This post is primarily for my colleagues as Plaza Hornos Púnicos is just a roundabout near the school I was working at and not an area to go out in the evenings (see my other San F posts for that).
However, in the middle of the roundabout you can see the mildly interesting remains of four pottery kilns which are of Carthaginian-Punic and Phoenician origin (hornos púnicos y fenicios) and date from between the 6th and 1st centuries BC. They were dedicated to the manufacture of amphorae and other containers for transporting fish, as well as other everyday objects. It’s the only archaeology in San Fernando that can be viewed by the public that I’m aware of.
There are a couple of places near the school where I went to eat lunch…
Disparate (Intermediate B+), 1 Avenida Almirante León Herrero, disparate.business.site
This is a gourmet spot just a few minutes’ walk from the school. It’s on the roundabout, over the road from the kilns.
The service is nice and friendly but painfully slow, although you do get an amuse bouche will you’re waiting.
I had the Callos de Bacalao con Garbanzos y Setas de Temporada, a tasty soup stew of cod guts, chick peas and mushrooms (B).
With bread and water it cost me €11.40.
Bodegon Andalusia (Intermediate C), 10 Calle Rafael Alberti
I was brought to this everyday place for lunch in 2015 by John the school owner (more of whom in my Cadiz carnival post!).
I gave the ‘Bienmesabe’ another go and liked it more than I did at El Deán (C+) but it still didn’t live up to its name for me (‘good taste’).
Everything else was okay here though (B) and it was very busy and popular.
In early 2017 when Bodegon Andalusia was at #2 for San F on Tripadvisor, I got this update from a friend who found it “all rather beige. I thought the fish was frozen. Didn’t have one decent tapas to recommend and thought most dishes had been microwaved. Nothing really disgusting (except local fish) but not good either. So maybe give this one a miss as well!”
I went back in late 2017 and unfortuantely had to agree with her. The meatballs in a tomato sauce were C- and the chips were C. However it’s hard to argue with a Menu del Dia that costs only €7.50.
So while it’s still popular, it seems this place has gone down in quality in recent years. Disparate around the corner is probably a safer bet.
For some post-prandial exercise you could go for a stroll in the unnatractive but nearby Parque del Barrero where you can catch a glimpse of the world-famous Real Instituto y Observatorio de la Armada. As well as having a famous library, this is where the official time of Spain is set on atomic clocks. Free guided tours are available on request but are on weekday mornings only.
If you’re desperate to wash some clothes (as my colleagues often are) and you can squeeze it in between work, there’s a lavandería autoservicio called Lava+ www.facebook.com at 1 Calle Muñoz Torrero.
It’s all on my map here.
Please see my other posts for better places to eat…