Restaurant Review : Restaurante Mareal
Address: Plaza del Arenal 2, 11403 Jerez De La Frontera Spain
Date visited : 22-March-2025
While on a short weekend break in Jerez, I decided to visit one of my favourite places for tapas in the heart of the city in Plaza del Arenal square. This used to be called Casa Juan but seems to have changed owner and has undergone a refurbishment and is now called Restaurante Mareal. The restaurant has three floors and a large area on the square with outdoor tables, great for al fresco dining.
I went for some of my personal favourite tapas dishes:
Albondigas en salsa de tomate
Cazon en adobo
Patatas bravas
1. Albondigas en salsa de tomate
Albondigas (meatballs, usually a mix of pork and beef) are typically served in tapas bars as either Albondigas en salsa (meatballs in a sauce based on its natural juices) or Albondigas en tomate (meatballs in a tomato sauce). My personal favourite is the latter in tomato sauce and a dish I always order when in Spain.
As a tapas dish it was quite a decent portion and the tomato sauce was very tasty and combined well with the meatballs. It also came with fried potato slices which was a nice bonus, I've found that many restaurants will do this, but not all. If you're looking for Albondigas en tomate (which in my experience can be hard to find) then this dish is definitely recommended.
2. Cazón en adobo
As a fish tapas dish, Cazón en adobo is my all time personal favourite and a dish I will always order at least once when I'm in Jerez! Cazón en adobo is dogfish prepared in a vinegar based marinade then coated with flour and deep fried. As a tapas dish served at this restaurant, again the portion size was decent and the fish was very tasty, another dish I can highly recommend!
3. Patatas bravas
A well known classic, Patatas Bravas are fried potato wedges served with a spicy tomato sauce. In this restaurant they also serve it with mayonnaise.
A generous amount was served and it was very tasty.
Final verdict
The tapas dishes were delicious and they are quite generous with the portion sizes. I was by myself and have to say that three tapas dishes were probably too much for me, I think two would have been enough! :)
As you can see from the bill at a total cost of €16.30 for three tapas and a drink, I'd say it's quite reasonably priced so overall a good dining experience for me :-)
