El Doncel

A small dining room on the Paseo de la Alameda

El Doncel is a hotel and restaurant at Paseo de la Alameda 3, the tree-lined avenue in the lower part of Sigüenza, between the railway station and the cathedral. The kitchen is run by chef Enrique Pérez, who composes the menus to his taste and according to what the market offers; the cellar and the pairings are chosen by the sommelier Andrei Popa. There is no à la carte menu here: you come to sit down to a tasting menu, in a small dining room, and that shapes everything else.

The bread is part of the menu and not a filler: artisan, made with organic flours and its own sourdough, served with butter, oil and salt.

Esencia y Sabor or Gastronómico

Esencia y Sabor costs €92 per person, VAT included and without drinks. It is three appetisers and bites, four starters, a fish, a meat, a pre-dessert, dessert and small home-made sweets, as well as the breads.

Gastronómico costs €128 per person, also without drinks. It adds a selection of cured foods, ten main courses, a pre-dessert, two desserts and sweets.

To either of them you can add a board of six cheeses for €15 per person. For drinks, the house offers the Armonía and Gran Armonía pairings; the website does not publish their price, so ask when you book.

No pushchairs or high chairs

Because of the size and layout of the dining room, the restaurant warns that it cannot accommodate pushchairs, has no high chairs and does not do children's menus. It is a table for adults, for a celebration or an unhurried lunch. The website does not publish the opening hours or closing days: confirm them when you book online, on 949 390 001 or at [email protected].

Before and after the meal

From the Plaza Mayor it is a few minutes' walk down, and the railway station is on the same avenue, so you can come from Madrid without a car. The same building is the Hotel El Doncel: if you have the long menu with pairing, sleeping upstairs avoids driving. In the morning, the cathedral and the statue of the Doncel are uphill, a few minutes away.