Restaurante Lugaris
Tucked into a quiet street in the Casco Antiguo, Lugaris has become the standard-bearer for contemporary Extremaduran cuisine in Badajoz, earning a devoted local following for its unfussy, ingredient-led cooking that puts the dehesa front and centre. Chef-owner José María Rodríguez sources almost everything from within the region and the results are quietly exceptional.
What to Order
The tasting menu changes with the seasons but anchoring dishes include a silky croqueta de jamón ibérico with a shell so thin it shatters at the touch, and a slow-cooked carrillada de cerdo ibérico (pork cheek) braised in Ribera del Guadiana wine until it collapses into glossy, unctuous threads. The bread, baked in-house and served warm with lard whipped with pimentón de la Vera, is worth the visit alone.
For dessert, the leche frita with wild honey from local dehesa beehives is a masterclass in simplicity: crisp exterior, trembling interior, barely sweet. Pair it with a glass of Pitarra, the rough homemade wine that Badajoz families still ferment in ceramic amphorae — Lugaris serves a well-sourced version that is far more approachable than the name suggests.
Booking and Atmosphere
The dining room seats around 30 covers across exposed-stone walls and dark timber tables — intimate without being precious. At lunch the €16 menú del día draws local professionals and is one of the best-value set meals in the city, including wine and dessert.
Reservations are strongly recommended for Friday and Saturday dinner; call ahead or book via the restaurant's Facebook page as they do not yet use online booking platforms. Lugaris is closed on Sunday evenings and all day Monday.
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