Mesón El Cordero
A wood-beamed dining room steps from the monastery, Mesón El Cordero has been feeding pilgrims and travellers for generations with the kind of unfussy, deeply satisfying Extremaduran cooking that never makes it onto Instagram but stays in your memory for years. The roast lamb is the reason to come.
What to Order
The cordero asado — whole leg of milk-fed lamb roasted in a wood-fired clay pot with garlic, lard and a splash of white wine — is the undisputed star. The meat falls from the bone in long, silky strands and the crisp skin shatters at a touch. Order it to share between two and pair it with the house Ribera del Guadiana red, a robust local wine that holds its own against the richness of the lamb.
Start with a plate of migas extremeñas — stale breadcrumbs fried slowly in olive oil with chorizo, garlic and peppers until they clump into a savoury, golden mass. It's peasant food in the best possible sense and the kitchen here makes a genuinely excellent version.
The Setting and the Bill
The dining room is unpretentious: checked tablecloths, hunting trophies on the whitewashed walls, a fireplace that roars in winter. Service is warm and unhurried, which means lunch can easily stretch to three hours if you let it — and you should.
A full three-course meal with wine and bread rarely tops €25 per person, making this one of the best-value serious lunches in rural Spain. Book ahead for Sunday lunch, when the room fills with local families and the kitchen runs out of lamb by 14:30.
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