Restaurante Vinoteca El Refugio — Restaurant in Guadix

I cannot believe I failed to leave a RAVE review of this special restaurant from my visit to this amazing historic cave dwelling town from my trip months ago. This is just a failure on my part from returning from Spain and just forgetting. I feel awful. Because, not only did my experience at this restaurant make my trip extra special, but I feel I have new friends for life from eating here. Chef and owner Sonia Sánchez Navarro not only prepares meals that you crave the next day, but she and her husband Antonio Casado make sure that each guest feels cared for. They are proud of this culinary destination they have created with a large wine list with lots of unique regional Andulusian wines, which their staff is very informed on. They have established an amazing restaurant in the gorgeous setting of the 16th century Plaza de la Constitucion in Guadix. I made a reservation from the states in advance because I knew I wanted to eat here after my first full day in Guadix. And when I arrived, the owner of my amazing Cueva Los Mosaicos AirBnB recommended I eat here because not only was delicious but also within walking distance from my cave casita. So, I had the privledge of eating here two nights and both were a treat. The tomato and mozzarella salad was so fresh, it was dreamy. And the regional lamb lasagna dish was too good to not finish, even though the portion was huge. Their attention for detail, like having the plaza logo etched on their wine glasses and serving an amuse bouche, was very classy. And their server staff were proper but super friendly. The restaurant deserves a Michelin rating. I loved sitting outdoors on the plaza, watching people go by and soaking up this atmosphere. On the second night, I so enjoyed meeting the owners' friends celebrating their anniversary and engaging with me about life adventures with my rough Spanish and their perfect English. I hope to be back one day and see that the restaurant is still thriving in this idyllic setting. But I also hope that Sonia, Antonio and their lovely friends know that they can come visit me in the states any time. I can't cook for them, but I would be honored to host and be their local culinary guide if they visit...

Unfortunately we didn't actually eat here as the waiter was so rude on arrival that we decided to leave and eat across the square.

It was a quiet afternoon in April and we politely asked if it was possible to sit as a couple on a table for four in a sunnier spot. Had it have been busier we wouldn't have done this. Unfortunately rather than accomodating this request, the waiter aggressively dismissed it and militantly dictated us towards one of two options in a square full of seating.

Part of the enjoyment of dining is in the whole experience. As opposed to being forced to sit classroom style within earshot of every other couple.

We were then arrogantly told that the sun would be gone in 20 minutes, so if we wanted to dine, we should pick one of two options.

At no point that afternoon was the restaurant busy enough that our choice of seating would have affected other patrons. Really...

We were travelling through the city of Guadix looking for dinner and found this highly recommended restaurant in the Plaza de la Constitución. You sit under beautiful archways and it is clear from the outset that they take excellent care of their guests. Both the wine recommendation was very good and the advice that our original choice was probably too much for two people turned out to be spot on. The cheese and ham tasted first-class, the salad with salmon, mango and avocado is unsurpassed in terms of creative flavour intensity and the pork cheeks in Oloroso wine are a poem, as is the fruit crumble as a dessert. A really recommendable place! As always,...