halfempty

I've seen great reviews of both restaurants on Fodor's and I was wondering if anyone could recommend one over the other. Are the pigs served whole in each restaurant? Is a whole pig too much for two people?

We'll be in Segovia at the end of April.

fmpden

We were at Meson. It was excellent. No experience with Maraia. Do not remember if the pig was served whole -- think not but it could have been an option. It has been a couple of years.

amsdon

Suckling pig is not big. Do not envison a huge pig, it is a baby after all. Cochinillo is usually served in quarters..not whole. We dined at Jose Maria & found it very good. I do hear those two are very close in quality but that Candido is the more popular place w/ celebs and has a view.

Just fyi suckling lamb is also a specialy of the Segovia area.

We also liked this restarant very much for those looking for a different more modern option. We had a great lunch there (menu del dia) http://www.narizotas.es/

Lastly, looks like there is a culinary event in Segovia ending the 25th...will you be there?

amsdon

Do you speak spanish I was trying to find something in english

but this is very interesting...http://www.cocinasegoviana.com/default2.asp

amsdon

Looks like all three of those(Candido, Jose Maria and Narizotas) are participating..as well as the Parador and lots of other restarants...wow!

halfempty

Thanks, fmpden and amsdon. I am still undecided. I suppose I will be happy with either one.

Amsdon, narizotas looks very good and the cocinasegoviana sounds quite interesting, but we will be in Segovia on April 28 and 29 and will miss it.

amsdon

Bummer, but you will have a great time nonetheless.

ekscrunchy

Just to confuse you even more this place also gets high recommendations:

http://www.restauranteduque.es/esp/home.html

We had a memorable dinner at Jose Maria--they also have a great-looking tapas spread before dinner hour.

I've not been to Candido in 30 years so cannot advise about that restaurant but it does have a great reputation. My guess is that you cannot go wrong with any of the options mentioned here.

chapla

Am I alone in not being impressed by cochinillo?
I remember feeling sad at the sight of the little pig and then getting a very small serving of it- both in Madrid and Segovia.Very crunchy skin and little meat!..........

cruiseluv

Last year we went to Meson Duque and enjoyed the cochinillo ( and some scrumptious desserts!) a lot.

danon

chapla,
I feel the same way; we had it in Madrid - maybe it was not the best restaurant ...on the other hand , there were quite a few Frenchmen dinning there..

amsdon

The crunchy skin is a must......

amsdon

By the way, as a pork lover I have a bias towards cuban cochinillo or lechon as it has alot of garlic, and the spanish versin does not. But in Spain I prefer the suckling lamb over the pig, and if you are into pork there are still alot of regionan tastes to enjoy like rabbit al ajillo...
Interestingly, the fish at Narizotas was great if I recall.

macanimals

We dined at Meson last May and the cochinillo served is not a small portion but it is not a full pig either. The formal presentation with the announcement, presentation and breaking of the plates was quite a show. We enjoyed it all as well as Segovia.