Mesón del Corregidor

Mesón del Corregidor sits in the historic centre of Almagro, one of Castile-La Mancha's most beautifully preserved Renaissance towns, its 16th-century colonnaded Plaza Mayor a few minutes' walk from the restaurant's entrance on Calle Jerez. Almagro was a prosperous Castilian merchant city in the 16th and 17th centuries, home to Flemish banking families who shaped its distinctive architecture, and the corregidor — the term for the Spanish Crown's local judicial representative — gives the restaurant a name that resonates with the town's administrative heritage.

The kitchen's defining product is berenjenas de Almagro — the small pickled baby aubergines that are the town's most famous culinary product, protected under European PGI geographical indication. These are harvested before maturity and cured in a brine of vinegar, herbs, garlic and sometimes a little red pepper, developing a complex briny and lightly acidic character. They arrive at the table as a complimentary starter alongside bread and can be ordered as a proper dish in their own right. Manchegan lamb chops grilled over charcoal are the most frequently ordered main course. Queso manchego with local honey and walnuts completes the meal in the regional tradition.

The dining room is split between a ground floor and an upper gallery, both maintaining the historic building's stone and timber character. Service is courteous and unfussy. A short wine list covers local Valdepeñas and La Mancha denominaciones de origen. Almagro's Old Theatre Festival in late July brings a significant influx of visitors; reservations are essential during that period.

Beyond the food, the restaurant's location makes it a natural anchor for a day in Almagro. The Corral de Comedias — the world's only surviving original Golden Age theatre — is within a five-minute walk, as are the Fugger banking quarter and several significant Baroque churches.