Puerta del Alcázar Restaurant

What it is

It is the restaurant of the Hostal Puerta del Alcázar, on calle San Segundo, next to the city gate that gives it its name and the east end of the cathedral. It opened in August 2004 in a 17th-century building and its website says it is recommended by the Michelin Guide. It is the option for a meal on coming down from the wall walkway without crossing the city: one of the visitable stretches of the wall starts right at the Puerta del Alcázar.

What you eat

It works mainly with set menus, which the house publishes as PDFs with the dishes to choose from. The base is Ávila and Castilian cooking with a few outside touches: to start there are patatas revolconas with torreznitos, El Barco beans stewed with bacon and chorizo, Castilian soup with Ibérico ham and poached egg, salads, asparagus with smoked fish, tagliatelle, creamy boletus or king prawn rice dishes and gazpacho in season.

The main courses change depending on the menu. On the daily menu there is Ávila beef fillet with potatoes, homemade Ávila beef meatballs, roast chicken or squid. The chef's menu moves up to Ávila veal escalopes, veal stewed in cider or pork sirloin with Valdeón sauce. The Puerta del Alcázar menu brings a 300-gram Ávila beef entrecôte, Ibérico secreto, cuchifrito suckling pig or suckling lamb chops, and the Tierra menu a 400-gram Ávila beef rib steak, suckling lamb chops, sea bass or cod. For dessert, custard, torrija, homemade sponge cake, flan or cheesecake, depending on the menu. Some dishes can be adapted for coeliacs. In the evening it has a separate dinner menu.

Prices

The published menus, with VAT included, are these:

• Menu of the day: €18.80 on weekdays and €22.80 on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.
• Chef's menu: €24.80.
• Puerta del Alcázar menu: €27.80.
• Tierra menu: €31.80.

All include bread, wine and water, and the €5 per person table service charge is already included in the price. The menus are not shared. There are also menus for groups.

Hours and booking

It only publishes breakfast hours, a continental buffet from 8:30 to 10:30. For lunch or dinner it gives no hours or closing days, so call first: 920 211 074 or 667 231 998. You can also book through its website.

What to combine it with

It fits after the stretch of city wall that leaves from the Puerta del Alcázar or before going into the cathedral, two minutes away. If you want to stay, the Hostal Puerta del Alcázar is in the same building, and the Basilica of San Vicente is a short walk away.