A de Arco

A stone of the Arch of Trajan in the dining room

The Arch of Trajan is one of Mérida's Roman monuments that can be seen free, right on the street, a few minutes from Plaza de España. A de Arco is attached to it, at number 8 Calle Trajano, and not only that: a piece of the arch is inside its main dining room. Eating beside the Roman stone is what sets the house apart.

It has three settings: the dining room with the arch, a street terrace at the foot of the monument and another terrace on the upper floor from which you see the city. You can have tapas and share dishes on the terrace or sit down to lunch and dinner at a laid table inside.

Enrique Frías's cooking

The kitchen is run by Enrique Frías Román, who starts from the most recognisable products and dishes of Extremadura and gives them a twist. The house has the Michelin Guide Plate, the recommendation of the Repsol Guide and of Tapas magazine, and the cooking prize of the Extremaduran Gastronomy Association.

The website does not publish a menu or prices. What it does publish is its calendar: every year it prepares gastronomic days with a different themed menu each month, so what you eat depends on when you go. Ask when booking which theme falls in that month. It also organises wine-paired tastings with wineries from different designations of origin, some with live music and, when the weather allows, on the terrace, and the occasional four-hands dinner with the kitchen of the Parador de Mérida.

Booking and when to go

It does not publish hours or closing days. Book on 924 301 315, by email at [email protected] or with the form on its website; the booking is made when the restaurant confirms it to you, so do not take the table for granted until you get a reply. If you are interested in a tasting or one of the special dinners, follow its calendar: they are announced with dates.

It is a good place for a dinner with a sense of occasion at the end of a day of monuments, or for a long lunch on the terrace in spring and autumn. From here the Temple of Diana and the forum portico are a stroll away, and the Roman theatre about ten minutes' walk.