El Puchero de la Nieta - €

Calle José Ramón Mélida, 14, Mérida

El Puchero de la Nieta ('The Granddaughter's Pot'), just down the road from the Amphitheatre, serves up comforting regional dishes. While you can splash out on more expensive dishes there are some delicious, wonderfully budget friendly options - for example on the section of the menu humorously titled Con un Par de Huevos ('With a Pair of Eggs'). Migas (Shepherds breadcrumbs) or Huevos rotos con morcilla de Guadalupe (broken eggs with black pudding) are irresistible.

12:30pm-4pm, 8pm-11pm (Closed Sunday evening and all day Monday & Tuesday)

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Naturacho GastroTapas - €

Calle Berzocana, 18, Mérida

If you're in town on Thursday, Friday or Saturday (or Sunday morning) be sure to make a beeline for this casual, appealing no-fuss tapas bar. There are healthy vegetarian and gluten-free options and some really appealing Asian fusion offerings likes albondigas in curry or calamari andaluza in Thai sauce. The tasting menu (at €30 for two people) is one of the best-value meals in Mérida.

Thursday-Saturday: 1–4:30 pm, 8–11:30 pm

Closed Sunday evening and closed Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

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Restaurante De Tripas Corazón - €€

Calle Romero Leal, 15, Mérida

With a prime location overlooking the Temple of Diana this Mérida is known for its great value and friendly service. Portions are generous and very fairly priced. The Solomillo is an icon of the restaurant but you'll find a wide selection of delicious tapas, fresh seafood, and hearty Spanish mains. Friendly staff go the extra mile ...often with a round of complimentary shots.

Monday-Friday: midday-4:30pm, 8pm-midnight. 

Saturday & Sunday: Saturday, midday-1am.

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Restaurante Naya - €€

Calle José Ramón Melida, 44, Mérida

With three different daily menus set in different price brackets this deceptively understated establishment could appeal to most visitors. The slightly upgraded (mid-range) menú extremeño is the one we'd recommend if you want to sample local specialities. It's also generously paired with a carafe of vino de la tierra. Simple no-nonsense sustenance served 'como Dios manda' (as God intended)!

Midday-4pm. Closed Tuesday & Wednesday.

 

Restaurante Tuétano - €€€

Calle John Lennon, 26, Mérida

Chef Nico Vázquez works his magic on grills fired with holm oak embers in this Michelin-rated restaurant. Tuétano is almost as well-known in Spain at the Beatle who had the street named after him so be sure to reserve in advance. At 80€/person (wine not included) the menu is a solid notch above most...but then so is the quality.

Midday-Midnight (Closed Monday & Tuesday).

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Parador de Mérida - €€€

Calle Almendralejo, 58, Mérida

The restaurant of the parador celebrates traditional Extremadura cuisine, with all its Roman and Arabic influences. The restaurant is just at the edge of the old town in an 18th-century Baroque convent on a historic site that had once been a Roman temple. Specialities to look out for are the Extremadura lamb stew with shepherd's bread omelette or Iberian pork tenderloin with boletus sauce.

Open daily 1:30pm-4pm, 8:30pm-11pm.

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​​Restaurante Madruelo - €€€
Calle Camberos, 2, Cáceres
Typically a lunch spot (open 1:30pm-3:30pm weekdays), this respected fine-dining establishment also opens on Friday and Saturday evenings (9pm-11:30pm). The menú del día has a more limited selection than many but (at a rather hefty price of €33) is often rated as one of the best meals in the entire region!

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Borona Bistró - €€€
Calle General Ezponda, 3, Cáceres
Known to estremeño high-flyers for its innovative twist on local specialities - think gazpacho with cucumber sorbet or the red mullet with oloroso - and also for its wine-pairing. Seasonal ingredients, locally sourced...and recommended by Michelin.
1:15pm-3:30 pm, 8:15pm-10:15 pm (closed Sunday & Monday).

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Tapería 8ª Arte - €€
Calle General Ezponda, 7, Cáceres
Try the cazuelita (literally 'little stew') of the season, homemade croquetas or the red partridge. This is a great tapas option for vegetarians too with succulent puerro (leek) and alcachofa (artichoke) dishes. You'll even find a vegan version of pulpo (octopus) carpaccio!
Open daily from midday-11:30 pm

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El Corral de las Cigüeñas - €€
Cuesta de Aldana, 6, Cáceres
A music, drinks and cocktail bar, hidden in a patio just off Plaza Mayor, El Corral de las Cigüeñas (the Corral of the Storks) is well-named since the birds often nest on the surrounding towers. It's a popular spot for cultural events and live music. Try the mango mojitos! 
5 pm-2 am. Closed Monday and Tuesday.

