In amongst the legendary cigarrales of the city of Toledo, descendants of the Roman villas that once stood there over twenty centuries ago, where Muslims under Taifa rule enjoyed recreation in their gardens, which from the renaissance to the present day have been a merry meeting place for the greatest of artists, intellectuals, poets and writers; lies El Cigarral de las Mercedes, a unique establishment restored in keeping with its historical origins to provide a place of relaxation, recreation and culture and to showcase the latest trends in international haute cuisine.

A meeting point for dialogue, in a city that, in its day, was an example of tolerance and understanding between Jews, Muslims and Christians, and an epicentre of wisdom and learning.

The cigarrales have graced the pages of Tirso de Molina, Galdós, Umanuno, Pérez de Ayala, García Lorca, Lope de Vega and Navarro Ledesma. And likes of Cardenal Sandoval, Francisco de Rojas, Count Romanones, Salvador de Madriaga, Zuloaga, el Greco and Garcilaso de la Vega drifted into daydream, gazing out over their enchanting views.

They have witnessed evenings of intense and passionate debate, that of Marañón and Fina de Calderon.