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This is Spain’s authentic heartland, bereft of touristy hamburger joints and filled instead with the country’s most traditional tavernas, which attract Spanish foodies from across the country. Some of the most renowned restaurants in this region are small and family-run, while a few new avant-garde spots in Extremadura serve up modern architecture as well as experimental fusion dishes.
According to Spain's top food critics, this restaurant ladles out the best cocido madrileño in all the land. Each component of the multicourse boiled dinner, from the chickpeas to the chorizo to the pickled peppers, is sourced from top-notch producers from around the peninsula. Fret not, summer visitors: a variety of traditional seafood, vegetable, and meat dishes are available for days when a hot stew doesn't appeal.
In his 30s, Salamanca-born chef Carlos Hernández del Río cut his teeth in such star-studded kitchens as Elkano, Zuberoa, and DiverXO before returning to his roots in 2020 to open this restaurant showcasing the best ingredients, techniques, and wines from his native region—with a few geeky French touches. Expect immaculately prepared appetizers like griddled fresh artichokes with Béarnaise followed by mains including stewed chickpeas with sherry and pork and marinated Tormes river trout, all served in a bright dining room with checkerboard tile floors and designer furniture.
This tavern in Segovia's historic Jewish quarter is owned by La Casa Mudéjar Hospedería hotel and has won awards for the region's best tapas. The extensive menu highlights Segovian specialties like cochinillo, as well as traditional Sephardic Jewish cuisine (though it's not a kosher kitchen), plus a variety of well-executed raciones (shared plates).
You can't leave Toledo without indulging in one of El Trébol's famous bombas, fried fist-size spheres of mashed potato stuffed with spiced meat and anointed with aioli. They're best enjoyed on the twinkly outdoor patio with a locally brewed beer in hand.
Just off the Plaza Mayor, this upscale restaurant has a glass facade, high ceilings, butter-yellow walls, and minimalist art—a welcome relief from the dime-a-dozen Castilian mésones. Savor traditional fare with a twist, such as ibérico pork ravioli and langoustine-stuffed trotters at dinner, or spring for the €20 lunch prix fixe, an absolute steal, served Tuesday through Friday midday.
La Ponderosa is a quintessential yet elevated Castilian bar where locals mingle at high volume while tossing back local wine and munching on well-priced seasonal delicacies like griddled wild asparagus, suckling lamb chops, and seared wild mushrooms. It's a standing-room-only joint, so if you want to sit, you'll have to come early and find a place on the terrace.
According to foodies, this old-timey mesón (traditional tavern-restaurant) serves the most delectable cochinillo in town, but there are plenty of lighter fresher dishes to choose from as well. Expect a boisterous mix of locals and tourists.
At the edge of the serene Adaja River, El Molino, housed in a 15th-century mill, is one of the most idyllic restaurants in the region. Lamb, the chef's specialty, is roasted in a medieval wood oven; it's best preceded by smoky, bacon-y revolcona (mashed) potatoes or a bowl of stewed white beans from nearby El Barco de Ávila. The garden has waddling geese and a small playground for children. Reservations are essential for weekend lunch.
Chef Iván Cerdeño's namesake restaurant is a beacon of Castilian alta gastronomía—think architectural dishes composed of foams, spherified sauces, and edible flowers served in a minimal white-tablecloth dining room. The ever-rotating tasting menus (5, 7, or 10 courses) almost always feature local game such as partridge or roe deer.
León is a cold, windy town for much of the year, so it's no surprise that the local version of cocido (boiled dinner) is heartier than usual with mounds of green cabbage, spoonable blood sausage, and some 10 types of meat (chorizo, beef shanks, pork belly, and chicken, to name a few). Sample the city's best rendition at this spartan yet inviting downstairs restaurant outside the historic center—and be sure to bring an appetite.
Decidedly modern, dependably delicious, and shockingly cheap, Tapas 2.0 might pull you back for a second meal. The cool ensaladilla rusa (tuna-and-potato salad) is one of the best in Spain; then there are more substantial dishes, like stewed broad beans with octopus and shrimp and saucy chicken cannelloni, all complemented by a wine list featuring unexpected pours like German Riesling. If you can't snag a table, pop around the corner to Tapas 3.0, its sister restaurant.
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