PROVINCE OF CADIZ...near Vejer de la Frontera

Regional Dining Discussions Italy, Spain, Portugal
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I will try to keep this brief (who knows, when I get started, all bets are off!) Now caring for post surgery partner and need to get ready to make dinner.

This should be linked to my report on EL CAMPERO and on nearby JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA, a city I enjoyed so very much. This trip was March 2023, solo.

The restaurant I will post photos here is LA CASTILLERIA. Foreign visitors may not know this, but Spain has fantastic meats, not only the famed lechazo (suckling lamb) and the jamon Iberico and all of the cured pork products, but STEAKS!

On a not-long-ago visit to EL CAPRICHO, near Astorga in the province of Leon, we visited a restaurant famous in Europe and beyond for beef, especially the older Galician ox; this restaurant was lauded by a Uk newspaper as the best place for beef in all of Europe.

Now I was intrigued. One of the first reservations I attempted to secure was at LA CASTILLERIA, on the flatlands outside the white hill town of Vejer de la Frontera, in the neighborhood of Santa Lucia. Very easy drive from Vejer town.

I had two late lunches, that lasted for hours, here during my week=plus stay outside Vejer and through these photos I will attempt to convey not only the food, but the sublime hospitality of the owner, the mother of the chef. I arrived alone for two lunches and Ani Melero Valdes, sat with me through most of both meals, imparting such informative talk that II would have sat with her with only a glass of water and been honored. I won’t go into the personal talks, but suffice to say that this restaurant is as welcoming as can be and I am quite sure that visitors lacking Castillian language skills would be warmly welcomed as well.

I did write a review on TripAdvisor, something I am often loathe to do, but I was so happy and at home here that I wanted to spread the word as thanks to all the staff who made me feel so at home and brought me such exemplary food…will post this and return after making dinner…there are murmurs here of "when will dinner be ready!!!)
I am sorry the writing is is a mish mash of English and Spanish (Spanglish??) but you can get the general idea…more soon:

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Here are a few pics from my two lunches at LA CASTILLERIA, renowned meat-centric restaurant in lovely rural countryside outsid the hill town of Vejer de la Frontera; easy drive; less easy parking, although there is a paid lot near the restaurant:

Entrance; you get the idea that is this eatery is in an outdoor setting, with overhead coverage:

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Monkfish liver pate, complimentary starter:

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Incredible grilled artichoke heart; media racion:

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Pata de cordero; I adore lamb, espcially in Spain, and this did not disapoint; the restaurant, however, is famed for its local beef and the grillmaster, one of the owners, is a star among Spanish meat masters:

!

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Bill for the first, of two lunches at LA CASTILLERIA:

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More, on second lunch that week, very soon! HIghly recommend.
They open in early March.

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Ay, erica,
This brings back such pleasant memories!

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Just noticed this entry in a link that Maribel has posted not long ago; it is written in Spanish but lauds La Castilleria, the subject of this thread; same article discusses EL CAPRICHO near Astorga, where we dined on our last visit encompassing the treasured asadores in the Burgos/Campospero area, the Basque country including Getaria, and a small inch of Leon. That trip will linger forever in my gastronomic memory…

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For anyone headed to Vejer, a beautiful whitewashed pueblo blanco in the Cádiz province,
in addition to the wonderful La CastillerĂ­a, the templo de la carne, hidden below the town in the hamlet of Santa LucĂ­a, that erica has perfectly described,
there´s a new place in town,
EL MURO that opened last year by native Paco Doncel.
It sits at Paseo de las Cobijadas 1

It´s his first solo venture after opening the Ibis restaurant in the Montenmedio complex. It now comes Michelin recommended.

Closed all day Wednesday and Thursday lunch.

https://elmurorestaurante.es

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Maribel. Excelente!!! Laptop has conked out. Waiting for new one so will be brief for the moment.

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(post deleted by author)

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For those who can read, or stumble through, Spanish, here is a good survey of top tables in Cadiz province, from Repsol Guides: