Restaurante Santa María

Opposite the oldest church in Jerez

Restaurante Santa María is at Calle Reloj 34, on Plaza de Santa María, in front of the church of Santa María de la Encarnación, the oldest in the town, and a few steps from the Templar alcazaba. It is the upper part of the old town, the one you walk through anyway if you climb to the fortress, so the table is in the middle of the visit and you do not need to move the car.

It is a family business that has been in hospitality for more than forty years, as it presents itself in the business directory that the town council's tourist office links to.

Local cooking, no published menu

The house defines itself by the produce of the area and by traditional recipes brought up to date. It has no website or published menu, so we cannot tell you specific dishes or prices: the sensible thing is to ask at the table what is in season. Jerez de los Caballeros is in the heart of the dehesa of the south-west sierra of Badajoz, Iberian pork country: ask whether there is ham and local meats.

Hours geared to midday

According to the municipal directory, it opens at midday, from 12:00 to 17:00, every day except Wednesday, and in the evening only on Fridays and Saturdays, from 20:00. That is: it works for Sunday lunch after seeing the alcazaba, but not for a midweek dinner. As the hours are not published by the restaurant itself, confirm by phone, on 924 750 429 or 628 104 876, or write to [email protected].

If you are looking for a midweek dinner, the restaurant at the Hotel Rural Arroyo La Plata, 4 km from the town, serves dinner Wednesday to Sunday; Caeriana, at the entrance to Jerez, has a grill menu and books through its website.