Caceres

Over the past few years the hospitality industry in Caceres has changed dramatically in order to meet new demands. More visitors are making their way to the city, locals are eating out more often and the resident student population is rising. Restaurants like El Puchero have been able to expand, open new branches and start an outside catering business. What this means for the consumer is more choice and a consistently lively, cosmopolitan atmosphere. Now there are bars and restaurants to suit every taste and every price range. Regional food has become fashionable, too.
 

The historic old part of town has some of the best places to eat and drink and this is the first form of entertainment in Spain and most Spaniards have made it an art form . Palacio del Vino is an ideal spot for the first aperitif and tapa of the evening before heading down to Mesón Sansón for another drink and a savoury snack. You might be lucky enough to hear one of the owners, José Luis, belting out a cheerful tune on his accordion. For French cuisine, try Chez Manou. In the Torre de Sande you can taste what the "new wave" in Extremaduran cooking has to offer whilst relaxing in a magnificent old house full of antique furniture or in their marvellous garden. Probably the most romantic location in Caceres to eat by candlelight is the garden belonging to the Parador. But there is strong competition from a range of other excellent luxury restaurants in the old part of town that are housed in palaces and ancient mansions like the Bodega Medieval and the Palacio de los Golfines. One of the most famous restaurants in the city, Figón de Eustaquio, is in nearby Plaza de San Juan, and just opposite is the Mejorana, with a reputation for good tapas and raciones. For Italian cooking up here, the Chiara is recommended. If there is a large group of you, you will be well looked after in Corregidor. In the area around Plaza de San Juan there are many other good tapas bars like El Asador, La Posada and Adarve.

In the centre of modern Caceres there is an area bordered by Calle Doctor Fleming and Paseo de Cánovas called La Madrila that is famous for its lively late-night bars. For early evening drinks and tapas round here try Cañadul and Portón on Calle Doctor Fleming, and the cervecería (beer hall) in Plaza de Bruselas for good value for money. If it is just a coffee you're looking for the best option is undoubtedly Carpe Diem followed by the Petit Café in the Plaza Marrón, only metres away from the Paseo de Cánovas. The Basque restaurant Oquendo, specializing in fish dishes from the north of Spain, offers an alternative to the predominant Extremaduran fare. If you walk further along the Avenida Virgen de la Montaña you'll find a favourite local haunt for tapas and raciones (larger portions), La Marina. On the street running parallel to it there is an Internet café called Ciberjust.

In the area around Cruz de los Caídos there are a cluster of sophisticated bars - Ábito, Alconétar, Donde Manuel, El Fogón de Toñi, Vivaldi and El Cachito - that also serve meals. Students tend to meet up in the bars that line the nearby calle Santa Joaquina de Vedruna.

Spains best restaurant guides recommend a restaurant called Atrio, in the northern part of the city that takes pride in creating imaginative modern versions of traditional recipes.
 

There are two locations on the outskirts of Caceres that are geared up to cater for large social events and business functions. Complejo Álvarez is an efficient modern establishment, open all day until the early hours, with a variety of private function rooms and an open-air disco. Castillo de Arguijuelas, on the road to Mérida, is a medieval castle with an outdoor dining terrace set in the midst of an olive grove.

At weekends, most of the young people in Caceres can be found in the Plaza Mayor having a drink and some fun. Near the plaza are a few small bars like El Callejón and Los Toneles that play good music. If you head towards the Concatedral de Santa María you'll find an atmospheric bar called Corral de las Corral de las Cigüeñas where you can have a drink in the courtyard and listen to live performances by local musicians during the summer. If you prefer a more laid-back approach, head for the pubs a little further up the calle Pizarro - Capitán Haddock, Mistura Brasileira, La Habana, La Traviata y Torre de Babel - that play easy-listening music and are also open for coffee in the early evening. Another late-night bar near the Plaza Mayor that has tables outside in summer is Las Caballerizas.

The serious party people can be found dancing until dawn in the lively little bars in La Madrila like Saqqara, Latino, Por Ejemplo and Ivanhoe.

Entertainment in Caceres
Caceres is mainly known for its historic quarter, which was declared of cultural heritage in 1986, but this city of noble lineage also has other qualities which have given it the status of other Spanish cities for other reasons, too. For some years, the city has had new calling cards: Caceres, conference city; Caceres, city of tolerance; Caceres, city of diversity.

