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 For soccer enthusiasts |
Espoz y Mina, 17 Salamanca 37002 Spain +34 923 21 7381 |
This bar's name, 1-x-2 (read, one-x-two), has to do with the Spanish soccer lottery, the quiniela, and it refers to three options the players can choose in order to make their bets. 1 means the home team will win, x is for a tie and 2 the visiting team. They are real experts in quinielas here, and will give you all their opinions while you have a snack. You can have fried food, pies, pork kebab or a montadito (like a canapé), while people make their bets individually and then comment on them as the matches are played. If you like soccer, the most popular sport in Spain, and you want to share your interest with other people, you can have a really good time at this bar. Drinks and snacks are very cheap (about 200 ptas), so the place gets packed on weekends, especially when games are on. Review © 2007, Wcities |
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Very popular with university students |
Compañía, 12 Salamanca 37008 Spain |
This is one of the most popular university coffee shops, located opposite the Universidad Pontificia and very near several faculties. Moreover, at this café they support young artists, giving them the chance to exhibit their works on the premises. This cafe could almost be two different places. On the ground floor, you can read the daily press and use the place for business meetings. On the first floor, you will find many students who go there to have a pincho (small portions of food) or some of their popular cakes. Also, you can see painted windows on the walls depicting the most interesting attractions in town. Review © 2007, Wcities |
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Bullfighting scene, great potatoes |
Dimas Madariaga, 30 Salamanca 37005 Spain +34 923 22 5020 |
You cannot leave Salamanca without trying their popular patatas bravas (fried chunks of potatoes served with a spicy tomato sauce), for their recipe is unique. Antonio Bar is surrounded by other restaurants and bars where they serve pinchos (canapés), and also by gardens and shops, which makes it the perfect place for a morning snack. You can eat here all day as they serve tapas, including fried chorizo (highly-seasoned pork sausage), paella, tuna pasties, croquettes and several kinds of fish, which customers usually wash down with their good house wine. The place is frequented by famous local cattle breeders and bullfighters. It is decorated with a great many photos showing matadors and ornaments related to the world of bullfighting. You can have a drink and a pincho for about 250 or 300 ptas (EUR 1.50/1.80). Review © 2007, Wcities |
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Home-made Iberian cold meats |
Joaquín Costa, 4 Salamanca 37007 Spain |
If you want to enjoy local food, this is a good place for either the home-made Iberian cold meats or pinchos (canapés). The specialties of the house are cured ham, cured pork loin and the most delicious chorizo (highly seasoned pork sausage) and salchichón (spiced sausage similar to salami). There are other tapas bars nearby, so many people go to several of them and end up at Arribes del Duero, where they can also try Spanish potato omelette, chanfaina (rice and pork stew), meat with potatoes, pork snout or ribs marinated in paprika and olive oil. All this can be accompanied by a good local wine. Wine costs 150 ptas (EUR 0.90) and soft drinks, 250 (EUR 1.50). The first pincho is free, and after that, they cost 75 ptas (EUR 0.45) each. Raciones (larger-sized portions) cost about 200-300 ptas (EUR 1.20-1.80). Review © 2007, Wcities |
 Photo: Rubén Martínez |
 Photo: Rubén Martínez |
 Photo: German Ceballos Albalate |
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Top-quality ingredients |
Azucena, 5 Salamanca 37001 Spain +34 923 21 7382 |
When you enter this restaurant, you will immediately see a huge oven in the coffee shop area. Inside there are two dining rooms. One of them is exclusively used for meetings and you will also find the Arandino shop, where you can buy many products ranging from the best caviar to the most expensive wine on the market. The decoration throughout is typical of old Castile, with wine cellars and glazed ceramic tiles from Talavera. On the menu, good options for appetizers include the "chanfaina" (stew made from lamb liver and lungs), potatoes "meneás", blood sausage or "farinato" (prepared with bread, lard, salt and pepper). For the main course, try the delicious young lamb sweetbread or a superb partridge salad. Lamb chops with vine shoot is another of their specialties, as are the Arandino crepes in the desserts category. All of this can be washed down with the best wines from around the world. Review © 2007, Wcities |
