Plaza Esteve is just to the north east of Plaza Arenal, in the centre of Jerez. You’ll find the new market here and a number of good places to eat and drink. You’ll find more of my posts on Jerez here and my Google map here.
I stayed in this area on a second mini-break in April 2016…
Hotel Nova Centro (Low Intermediate B), 13 Calle Arcos, hotelnovacentro.com
A dilapidated hotel located in an old building. It’s cheap, central and friendly. There are other more attractive, and more expensive, hotels on my Google map that I tried but only this place had availability at the time.
Vinoteca Rafael (Elementary B), 6 Calle Arcos
Just over the road from the hotel, this is a sherry shop where all the old boys hang out. You can drink here but also shop from their big selection of local wines and brandies. You can also get Jerez vinegar here.This is the most famous brand.
La Vinoteria (Elementary B+), 7 Calle Lancería
Another place to buy local alcohols but not drink them, although a friend of the gregarious owner plied me with a sherry he’d brought. I scored a bottle of Cardenal Mendoza (a favourite brandy of mine) in it’s newly designed bottle and case here.
Tabanco El Pasaje (High Elementary B), 8 Calle Santa María
A Jerez institution and the oldest tabanco in town (since 1925). The word ‘tabanco’ is a blend of ‘estanco’, a state controlled shop, and ‘tabaco’, a product they sell.
It’s a great place to see live Flamenco although it’s tiny so you’ll have to arrive early to get a good view. One of the last of a dying breed, come for the atmosphere and sherry on tap but not the tapas.
Teatro Villamarta, Plaza Romero Martínez, www.jerez.es
A place to watch Flamenco, and other shows, in a more formal setting. I haven’t been but I like the building.
El Gallo Azul (Intermediate B?), 2 Calle Larga
The Blue Cockerel is a good spot for people watching. The circular building is quite famous in Jerez and features on postcards.
You can eat tapas on the ground floor and there’s a restaurant upstairs. I’ve only had a beer here so I can’t comment on the food but I’m sure it’s fine.
Restaurante Cafetería la Vega (High Elementary B+), 0 Plaza Esteve (sic)
This café seems to be a prime meeting place for the older generation of Jerezanos. It’s also recommended by the Sams from Moro in London as a good place for breakfast.
I’ve been twice and liked it. The first time I had a Mollete con Jamon Iberico y Tomate which was good (B) but as it was February it probably wasn’t the best time to eat fresh tomatoes. My bad. Molletes are an Andalusian bread roll that are usually toasted.
The café also has a rep for Churros so I tried them the next time and they were very good (B+). If you sit upstairs on the internal balcony you can get a good view of the Churrero making them. It’s a mesmerising procedure to watch.
Fresh orange juice and café con leche is good here too. A prime breakfast spot.
As I mentioned earlier, the modern market, Mercado de Abastos, is in Plaza Esteve. It’s not spectacular but it’s worth a visit.
Some unusual produce I saw included Tagarninas, a kind of plant whose spiny roots are eaten in these parts (please see my coming post on Eating & Drinking North of the Centre).
I also saw some of the tiny shrimp used for the regional speciality Tortillas de Camarones where they are mixed into a batter made of chickpea flour (apparently a Genoese influence), deep fried and eaten whole.
Click on the Jerez link for more posts on this fantastic town.
Pics posted in Nov 2015 and Feb 2017.