Salamanca Restaurants

Try the Roast Lamb

Salamanca’s restaurants aren’t easy to find. It’s not the kind of city where you wander around looking at the different restaurants before deciding where to dine. We’ve tried this on our visits there and usually end up in a small tapas bar or a café serving platos combinados (basic pork, egg and chips type meals). On Plaza Mayor you’ll find plenty bars and cafés serving tapas type fare (try Mesón Cervantes at Plaza Mayor, 15) and there are plenty cheaper options on the adjoining streets of c/Mendez and Rua Mayor.

The best tapas bars are a 15 minute walk north of the centre in c/Van Dyck and you’ll find budget eateries aimed mainly at students in the university area. If you’re looking for quality dining, however, it’s well worth considering the following restaurants which come well recommended:

Chez Víctor

Address: Espoz y Mina 26
Tel: 92-321-31-23

Located in the historical centre, this is reputedly the top restaurant in town. It is the only Salamanca restaurant that has earned a Michelin star thanks to the owner/chef’s culinary experience in France. The fish and pork dishes tend to be the most popular and the style mixes classic French cooking adapted for Spanish clientele.

El Candil Viejo

Address: Ventura Ruiz Aguilera 14-16
Tel: 92-321-72-39

If you’re looking for traditional fare then this long standing favourite just off Plaza Mayor is the one to choose. It is set in an old tavern serving up typical Castilian meat dishes including the excellent roast suckling pig.

La Hoja

Address: Pasaje Coliseum 19
Tel: 92-326-40-28

Just off Plaza Mayor this is the place to go for alternative Castilian cooking. Instead of the traditional slabs of meat you’ll find the same local ingredients mixed with unlikely companions such as partridge cooked in chocolate with cabbage. Interesting!