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Generous helpings |
Prior, 4 Salamanca 37002 Spain |
Many people in Salamanca prefer eating pinchos (like tapas) to traditional three-course meals, and they often choose this place because their raciones (larger-sized portions) are very generous. At this bar, with the Plaza Mayor nearby and on a pedestrian street, you can enjoy pinchos morunos (pork kebab marinated in paprika and olive oil), grilled chops, cuttlefish, squid, omelettes, mussels, cheese, cured pork loin and anchovies at very reasonable prices. You can order some local wine and sit at any of their wooden tables in order to share several of these raciones and pinchos with friends. Review © 2007, Wcities |
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Specialists in hot and cold canapés |
Van Dyck, 16 Salamanca 37005 Spain |
This place is located near the Van Dyck cinema, in an area with a lot of tapas bars, which becomes one of the busiest and liveliest parts of town after 8pm. The specialties here are tostas (toasted canapés), both hot and cold; mushrooms with sauce and mussels, which can be spicy, with vinaigrette or tigres (breaded and fried). They have several large tables where you can comfortably sit at and eat some pinchos (canapés) or raciones (larger-sized helpings). Prices for raciones range from 250 to 400 ptas (EUR 1.50-2.40), tostas cost 250 ptas (EUR 1.50), and pinchos are served with your drink, which costs about 150-300 ptas (EUR 0.90-1.80). Review © 2007, Wcities |
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The most traditional dishes |
Pozo Amarillo, 5 Salamanca 37001 Spain +34 923 21 2401 |
It seems incredible that such a small restaurant, seating only 20 people, is such a famous and popular place among locals. The reason is that they offer the most traditional dishes in Salamanca, such as tripe, "chanfaina" (a lamb stew made with liver and lungs) and Castilian stew, while the grilled mushrooms are another house specialty. Their homemade desserts are also recommended and will definitely leave you satisfied. However, if you prefer to just eat "raciones" (larger-sized tapas), there is a bar at the entrance to the restaurant where they offer other items such as meatballs, sweetbread, kidneys and marinated anchovies. The dining room is a cozy place with a great many photos hanging on the walls of local monuments. It is advisable to book a table on weekends. Review © 2007, Wcities |
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The best sangría |
Plaza Mayor, 15, 1º Salamanca 37002 Spain |
Famous for their sangria, which is prepared with local wines and fruit juice, and usually ordered to accompany the variety of pinchos on hand, everything from stuffed omelettes, mussels, pincho morunos (pork kebab), meat pies and patatas bravas (fried potatoes with a spicy tomato sauce) to Iberian cold meats, such as ham and cured pork loin. Located right in the Plaza Mayor, through its windows you can see the beautiful monuments in the area. Its solid wood tables, the music they play and the food they serve attract both young and old. You can have a drink and a pincho for EUR 1.35. If you order sangria instead, it costs EUR 2.10. If you prefer to have some raciones (larger-sized portions) or a three-course meal, expect to pay around EUR 15. Review © 2007, Wcities |
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Top-quality cold meats |
Plaza Mayor, 3 Salamanca 37002 Spain |
They serve the best Iberian cold meats in the region, including ham and cured pork loin and hornazo (a kind of pasty filled with Iberian cold meats). In spring and summer, you can enjoy a light meal at the outdoor terrace while admiring the beautiful monuments in the area. It's a little expensive, but it's worth a visit because of the quality of their products and their service. A drink and a pincho (canapé), including Iberian cold meats, costs about 550 ptas (EUR 3.30); the hornazo is 250 ptas (EUR 1.50). There are eight Los Escudos bars throughout the centre of town, and this one, located in Plaza Mayor, was the first to open. Review © 2007, Wcities |
