Restaurante Botánico (Granada, Spain)

Calle Malaga, 3
18001 Granada
Spain
Ph. 958 271 598
Website in English
Facebook

El Botánico, as it is usually called by locals, is an icon in the Granada food panorama. This café-bar-restaurant opened 13 years ago, and is still as contemporary and modern as it was when opened. They were like an electroshock to the Granada dining scene, as it was one of the first café-restaurant in the city to avant-garde in fusion cuisine, started the tradition of brunching, and started opening and serving food all day long, at times that are not traditional in Spain. No wonder, the place became soon a favourite among local foodies and hypsters, and foreign tourists and expatriates. Despite that, there is no hype around the place any longer, as the hype is elsewhere in the city. This is, still, a trendy café despite the pass of time.
 
I love the fact that the place is located in the heart of Granada, but a bit hidden, just in front of the tiny Botanical Garden of Granada. The interior is very modern, with clean lines and an elegant mixture of white, orange and blues, and functional pine tables, adorned by the artistic exhibition on display at the time you visit. There are two distinct areas, the café-bar at the entrance, and the dining area properly speaking, which is located at the rear back of the long corridor.  

The recipes are a mix of fusion food (Mexico, Japan, Middle Easter, Morocco, Italy and France among other influences), modern contemporary Spanish cuisine and the traditional tapas culture, which has its roots in this very city. Everything I have tried here is delicious and well prepared, from the soups, to the mains to the desserts. The red wine of Granada (terroir denomination "Vino de Granada") is one of those wines that got me hooked, after trying it here last year; it has started to get a name among foodies for its smoothness, silkiness, colourful flavours and richness of colour. 

If you live in Perth WA, el Botánico is to Granada what Bivouac is to Perth, but it opened more than a decade ago!

El Botánico has great prices. It is a bit pricier than other places in the city, but not much really, especially if you choose the set menu, which is great. The set menu is a tradition amongst Spanish cafés and medium range restaurants, and includes bread, water, one alcoholic drink of your selection, a starter, a main course, and a dessert) for the ridiculous price of 12 Euro inside and 13 on the terrace (taxes and service included!). Otherwise you can eat a la carte. They have special prices for breakfasts and brunches during weekdays. If you compare these to Perth prices, you could be clapping out of joy, or thinking, is that really possible? Good food, nice place, cheap? Yes, it is, if you have hundreds of bars, cafés and restaurants in a tiny city competing for your visit.

The service is friendly, and decently paced, but it changes from person to person.  The restaurant hosts temporary exhibitions and musical events inside.

To be fair and honest, if I was a tourist, I would rather immerse myself in the delicacies of the real Spanish gastronomy elsewhere, in a city that is renowned for his hundreds of tapas bars, traditional and contemporary Spanish restaurants at very good prices. However, El Botánico is still great place for escapades into territories that are quieter, more cosmopolitan and more flexible regarding eating hours, and culinary styles.

TIPS
- If you go at the traditional Spanish eating hours, the place can be quite hectic. But very quiet otherwise.
- They do takeaways!
- They have pre-arranged set menus for groups. 
- They have vegan and vegetarian dishes.

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