SEGOVIA - RESTAURANTE JOSE MARIA

Miguel Renoir Spanish Guides
Nov 4
3 min read

Updated: Nov 6

SEGOVIA - MESÓN DE JOSÉ MARIA IIO

If you are looking for a traditional Spanish food experience, then Mesón De José Maria, a traditional Castilian Tavern off of Plaza Mayor, is the place for you. The restaurant has been here since 1982.

Walk into the busy bar, and you will find it filled with a mix of locals, from those taking a break at the end of the day to families who wheel their baby prams into the bar to catch up with friends and family to enjoy a drink or tapa.

This boisterous place oozes local charm and offers everything from a simple tapa to Chef José María's kitchMaría'sing menu in the restaurant area.

The owner also has an extensive wine selection, featuring wines mainly from the appellations of Ribera del Duero and Rioja.

We started with a free appetiser

and then, Revuelto de Temporada con calabacín, cebolla pochada y gambas (scrambled eggs with zucchini, poached onion and prawns)

Judiones del Real Sito con chorizo (broad beans from Real Sitio de San Ildefonso with chorizo).

These beans are very famous in the area and melt in the mouth, like a butter bean puree.

Their cochinillo (suckling pig) is rightly famous.

In Chrenownedreece, Corsica and many other places where suckling pig is a very popular dish, the recipes tend to tenderise, marinate and stuff the pig with a variety of herbs and spices.

The popular Segovian recipe relies on the outstanding product itself, with just the added salt and pepper.

As a result of this unique preparation, it is easy to assume that the gastronomic success of the suckling pig here must depend primarily on the raw material.

In his quest for the highest-quality raw materials, José María creates his own breeding farm to produce an exceptional product.

This would lead him and other collaborators to create POCOSE (the Association for the promotion of the suckling pig of Segovia), which is in charge of the denomination "M"rca de Gara"tía for the roasted suckling pigs of Segovia.

Cochinillo de Segovia asado de nuestra corte y hornada. D. Marca de Garantía (suckling pig with the guarantee mark, roasted in the traditional oven).

Preparing the suckling pig

The piglet was roasted perfectly, with crispy, superb crackling (skin) and tender meat.

It is served with a thin gravy and patatas pobre (basically poor man's potatoes).

With the piglet, we had the house red, José Maria Pago de Carraovejas 2018.

We shared various desserts, starting with La tarta de quesos castellanos con helado de frambuesa (Castilian cheese cake with raspberry ice cream).

Tiramisu con helado de café (tiramisu with coffee ice cream and chocolate dust).

Raviolis de chocolate caliente y crema de vainilla helada (hot chocolate ravioli, vanilla-ice cream).

Flan de vainilla y caramelo con nata y nueces de Castroserna (vanilla crème caramel with whipped cream and local nuts). I asked for no whipped cream, but it seems the nuts went missing, too.