Conferences
Caceres, without a doubt, is the city in Extremadura that annually hosts the most conferences. Ideal facilities like the Complejo Cultural San Francisco, flagship of the city in terms of events, courses and conferences, and with the best amenities to bring together specialists and audiences of any field.

Music
The Complejo San Francisco not only hosts conferences, but its halls occasionally hold classical, orchestral and baroque music concerts. Other types of music are also held at different venues around the city like the Auditorio or the Centro Cultural Capitol, which offers from zarzuela, to pop and rock. The city also has some bars like La Torre de Babel, Belle Epoque or the Corral de las Cigüeñas which attract national music groups or new singer-songwriters.

Although Caceres is a tolerant city every day of the year, the city is proud of this title during Womad, a festival of world music and culture held in the spring. Caceres is meant to be enjoyed in the streets, as you walk around, stopping for a drink at the numerous bars, cafés and pubs. Enjoy the entertainment in Spain as practised in caceres.

Theatre
Caceres not only has the Gran Teatro, which holds the Ciclo de Teatro Infantil (Theatre Programme for Children), the Festival Flamenco (Flamenco Festival) and the Otoño Musical (Autumn Musical), but, in addition, Plaza San Jorge and Plaza de las Veletas, right in the historical quarter, are transformed during the spring into improvised set-ups for the Festival de Teatro Clásico (Classical Theatre Festival) and Womad. The bullring is also used by some private groups to hold popular concerts as it can hold over 1,500 people.

Cinema
While we're on the subject of art, the seventh art is also available in the city and there are various cinemas: Multicines Caceres has seven screens, and Multicines La Dehesa has five. These two centres have a strong bias towards commercial films and new releases, while cultural and artistic cinema is represented at Festival Envídeo.

Art
As for museums, galleries and exhibition rooms, the city embodies diversity. You can submerge yourself in the oldest archaeological museum of the region, the Museo Provincial, (the Provincial Museum) (Palacio de las Veletas) and visit the Almohad well; go to the Museo Municipal (Sala de Exposiciones Permanente Ciudad de Caceres) to see interesting historical artefacts; or visit the Casa Museo Yusuf Al Burch (Yusuf Al Burch House Museum). If you prefer, go to the Museo Guayasamín, which houses works by the well known Ecuadorian painter Oswaldo Guayasamín, and the Museo Vostell, in Malpartida, which was founded by the German Wolf Vostell, who discovered the technique of decollage, was the father of the European "happening", videoart and co-founder of the Fluxus movement.

If this is not modern enough, the city also has a few galleries that exhibit contemporary pieces, by both national and international artists. The most notable are Bores & Mallo, María Llanos, Sala Capitol and Sala El Brocense.

Areas

La Madrila
This is the area for bars and nightlife for those up for it. You can start the night with a few traditional beers at bars like La Fontana, Bruselas, Cañadul, Carpe Diem, among others, keeping the pub and club scene for after midnight. In this "hot" Plaza, you find pubs like Rita, Latino, La Ventana and Ivanhoe.

Plaza Mayor
This is a central base for many visitors who begin their trip in the historic quarter. Before getting to know its streets, you can enjoy a good breakfast at El Pato, El Puchero, El Adarve, and come back at midday to regain your strength and have a beer with a tapa. But Plaza Mayor is also a meeting point at night. Night life takes place along its arcades and surrounding streets. The following places are very popular: Iguana, El Callejón, Mesón Extremeño, Los Arcos or Farmacia de Guardia.

Calle Pizarro
Next to the old town, right in the centre of Caceres, Calle Pizarro brings together places that are quite laid-back in the afternoons, but lively at night. Habana, Mistura Brasileira and Capitán Haddock all have dramatic decoration; their owners have a lavish imagination, and you can try exotic drinks, or see a live gig. Other places like Las Caballerizas and La Traviata are distinctive because they were once old houses, now refurbished as nighlife venues.

Calle Gómez Becerra
This is the area for tapas and a few beers at midday, when the small taverns or bars of this street (El Otro Cachito, Donde Manuel, Ábito, el Caldero, Mesón los Castúos, Casa Severo), are overflowing with people who on the whole work in Paseo de Cánovas and the surrounding area, and are putting an end to the working day with a beer or glass of wine.