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Ripley - €
Calle Gabriel y Galán, 4, Cáceres
An unexpectedly quirky and retro burger/sandwich bar that should be on every visitors list (at least for some nachos and a beer...including some Spanish craft beer and very good IPA). The theme, vintage comic-book is highly unexpected in the historical heart of Cáceres. Look for the  cabinet that reads: 'In Case of Zombie - Break Glass'.
8pm-12am on weekdays. (Also 1pm-4pm at weekends). Closed Monday & Tuesday.

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Tapería Los Ibéricos - €
Calle Paneras, 14, Cáceres
A great tapas bar specialising in productos estremeños and with one of the cheapest and best-value menús del día that you'll find anywhere. Unlike so many Cáceres eateries it's reliably open every day, and there's indoor and outdoor dining on the shady terrace just down the street from Plaza de la Concepción. Also there's parking nearby (Galarza parking lot). Pork cheeks slow cooked in sherry is a speciality and the homemade migas (shepherd-style bread crumbs) are worth trying.
9am–11pm (10am-6pm on Sundays).

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Parador de Trujillo - €€€
Calle Sta. Beatriz de Silva, 1,Trujillo
The 16th-century Franciscan convent of Santa Clara is the unlikely setting for a fresh new dining space that celebrates the best of regional cuisine. But then this spot is all about tradition with a modern twist. Highlights are zorongollo extremeño (a sort of salad of peppers, tomato, eggs and onions), beef sirloin with torta del Casar sauce and melted cheese ice cream with Villuercas and Ibores honey.
1:30pm-4pm, 8:30pm-10:30pm.

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El Rincon De La Reina - €€
Plazuela Corral del Rey, 4,Trujillo
Perhaps Trujillo's most popular eatery this venue is eliably open all afternoon (and late into the night)...and reliably serves great-value meals. The pistachio-encrusted albondigas are highly recommended and for lovers of pâté it's hard to beat with goose, deer, pheasant and partridge featuring among an assortment of almost a dozen flavours. Inside you'll find a wonderful selection of local wines and cheeses. 
Midday-1am

 

La Bodeguita Trujillo - €
Plaza Mayor, 4,Trujillo
Incredible value...especially for a restaurant that is right on Trujillo's Plaza Mayor. The sort of no-nonsense Spanish bar for which Extremdura is so widely celebrated. You'll get anything from fried eggs and chips (€7) to an entire suckling pig (€180). If you can't make up your mind, La Bodeguita's resident mixologist can offer a great selection of classic cocktails while you think it over.
Friday-Sunday: 12:30pm-2am.
Wednesday & Thursday: 7pm-1am.
Closed Monday & Tuesday.
 

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La Extremeña - €
Calle Manuel Álvarez, 1, Zafra
In a city as appealing as Zafra it can be tempting to opt for a picnic and this might be one of the best places in the province to pick up first class local jamón, other cold meats, goat cheese and wine at unbeatable prices. It's become so popular that many people from other regions mail-order extremeño specialities from here.
9am-2pm, 5pm-8pm (Closed Sundays).

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Bar Taxi - €
Calle Cestería, 1, Zafra
A humble exterior hides a real gem with great value tapas and extremely quaffable regional wine served at rustic tables next to massively oversized wine and sherry barrels. Very popular with the townspeople and a timeless (and typically hospitable) insight to old Spain.
Midday-Midnight (Closed Tuesday & Wednesday).

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Restaurante Dulce Chacón - €€
Plaza Grande, Zafra
A wonderful lunch/dinner venue with enough local specialities to test adventurous carnivores: try manitas de cerdo (trotters) or secreto Ibérico ('Iberian secret' - basically pig's armpit). There are also delicious vegetarian options including some from other parts of Spain: Canary Islands papas arrugadas con mojo picón ('wrinkly potatoes' traditionally boiled in seawater and then served with spicy sauce).
Monday-Thursday: 12:30pm-4 pm, 8pm-11:30 pm / Friday-Sunday: Friday, 12:30 pm–12 am.

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Los Mundos de Sancho - €€
Plaza Grande, 7, Zafra
This unbeatable terrace right on Plaza Grande is hard to beat and the meals here also live up to expectation. You'll find all the usual suspects prepared and served faultlessly and for something different you could also share raciones (for example a plate of local-style ancas de rana - frog's legs) or a selection of extremeño cheeses.
9:30am-midnight (Closed Mondays).
 

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