Valladolid, capital of Castile and Leon, is a city with a lot of charm and history. It is best to go for an entire week to visit Valladolid. In addition to the monuments, the Castilian-Leonese gastronomy will surprise you. If you want to know what to eat in Valladolid, we will give you some recommendations.
If you want to know what to eat in Valladolid or Pucela, the city of Pisuerga, we recommend the more traditional dishes, like firewood oven roasts of either lamb or tostón (suckling pig). The roasts (asados) require special care since preparation can take between two and four hours, which contributes to the constancy and dedication of the process that is apparent in the meat’s final texture and flavor. In-season game meats are also prominent, usually stewed quail or partridge. The pan candeal lechugino is the most common bread in the area. To accompany these dishes, there is an amazing offering of wines with D.O. in this Castilian province: Tierra de León, Toro, Cigales, and Rueda. Other typical dishes that you can eat in Valladolid are Castilian soup, with garlic, bread, and ham, as well as the ajoarriero cod, of which the main ingredients are tomato and garlic. The local peppers have earned I.G.P. Pimientos Fresno-Benavente.
To complete our recommendations regarding what to eat in Valladolid, we go to desserts. The natillas, a kind of custard, are a traditional dessert, and pastry specialties include mariquitas, hojuelas, rosquillas de pan castellano, as well as the roscos de yema and varieties of biscuits and cookies.
A good opportunity for visiting the capital city is during Holy Week, during which 32 processions take the streets on Good Friday.
The best area to get tapas in Valladolid runs next to the Plaza Mayor, around Correos; the locals also go to the area known as La Antigua (the church of Santa María la Antigua) and the area surrounding the Cathedral. La Cárcava is a classic small tavern with famous banderillas and hot canapés. At Villa Paramesa, the tapas are luxurious and the toasts are served on granite slates; they are also specialized in cheeses and wines de la tierra. At the bar in La Tasquita you’ll find toasts, small sandwiches, canapés and tapas, and they also have a dining room.
It’s difficult to recommend one single restaurant amongst the many in Valladolid. For many years new restaurants have opened that are updating traditional cuisine.
At Martín Quiroga, the Martín brothers offer modern cuisine made with good raw materials.
You can also eat at Trigo, where they offer traditional food with avant-garde touches and offer in-season menus: “Como en casa” and “Festival”.
On the third floor of the Centro Cultural Miguel Delibes, you’ll find the restaurant Ramiro’s, in a beautiful and modern space, where they prepare creative Castilian-Leonese cuisine; the Ramiro’s group also runs a workshop in research and gastronomic creation.
El Figón de Recoletos is a classic asador with a firewood oven.
At Paco Espinosa you can get good fish and at Don Bacalao, in addition to various recipes with cod, you can get good tapas and small portions.
As you can see, the options for eating in Valladolid are ample.