 Photo: Carlos Usano |
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Quality seafood and wine |
Van Dyck, 30 Salamanca 37005 Spain |
Everyone in Salamanca knows this restaurant, which serves all kinds of seafood dishes from around Spain, from Galicia in the north to Andalusia in the south. You can try some delicious octopus, for example, cooked with garlic or in the Galician style (steamed and sprinkled with paprika and olive oil). Any of their various mussel dishes is another good option as well: steamed, with alioli (garlic and olive oil mayonnaise), stuffed, with celery or with traditional vinagrette. Then there are the chopitos (baby octopus), squid, rabas (strips of cuttlefish), etc. Whether you order these by the ración (large-sized tapas) or as a main course, you will definitely like them. As for the wine list, they have a good selection of Albariño and Ribeiro wines from Galicia. They also stock some local wines from the area, including a few from Salamanca province. The restaurant does not take reservations on weekends. Review © 2007, Wcities |
 Photo: SalamancaBlog.com |
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The best grilled meat |
Fernando de Rojas, 18-20 Salamanca 37004 Spain |
This restaurant, located in an area renowned for the best pinchos, is rustic in style and popular among bullfighting enthusiasts. At the bar they offer tostas and in the dining room you can have meals, such as a roast meat platter for two. All the platters are served with a side order of potatoes and appetizers, including Iberian cold meats. The grilled meat dishes are the most popular among their customers - veal T-bone steak is recommended. They also offer chanfaina (lamb stew made from liver and lungs) on Sundays. Their house wine is an excellent Cigales, from the Valladolid area. It is advisable to book a table beforehand on weekends. Review © 2007, Wcities |
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Pioneer in home-style tapas |
José Jáuregui, 7 Salamanca 37002 Spain +34 923 26 0021 |
This is probably the most famous, popular and busy bar in town. It has been open for ages and was the first place to serve home-made pinchos (canapés). The entrance is very well known: its door handles are shaped like a man and woman in traditional costume. The decor is inspired in the world of bullfighting. After about 1pm, they start to prepare pinchos, such as traditional montaracitas, fillets with bechamel sauce, mushrooms, pig's snout, potato omelette, etc. You can have any of these and a drink for 250 ptas (EUR 1.50). If you prefer raciones (larger portions) instead, it'll come to about 350 ptas (EUR 2.10). La Montaraza is also a prestigious restaurant occasionally frequented by Spanish celebrities. Review © 2007, Wcities |
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Varied charcoal-grilled meat dishes |
Meléndez, 13 Salamanca 37002 Spain +34 923 26 8616 |
This restaurant is located in the heart of the old city, and it has an informal and absolutely local atmosphere, there are very few tourists. The first room is a bar where they serve traditional pinchos (like tapas), such as chanfaina (lamb stew made with liver and lungs), Iberian cold meats and farinato (prepared with bread, lard, salt and pepper). The pretty back dining room is decorated with stone, wrought iron and wood, and it has a typical courtyard from the Late Middle Ages. Meat dishes are definitely the best specialty on the menu back here. Try the grilled T-bone steak or an unforgettable tenderloin with pepper. Their most popular dish is the parrillada (grilled meat platter), which includes several kinds of meat for two people to share. The house wine is a good Ribera del Duero, while the rice pudding is the star dessert. It's best to book a table on weekends. Review © 2007, Wcities |
 Photo: Javier Sánchez Egido |
 Photo: TopRural  |
 Photo: Pablo |
 Photo: David García Cerdán |
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Grilled meat and fish platters |
Espronceda, 42 Salamanca 37003 Spain |
You can have a proper meal here just by ordering their pinchos (canapés), since they are particularly generous and reasonably priced. Peña de Francia also prepares some special mixed tablas (platters), including meat and fish, which many other restaurants have tried to imitate. It is a simply decorated place with just a few tables and a long bar. The most popular tapas include grilled meat or fish, served with different sauces, while their tablas include squid, ribs, baby cuttlefish, tenderloin steaks and other ingredients, served with a secret sauce. The fact that the waiters are young and nice and that their prices are really reasonable makes it a very popular place. You can have a couple of drinks, a tosta (toasted canapé) and a swincrab for only 600 ptas (EUR 3.60). A couple of drinks and any of their tablas cost around 1000 ptas (EUR 6.01). Review © 2007, Wcities |
