Hospederia El Palen

The octopus was so good I finished it before remembering to take a photo, sorry! 🫣😅 Everything was freshly prepared, nothing reheated, and it was all delicious. I stopped in just for tapas at lunch, and the food was spectacular and clearly high quality. The service was excellent, and they make you feel like family. I heard they're retiring at the end of the year, so if you're passing through Segorbe and want a really good meal, go while you can.

What stayed with me most was how warmly the owner and waitresses treated us. We saw local neighbors eating together like family, and the owner knew them by name. The place itself is charming, with the look of an old wine cellar and lovely antique weapons on the walls. Everything we ate was really tasty. The octopus was the second best I've ever tried, and the stuffed mushrooms were delicious. Even the bravas were far better than the ones you usually get in bars, and very tasty. The tempura artichokes were good, though the earlier dishes were on another level. The recommended wine was very good too. The price felt fair for what we ate, and I mean that without any criticism. We had a great experience and will definitely come back.

We went on New Year's Day, with the restaurant full, and still received lovely service. The food quality was spectacular. If grilled meat in a cozy, family-style setting is your thing, this is the place. The grilled wild asparagus was a work of art.

The food is the real highlight. It feels like home cooking, with dishes made in pots and served up rather than prepared in an industrial way. They also grill meat over embers and have so many tapas that choosing is hard, though they're all so good you feel you've picked well. The salads are lovely too, especially with their house dressing. I still couldn't figure out what goes into it. Even the little details are carefully done, right down to the warm loaf of bread they bring out for you to spread with tomato and olive oil. The restaurant and hostel are run by one family. Mr. Florencio runs the restaurant with his wife and daughter, who take on the roles of manager, cook, and waitress. The place isn't huge, but there's room for a family or friends gathering, plus a private area with a fireplace that feels very homey. The decor is spectacular, with so many objects around you that you keep finding things to look at. It's easy to miss the place at first. The entrance is very discreet, through a small door to the right of the hostel. Even after stepping inside, I wondered if it could really be a restaurant, since all I could see was a little staircase going underneath the hostel. But there's another door at the bottom, and once you enter, you discover the hidden treasure. Best to stop by and see for yourself. I'm sure you'll think I've undersold it, and I hope you enjoy it.