Casas Colgadas Restaurante
Cuenca, Spain
⭐1 Star
The Experience
From Michelin Guide
The experience of eating in one of the city’s iconic “hanging houses” is one not to be missed and this is certainly the case in this restaurant next to the striking Museo de Arte Abstracto Español, where entry is controlled by a code that you are sent when making a booking. In its meticulous contemporary-style interior, which has nevertheless retained its delightfully attractive original wooden beams, guests can enjoy unique views of the Huécar river gorge while savouring the concise Volver or Cocinamos Cuenca tasting menus, the latter offerings courses such as trout, radish, sardines, cheese, wine, walnuts, hare, Judía de la Virgen white beans, the delicious pigeon, and beetroot. Chef Jesús Segura has developed his repertoire around locally sourced ingredients while revising culinary traditions from a thoroughly modern and highly personal perspective: “my passion is translating the ancestral legacy of our grandparents as well as their exhaustive knowledge about wild herbs from the area, so that this expertise is not lost”.
Unique Things
From Visitor Experiences
Location in the iconic "hanging houses" (Casas Colgadas) with stunning views: The restaurant is uniquely situated in Cuenca’s famous hanging houses, perched over the steep cliff edge overlooking the Huécar Gorge and the San Pablo Bridge, offering diners spectacular natural scenery while eating.
15-course tasting menu featuring local ingredients with international inspiration: Chef Jesús Segura creates a seasonally changing tasting menu that reinterprets traditional Cuenca dishes using local ingredients such as game, honey, almonds, and herbs, combined with influences from other cuisines. Dishes include rooster, pickled rabbit, lamb, mushrooms, and a creative take on the local honey and almond cake ‘alajú’.
Artistic and architectural harmony in interior design: The restaurant’s interior blends historical heritage with modern artistic elements, featuring rooms like the Sala Pétrea with granite and geometric designs inspired by Gothic style and Spanish Abstract Art Museum aesthetics. The refurbishment uses natural stone materials to create a unique atmosphere that complements the building’s architectural significance.
Ingredient Stars
From Visitor Experiences
The most honored and signature ingredients at the Michelin-starred Casas Colgadas Restaurante in Cuenca are:
Game meats (such as hare, pigeon, lamb, and rooster): These reflect the local hunting traditions and are creatively reinterpreted in modern dishes, showcasing Cuenca's rich natural resources.
Wild herbs: Chef Jesús Segura emphasizes ancestral knowledge of wild herbs from the area, incorporating them to preserve and elevate traditional flavors in innovative ways.
Honey and almonds: These are key local products used notably in a reinterpretation of the traditional honey and almond cake "alajú," highlighting Cuenca’s sweet heritage.
Mushrooms: Featured in inventive preparations like mushroom ice cream, mushrooms represent the province’s forest bounty and culinary creativity.
Judía de la Virgen white beans: A local legume used in refined dishes, connecting the cuisine to Cuenca’s agricultural roots.
These ingredients are central to the restaurant’s 15-course tasting menu, which creatively reimagines Cuenca’s traditional gastronomy with a modern and personal touch by Chef Segura.