A gastro-pleasant guide to explore the A6 like never before
The A-6, the one that Galicians, Asturians and Castilians travel to get closer to Madrid , the one that the people of Madrid use to escape the heat to the north in summer or when looking for a quiet getaway in the northwest, is an endless succession of service areas, eating houses -some better, some worse- in which to try your luck during the tour and infinite fields, equal for all, between Madrid and Benavente.
From there, the motorway forks heading towards the mountains for those who are going to Asturias on the A-66, crossing La Maragatería and El Bierzo for those traveling to Lugo and A Coruña on the A-6 or crossing Sanabria on the A-52 for those traveling to the Rías Baixas.
the best of contemporary cuisine in the Community of Madrid
We can't save you hours in the car, but we can make them a little more bearable with our selection of gastronomic stops in the path. There's a little bit of everything: traditional sites, temples of regional cuisine and contemporary restaurants.
Not all of them are on foot, although we promise not to make you deviate more than 15-20 minutes and we assure you that the additional kilometers will be worth it.
** MOUNTAIN ( SAN LORENZO DE EL ESCORIAL , MADRID) **
You have left Madrid just before noon, perhaps you want to avoid rush hour traffic jams or simply take it easy and enjoy the gastronomy from the first few kilometres.
** Montia ** is the perfect place for that - this little restaurant exemplifies the best of contemporary cuisine in the Community of Madrid. Own style, menus of variable lengths -perfect to adapt to what remains of your trip- and a location that invites you to stroll to the Royal Monastery after a table talk, before resuming the route.
** SIBONEY GRILL (AREVALO, AVILA)**
Half way if you go to Valladolid , at an interesting distance for a first stop on a longer trip, Arévalo is Castilian classicism in its purest form, one of the most beautiful villages on the route in which the gastronomic proposal had to be in the same line.
The hunt, his mantra
Although there are several interesting options the Asador Siboney is, surely, the roundest. Their suckling pigs and suckling lambs roasted in a wood oven They have earned a well-deserved fame. The grilled baby kidneys They are not far behind either.
THE PHARMACY OF MATAPOZUELOS (MATAPOZUELOS, VALLADOLID)
Those traveling to Valladolid and Palencia You can take this detour without complicating your journey too much. But even if you keep heading northwest it's worth doing. Because in Matapozuelos, about 15 kilometers from Medina del Campo, is one of the most interesting restaurants in Castilla.
What Michelangelo of the Cross and his team at La Botica de Matapozuelos is Castilian cuisine in its purest form. Delicate and different from any other, based on the flavors of the pine forests, on the wild herbs and on the meats of the environment but from a contemporary approach that is reflected in tasting menus really appetizing.
And if you prefer a more traditional cuisine, on the menu you will find the dishes of Teodoro, the father of Michelangelo. specialties like lamb stuffed with black pudding, venison loin with quince and foie chestnuts or cod with pig's ear stew.
For game lovers and fans of traditional spoon dishes
** LERA (CASTROVERDE DE CAMPOS, ZAMORA)**
The other essential restaurant in Tierra de Campos is the one run by Luis Alberto Lera with his parents. A place of pilgrimage for game lovers and for fans of traditional spoon dishes. Their squab alone justifies the trip, but so do beans with hare.
It is best to take it easy and, if anything, book one of the ten rooms that the restaurant has on the top floor, especially if you eat near that fireplace that invites endless after-meals. The A-6 will still be there tomorrow.
** THE HERMIT (BENAVENTE, ZAMORA) **
The gastronomic reference at this crossroads on the plateau and one of the names that Castilian-Leonese chefs always mention with affection. El Ermitaño is a highly recommended stop where you can choose between four tasting menus with the most up-to-date cuisine and a more traditional specialties menu, such as the village rice (with chorizo, ham, beef and pig's trotters) or the beef tenderloin with juniper. If you have the chance, do not forget to try their cecina canutillos stuffed with duck foie and quince.
** LOS POINOS (VALDEBIMBRE, LEON)**
The perfect stop for those who continue along the A-66 towards León and Asturias is in Valdevimbre, a small town that has been converted good part of its underground cellars in restaurants.
Sea bream in leek ash salt with sweet potato, olives, lilies and its anchovy broth
Among them stands out Los Poínos, a spectacular cellar-cave rehabilitated in the year 2000 and where Amparo Rodríguez prepares specialties such as the beef tongue cured with olive oil, the stewed omelette, the sweetbreads in sauce or the red meat steak.
** THE CAPRICHO (JIMÉNEZ DE JAMUZ, LEÓN) **
If you continue along the A-6 from Benavente, a good idea is to turn off at La Bañeza to Jiménez de Jamuz, where Bodega El Capricho is located, considered by many to be one of the best meat restaurants in Spain.
Here the grill master Joseph Gordon worships the ox and the traditional recipe book , although he does not renounce some contemporary wink. Thus, in the letter you can find beef and working cow chops, beef tripe or frog legs with poached eggs along with marrow toasts with pink grapefruit or tiraditos of loin with almadraba tuna tartare. And if you still feel capable, desserts like the ox crackling cake or the sweet and spiced aubergines with yogurt.
**CASTRILO DE LOS POLVAZARES (LEON)**
Here we opt for a town and not a restaurant. And we do it because the town itself, one of the most beautiful in Spain, deserves the detour of just 5 kilometers from Astorga. but also because There are several restaurants in this small Maragata village that specialize in local cuisine.
Cooked Maragato
** Cuca La Vaina ** and ** Maruja ** are the classics, but others like ** Coscolo ** or the ** Entrepiedras ** offer dishes like pig's trotter puff pastry or marinated turkey breast to complement the quintessential classic: the cooked maragato.
** MESON ABELARDO (PUEBLA DE SANABRIA, ZAMORA) **
If you enter Galicia through the A-52, it is worth stopping at Puebla de Sanabria. Preserves an old movie town and, although in winter the area is really cold, in summer it offers a river beach at the foot of the village overlooking the castle, which is most tempting.
In any season it is convenient to save some time to stop at Mesón Abelardo. It's not in the most touristy part of town, but it's easy to find. In the letter of this traditional eating house there is no shortage of classics from the area such as Sanabria broad beans with leg, stewed soup, sanabresa-style octopus, stewed tongue or veal snout .
And this is where our gastronomic tour of the A-6 ends. Further on you have León capital, Galicia and Asturias and, If you have managed to get here hungry, surely you will not be short of gastronomic options at the end of the road.
Because a trip with gastronomic stops is more of a trip