Guide to Andalucia > Destinations > Conil > Where to eat? > Pastelerías

Conil. Where to eat? "PASTELERÍAS"

The typical Cádiz pasteleria – there is no English equivalent for this mix of bakery, sweet shop and cafe – rich in sweet bread products and cakes of flour and almonds, are best represented by the classic Pan de Cádiz, nougat with crystallized fruits, similar perhaps to marzipan, but on a much grander scale.

The traditional tocino de cielo (a touch or taste of heaven, or, more prosaically, creme caramel), the piñonate de Jimena, a cake rich in sugar and pine nuts, and el fruto del bosque mediterráneo (woodland fruits and berries). The torrijas de Jerez (bread/milk/cinnamon tartlets) or the roscos de Arcos (wine/anis flavoured cakes), as well as the alfajores de Medina (Christmas cakes of almond and walnut) and the impressive dulce de membrillo (quince preserve) made in this province are the richest of all.

If all of these are united in the age-old tradition of cake-making in the rather sobre atmosphere of Andalucía’s convents, it can’t also be denied that the region is noted for the sweetness of its palate, and in a country already notorious for its sweet tooth. The window displays of Conil’s pastelerías tempt with an almost indecent display of wonders from the ovens of its bakers. Two of the best places to succumb are the Pastelería la Conileña, in the El Santo district, or the Pastelería Nuestra Señora de las Virtudes, on calle Pascual Junquera.