Restaurants and Bars

It is easy to dine very well in Toledo. Because the province is the hunting center of Spain (a hugely profitable business), game dishes are excellent. The highly sought-after red partridge is typical of Toledo cuisine. It is generally prepared in one of two ways: pickled and eaten cold, or a la toledana, cooked slowly with onion, garlic and bayleaf and eaten hot.

Large game such as venison, wild boar, fallow deer and roe buck all add to the appeal of Toledo cuisine. They are prepared in stews, or grilled with herbs like thyme and oregano, their aromas evoking the Spanish countryside.

As in other parts of Spain, it is traditional to have a glass of beer or wine with tapas before settling down to a leisurely two-hour lunch. You can enjoy your aperitif in the restaurant where you will be having your meal, or elsewhere.

Most of the cervecerías (pubs that mainly serve beer and tapas) are found within the city's walled area, although there are other very good tapas bars outside the Historical Quarter. El Pasito and La Cepa Andaluza belong to this category. Just this year the Provincial Hotels Association organised the Primeras Jornadas de la Tapa (a sort of tapa convention) that took place on two consecutive weekends. For a small fee(around EUR 2), in three different areas of the city (Historical Quarter, Santa Teresa and Avenida de Europa), you could try a dish of grilled venison, chorizo a la sidra (seasoned pork sausage in cider), cold cuts and Manchego cheese. The latter is made with sheep's milk from the La Mancha region. It is one of the treasures of Spanish gastronomy, and comes with a guarantee of origin for authenticity and quality.

Other tapas that you must try are cecina de venado - dried venison scented with oregano, and the now famous carcamusas - pork or veal served with tomato and peas; in Ludeña they really know how to prepare this to maximum effect. To try traditional Toledo cuisine, go to one of the old-established restaurants like Venta de Aires. In existence for a century, the specialty of the house is partridge a la toledana. You could also try Adolfo, where they have novel ways of preparing game, or Casa Aurelio with its long family tradition. The most well-known dishes are beans with partridge or hare, roast lamb or suckling pig, venison with mushrooms, grilled meats, pisto manchego, a stew made with tomato, peppers and onion, and pote, a salad with red peppers. Fresh fish cooked in various ways is also an option. Any dessert menu must include marzipan, a sweet made with almonds and sugar. Although its origin is disputed, it appears to be Arabic.

To accompany all these dishes, you must try one of the local wines, from either Toledo or Castilla-La Mancha. Between them, the two regions boast five brands with guarantee of origin: La Mancha, Valdepeñas, Mentrida, Almansa and Jumilla. The select wines of Dominio de Valdepusa deserve special mention also. They are made by the Marquis of Griñón on his Malpica de Tajo estate.

There are few restaurants in Toledo offering foreign cuisine. One of the only Italian restaurants, Mille Grazie, is very good. For a quick dinner, you can have pulgas, small rolls with a variety of different fillings. La Abadía prepares them splendidly.

From Thursday nights, the streets in the Historical Quarter are swarming with young university students drinking in the doorways of bars - a cause of frequent complaints by neighboring residents. In Alfileritos Street, in the vicinity of the Alcázar, Plaza de Zocodover, Plaza de San Justo and Santo Tome, young people gather in places like El Gallo, Pícaro and Garcilaso. They end their night in discotheques like La Ronda, Zaida and Sithon's, that are open very late.