Profil von NunheadNeil

No holiday in La Herradura would be complete without a Moroccan feast at La Sacristia; a tiny place tucked away in the back streets no more than a minute away from the church (there is only one church in town and it's very easy to spot so you should have no trouble finding La Sacristia).

It doesn't look much to write home about with four covered tables outside, a couple more inside and a few stools at the bar. The slightly tacky pictures of the various dishes on offer that have been posted up outside the restaurant may make you think twice about eating here but don't let this put you off because the food is well prepared, nicely presented and very tasty. It's a family run place so you will get a warm welcome and attentive service.

If you want to get a sense of what the cooking is like grab a stool at the bar, order a beer and you will be offered some tapas which will give you a good idea of what to expect from a main course. One afternoon, when we were doing a tapas "crawl" of the town, we dropped by and had a very flavoursome, substantial snack of fragrant rice and mini lamb burger.

Over the course of our visits we tried a few of the main course dishes which were all good or very good; the star was a very lovely sweet and savoury chicken pastilla which you will need to order a day in advance (this dish was €20 which was plenty for 2 when teamed up with the lovely Moroccan salad selection which cost another €16).

The only slight down side is that there is not much on the wine list - 4 reds and 4 whites - but you will get something drinkable for €12 or a little more.

La Gaviota was our favourite restaurant in town and we ate here a few times on our recent short holiday. It’s not haute cuisine but you will be served very tasty, fresh well cooked food by a happy band of waiting staff at wallet friendly prices in a stunning location – you would be having a very bad day if you did not enjoy a meal here.

If you are facing the sea in the centre of La Herradura you will find La Gaviota at the right end of the bay, about 15 to 20 minutes walk away. It’s the first of the small group of restaurants at that end, situated right on the beach with its own car parking area.

There is a bar at the front, where you can have a drink and tapas if you don’t feel like a full meal, with the main restaurant on a terrace at the back facing the sea – picture postcard location with views to match. On a sunny afternoon in late September with the restaurant to ourselves, an empty beach and a bottle of Albarino this seemed like paradise. As the weather gets more chilly the terrace is covered up and it’s quite cosy in the evening.

The menu is pretty much the same as you will find in other restaurants in town but the food here seemed much fresher and was particularly tasty. Fish is always a good thing to order so I’d advise have a chat with the friendly waiting staff to see what they recommend. Stand out dishes we tried were a starter of gambas pil pil which was enough for two to share, a very tasty garlic chicken and a wonderful plate of delicately fried mixed fish.

 The wine list is good with some interesting wines at very reasonable prices. If you like sherry  I’d recommend ordering the small bottle of La Guita Manzanilla as a perfect way to start your meal; enough for two generous glasses at only 4 euros. The house wine is very easy drinking at 8 euro and if you want to push the boat out a little there is a decent bottle of Albarino for 15 euro.

If you only have time to enjoy one meal in La Herradura I would recommend that you visit La Gaviota for a long lazy lunch followed by a leisurely stroll along the beach back into town - perfect.