former Meson Arrieros Linares de la Sierra
Meson Arrieros in Linares de la Sierra is permanently closed. We keep this page as a historical archive.
Linares de la Sierra may only have 300 inhabitants, but it had a restaurant cited in the New York Times, The Times of London and the Michelin Spain and Portugal Guide. Oscar-winning film director Pedro Almodóvar and celebrity chef José Pizarro are known to love the signature tomato and fig soup from Meson Arrieros.
The word arriero means the man who transports goods to villages using livestock - in remote Andalucian villages, by donkey. This is a one-horse town, with an exquisite restaurant run by chef Luis Miguel López, or "Luismi" for short, and his charming wife and front of house manager, Adela Ortiz. Meson Arrieros in Linares serves comida serrania (mountain fare).
The decoration is austere, yet fashionably minimalist, with rustic chairs and traditional artifacts from the sierra. In winter they have a roaring log fire, with two low handmade cork stools. In summer you can dine al fresco on their terrace.
The menu is based around seasonal mountain produce, from wild mushrooms picked that very morning in autumn, to the iconic homemade tomato soup, a recipe that coincidentally Luismi first prepared as a guest in the home of friends in London.
Luismi and Adela keep their own kitchen garden, where they cultivate fruit, vegetables and herbs. They pride themselves on offering little-known boutique wines from southern Spain - a merlot from Granda, Pedro Ximenz from Montilla-Moriles (Cordoba) - and the list goes on.
Arrieros also specializes in local Iberian pork, including the finest hams from the Sierra de Aracena, and fish and seafood from the Huelva coast.
Adela explains the dishes beautifully and Luismi, a shy unassuming man, pops out of the kitchen every now and then to give a personal greeting. The restaurant has a very homely atmosphere and leaves you with a desire to come back again - to this hidden location at the end of a cobbled street in a tiny mountain village.
The legendary Arrieros restaurant in Linares de la Sierra is the only restaurant in Huelva to have been awarded a 'Sun' by the Repsol Guide, as well as the Bib Gourmand by the Michelin Guide closed its doors at the end of June 2026.
Luismi López and Adela Ortiz are retired from the kitchen and front of house respectively, with no one to take over from them. 'The restaurant is now in its third generation, but my son is an engineer and has seen from a young age just how gruelling our working hours are, so he has chosen not to follow in our footsteps. That is why we are closing,' said Luismi López, bidding farewell to the tavern previously run by his parents, who were originally from Linares de la Sierra.
This message was posted on the restaurant's website:
Dear friends and guests,
After 29 years running Arrieros, Luismi and Adela have decided to close the restaurant’s doors and retire.
It has been an honour to share with you the cuisine of Sierra — the Iberian meats, the timeless flavours, the sierra on the plate.
Thank you for your loyalty, your trust, and the moments we have lived together around the table.
Arrieros closes, but the memory of what we have built together endures.
With gratitude,
Luismi López & Adela Ortiz
