In Ávila you eat well and simply: great meat, mountain-grown beans and convent sweets. Here are the essentials, and where to try them near the cottages.
Chuletón de Ávila (T-bone steak)
The Protected Geographical Indication Carne de Ávila beef comes from black Avileña-Negra Ibérica cattle, like the ones grazing in the Amblés Valley. It is grilled over embers with nothing but coarse salt.
Judías de El Barco (beans)
The Judías de El Barco de Ávila also have Protected Geographical Indication: large white beans served in a stew, perfect for cold days.
Patatas revolconas
Mashed potato with paprika, bay leaf and olive oil, almost always topped with crispy pork belly (torreznos). The classic Ávila starter.
Gredos kid goat
Roasted in the local grill houses. Ask whether you need to order it in advance.
Yemas de Santa Teresa
The signature sweet of Ávila: small balls of egg yolk and sugar. A great souvenir to take home.
Where to eat nearby
A selection of the best-rated restaurants in the area. Booking is a good idea, especially at weekends.
Near the cottages
- Bar Restaurante El Rollo (Solosancho, 5 min): a village bar with a dining room, home cooking with local produce and a weekend set menu. Tel. +34 920 29 11 12.
- El Mesón · Gastrobar (Solosancho, 5 min): quality local produce and Ávila beef, in a smart new setting.
- Casa Alfonso (Mengamuñoz, 10 min): a family-run Castilian grill house: kid goat, suckling pig and revolconas famous throughout the valley. Booking essential.
- El Pentágono (Muñana, 15 min): hotel restaurant serving traditional food in the heart of the Amblés Valley.
- Casa Pilar (La Torre, 15 min): home cooking: roast lamb and suckling pig, chuletón and revolconas.
In Ávila
- Los Candiles: seasonal Ávila cooking: chuletón, revolconas, El Barco beans and leche frita (fried milk pudding).
- El Molino de la Losa: in an old mill by the river Adaja, facing the city walls.
- Barbacana: on the Plaza de Santa Teresa, opposite the church of San Pedro.
- Alcaravea (Plaza de la Catedral, 15): a traditional Castilian eating house in a 1903 building with views of the cathedral. Website
- La Repera (Plaza de Mosén Rubí, 5): market cooking, rice dishes, fish and Ávila beef, opposite the Mosén Rubí chapel; one of the best-rated restaurants in the city. Website
- Venta La Canaleja (Salamanca road, km 2.5): traditional Castilian cooking in a warm, rustic setting on the outskirts of the city. Tel. +34 655 46 44 50 · Ávila Auténtica profile
In the Sierra de Gredos
For lunch on your days out in the mountains. All of them are members of Ávila Auténtica, the quality brand of the Ávila Provincial Council.
- Venta del Obispo (San Martín del Pimpollar, N-502, 25 min): a historic roadside inn at the gateway to Gredos, run by the same family since the 19th century. Traditional Ávila cooking with local produce. Tel. +34 920 20 72 80 · Ávila Auténtica profile
- Venta Rasquilla (N-502, km 49, San Martín del Pimpollar, 25 min): chuletón steak from the grill, roasts, revolconas, shepherd’s migas and home-made desserts such as leche frita. A good stop on the way back from the mountains. Tel. +34 920 20 75 83 · Ávila Auténtica profile
- El Yantar de Gredos (San Martín del Pimpollar, 25 min): a rural hotel whose restaurant serves traditional recipes with local produce: Ávila beef, El Barco beans, cured sausages and local cheeses. Tel. +34 686 01 42 05 · Website · Ávila Auténtica profile
- La Mira de Gredos (Hoyos del Espino, 40 min): Castilian cooking with a modern touch (El Barco beans, revolconas, Ávila beef, black pudding ravioli) and home-made desserts, in a dining room with a fireplace and mountain views. Tel. +34 920 34 90 23 · Website · Ávila Auténtica profile
- El Milano Real (Hoyos del Espino, 40 min): a hotel restaurant at the gateway to the Plataforma de Gredos, with Ávila beef, El Barco beans, artisan cheeses and local wines. Tel. +34 920 34 91 08 · Website · Ávila Auténtica profile
- La Escuela (Navalosa, Alberche valley): traditional Ávila recipes with a modern presentation, local garnacha and albillo wines and craft beers. Tel. +34 920 29 93 52 · Ávila Auténtica profile
For the barbecue: local charcuterie and meat
If you prefer to cook yourselves, every cottage has a fully equipped kitchen and a barbecue. To stock it, two local producers with a shop a few minutes away, both members of Ávila Auténtica, the quality brand of the Ávila Provincial Council:
- Embutidos La Serrota (Solosancho industrial estate, plots 22-23, 5 min): more than 80 years making cured sausages and hams. Their shop sells chorizo, salchichón, Iberian pork products, fresh and marinated pork, Ávila beef and chicken. Open Monday to Friday 9:30–14:00 and 16:00–19:30, and Saturdays 9:30–14:00 and 16:15–19:00. Tel. +34 676 51 00 80 · Directions · Ávila Auténtica profile.
- Cárnicas Roal (La Torre, N-110 road, km 281, 15 min): a family business with a shop selling cured sausages, hams, fresh and marinated meat, and barbecue packs. Open Monday to Friday 8:00–14:30 and 16:30–19:00, and Saturdays 8:00–14:00. They also sell through their online shop · Ávila Auténtica profile.