 Photo: j0s3 |
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An old tradition |
Concejo, 4 Salamanca 37002 Spain |
Every local knows this place, because it has traditionally been one of the most popular bars to go for a snack before lunch on Sundays, and it is always packed. The favorite tapas are the tripe, pinchos morunos (pork kebab), pig snout, mushrooms, fish, grilled meat, paella, chanfaina (lamb stew made from liver and lungs) and many other pinchos (like tapas). It is one of the most expensive bars in the area, next to the Plaza Mayor, but their outdoor terrace is still one of the busiest and most popular in summer. Review © 2007, Wcities |
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'Pinchos' in the Plaza Mayor |
Plaza Mayor, 9 Salamanca 37002 Spain |
If you want to go out for some tapas in the historic part of town, then you should definitely visit this bar in the Plaza Mayor. There's a huge bar topped with a great many varied pinchos (like tapas) to choose from. El Real specializes in pinchos morunos (pork kebab) and crab muslitos (literally, small thighs) coated in batter and fried. Their meat pie is also a good option. It's not all that unusual to find local politicians enjoying some paella, squid or their montaditos with pork loin and peppers. Even though it is in an unbeatable and exclusive setting, everything is still very reasonably priced. Review © 2007, Wcities |
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Unforgettable cured pork loin |
Avenida Filiberto Villalobos, 26 Salamanca 37007 Spain +34 923 22 3001 |
This bar is located just opposite the bus station, and it is the perfect place if you want to have breakfast or a snack in this area. It stands out because it is one of the establishments where they serve the best and most generous tapas and, what's more, they are reasonably priced. The specialties of the house are all of their fried dishes and their cold meats. However, if you like cured pork loin, be sure to order their homemade variety, which is prepared exactly like they do in the small villages in the Sierra de Francia mountains. This kind of loin is, in fact, a much appreciated delicacy in Salamanca. At Regalado, you will see all kinds of people, from tourists to workers and students that come from the campus, which is not too far away. Review © 2007, Wcities |
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The best 'tostas' in town |
Alfonso de Castro, 19 Salamanca 37004 Spain |
This restaurant is very well-known in Salamanca. It is located in the Van Dyck area, the best part of town for tapas. This tavern is frequented by local cattle (bull) breeders, bullfighters and other people related to the world of bullfighting. It has been open for a very long time and is decorated in typical Castilian style, with bullfighting posters and bottles of wine on the walls. It specializes in tostas (toasted canapés) with shrimp, salmon, codfish and even foie, though the house specialty is the Tosta del Peregrino, made with duck tenderloin and slightly spicy red peppers. Their Iberian cold meats are also very popular. As for drinks, they offer more than 300 different kinds of wine, including local vintages. Review © 2007, Wcities |
 Fantasy decor, tapas and dancing |
Isla de la Rúa, 3 Salamanca 37008 Spain |
If you like Tintin, the famous comics character, this place is for you. In the daytime, you can have breakfast for (EUR 2.10) and all kinds of pinchos (canapés) such as Spanish omelette, patatas bravas (sautéed potatoes served with a spicy tomato sauce), meat with potatoes, meat pie and many others. In the afternoon, they offer the best coffee in Salamanca and, in the evening and night, they play good music and offer long drinks for (EUR 3.60) in a lively atmosphere. It is located right in the old city and it is carefully decorated. You will see all the characters that appear in the comics placed in strategic places on the premises. In summer, their terrace is one of the most popular in town. Review © 2007, Wcities |
 Photo: Jose M Ballesteros |