo and raost lamb. They looked and smelled wonderful.

Enjoy, it makes me want to go back!

[raymondsnead]

Thanks again to all for the recommendations.

Unfortunately we missed Segovia due to a missed conenction, but did spend two days in Toledo. Adolfo and Casa Aurelio were closed for vacation, so the dinners were at La Abadia and Hostel del Cardenal, where we stayed.

La Abadia was very lively with a good beer list and lots of local energy. We started out upstairs with tapas and later migrated to the dining room downstairs. The dinner was fine, with bottle of very good Ribera, but atmosphere was king; I was left with a vague thought that I might have been happier staying upstairs with the tapas and cañas.

I was surprised and a little disappointed to find that the Hostel del Cardenal restaurant is run by the people behind Botín, having just eaten there in Madrid. Here we chose the regional classics: Perdiz a la Toledana, which seemed a bit dry and gamy, though perhaps quite typico, and the asados. At both places at least one of our party had cochinillo asado and cordero asado, and I would have to give the nod to Botín in both cases.

As a side note, Botín is certainly overhyped but we still went there for sentimental reasons (a memorable dinner as a backpacker thirty years ago). Surprise: the roasted chicken there was just fantastic, better than either cochinillo or cordero, and one of the very best simple dishes of the entire trip.