In 2022, El Mesón de Gonzalo turned 75 years old. It was a special year for this historic restaurant located in the heart of Salamanca, since the anniversary brought with it recognition as the Best Restaurant in Castilla y León, awarded by the Castellano y Leonesa Academy of Gastronomy.
The award was the confirmation of a sweet moment for a restaurant that, far from settling for an enviable location within the city and with everything that its long history gives it, has known how to update itself, develop its own personality with the help of Gonzalo Sendín , third generation of the founding family, now leading the business, without losing sight of its origins.
El Mesón de Gonzalo belongs to that type of restaurant that those of us who write sometimes leave, in a way that is not always fair and often despite, as is the case, an undoubted success, in the background compared to novelties or projects that bet in a more determined way by the creative avant-garde. It is true, however, that El Mesón has largely managed to become an exception in this and that, even despite the vibrant moment that the city of Salamanca is going through in gastronomic terms, it has managed to maintain an important share of visibility.
Even so, it never hurts to insist on the virtues of this type of business that knows how to read its legacy with pride and understand it as baggage, but not as a corset, taking it to a field in which good doses of updating measures complement it and they enrich it.
This is, surely, Sendín's greatest achievement: having been able to interpret the history of the establishment, provide it with a slight update that does not betray it, and create a team capable of easily managing a restaurant with a complex layout—two floors, stairs, a terrace— always packed, a huge success among visitors to the city, but also among the local public.
How is this achieved? First of all, with a cozy space, which has managed to preserve the historical character, particularly in the dining room of the old winery, and which fits with the city and with the timeless character of the restaurant. From there, the balance between classics that remain despite the passing of the years and measured doses of modernity is key, a complex harmony in which the work of Jesús Colorado, a Cádiz chef trained among others with Martín Berasategui, develops. who joined the project a little over a year and a half ago.
The result is a menu with a local essence, product and classic recipes, in which it is possible to start, for example, with a 2019 Carrasco Iberian ham or a wonderful Wagyu cured meat before trying the restaurant's famous croquettes, made with Iberian ham, creamy but full-bodied – I am not particularly fond of croquettes “on the verge of disaster”, in the words of a colleague, which are sometimes taken to excess – before moving on to explore the two aspects of their menu.
Wagyu tartare, for example, if you want to start with a sample of more current cuisine. It is worked with salted yolk, chipotle chili and a powder of pork rind chicharrón that provides a certain contrast to the bite and is served accompanied by toast painted with noisette butter. Or, if you prefer a more traditional starter, the wonderful cochifrito—marinated, cooked at a low temperature and then fried—served with sweet pippin apple to lighten the bite.
Now entering the main ones, meat is king. Although the menu does not lack fish, it is clear that meats are the restaurant's strong point, with a special presence of both Iberian pork and Morucha cow, native to the area, and Galician veal. The morucha and foie sirloin meatballs are very good, juicy and capable of keeping the flavor of the beef well present, with sweet potato and which, now in season, are served with truffle or, another of the house classics, the glazed cow cheek cannelloni and served with Perigord sauce.
In any case, and although we are talking about strong preparations, it is advisable to always leave room to try another of the house's great specialties: tripe, winners in 2018 of the II International Tripe Competition. They are the result of a kitchen that is unhurried and does not skimp on the product. Broth made from Iberian ham, time, well-crafted tripe and just the right touch of spiciness. They are unctuous, although not excessive, with the intestine cut not too small and invite you to dip the wonderful Arapiles bread that the restaurant makes.
As for desserts, the house classic is the caramelized brioche French toast, melting and served with yogurt ice cream, although those who prefer something different will find options such as candied strawberries, dressed with an infusion of red fruits and whipped cream. of mascarpone.
El Mesón de Gonzalo has not only known how to read its past but has understood the current moment and has known how to interpret its role in the city's cuisine. Far from settling, he has known how to enrich his letter with respect, but without complexes, and he has known how to grow. In addition to the original space and the terrace, the business group headed by Sendín also has a second space, Las Tapas de Gonzalo, with an enviable location in the Plaza Mayor and what are, surely, some of the best views of the square. and the town hall from a restaurant, and in the coming months it will continue its growth process with the incorporation of a new space.
All this without having given up a cuisine made from local products and roots, a gastronomic proposal suitable for both the returning customer, who seeks the comfort of the usual classics, and for the visitor who wants to explore the raw materials and the local recipes. or for the diner who prefers to incorporate measured and meaningful innovation into their menu.
It is not easy to find a place in a city with such powerful cuisine, both traditional and creative, as Salamanca. It should be even less difficult to maintain that gap for decades and do so without falling into clichés, without resorting to easy resources. And that is precisely what El Mesón de Gonzalo has been able to do, which has understood what its path is and has been able to develop it to consolidate itself as the contemporary classic that it is by right.
