Gibraltar’s Grand Casemates Square once rang to the clash of swords and the marching of boots. The city walls were built by the British armed forces over two hundred years ago to defend this strategic city from the constant threat of invasion. On the seaward side of the wall there was once a narrow beach, the waters lapping almost at the footings, the embrasures built into the walls bristling with artillery, the threat of enemy ships looming always on the horizon.
Carved deep into these formidable defences at the very opening of the gates to the City of Gibraltar, Gauchos Restaurant welcomes visitors from all over the world. These days, Gibraltar’s thousands of guests arrive a little further out from the original coastline at a world-class cruise terminal on Gibraltar’s North Mole, or through the land frontier with Spain a kilometre or so to the north, and at the Gibraltar International Airport, also only a short drive away.
Even today, walking from the port along Devil’s Tongue towards the City, through the openings in the city walls into Grand Casemates Square and under the imposing archways, inspires a degree of awe. Many of Gauchos’ diners will pause as they enter the restaurant and gaze upwards in wonder towards the iconic Upper Rock and the imposing Tower of Homage of Moorish Castle.
For centuries Gibraltar had experienced siege after siege, in particular once the British had taken control of the city and its waters. The British strengthened Gibraltar’s fortifications and constructed a system of counterguards to create a series of defences from invasion by sea. The curtain walls connecting those counterguards helped to protect a number of nearby bastions: North, Montagu and Orange bastions.
Gauchos is situated in the section of the curtain wall known as Waterport. This once protected the main gate that opened to the sea and the nearby Waterport Wharf where shipping loaded and unloaded merchandise. Waterport had been used as the main landing area for shipping for centuries, with Grand Casemates Square used as a dry harbour for ship repairs as far back as the time of the Moorish occupiers. As the years became more peaceful, trade increased and the area just inside the curtain wall became a market place. The market is still in use today and can be seen from the restaurant.
Time after time, Gibraltar’s fortified city walls withstood sieges and attempts at invasion. The Rock of Gibraltar eventually earned the reputation of being impregnable. Dining within Gibraltar’s City Walls is an experience to be savoured.
Gibraltar has looked outwards to the rest of the world throughout its long history and never more than it does now, attracting and welcoming people from all over the world and from a multiplicity of cultures. Gibraltar’s cuisine had embraced many traditions – Italian, British, Moroccan, Spanish, Maltese, Asian, Middle Eastern to name but a few. And among these lies the traditional taste of Argentinian cuisine, an exquisite offering by Gauchos, where the scents and flavour of the pampas blend with the tantalising atmosphere of Gibraltar’s unique past.
Lovely restuarant the best steak I have ever tasted. Quite pricey but worth it. You have to order veg and sides separately.
A nice place to eat a good steak! The staff is very kind. Would recommend it to everybody who loves a steak, make sure you book a table in advance, because it can be really busy.
I had passed this place many times but thought it looked too expensive but I was wrong, the quality and size of the steaks is worth every penny, I had the Rib Eye with hand cut big chips and mushrooms it was served and cooked to perfection with a hot basalt block to allow you to sear any underdone pieces, this was good as the steak was 40-50 mm thick and covered half my plate, simply steak perfection.
Really good service and very tasty food. This was my second time visiting. I recommend you try their speciality which is the Argentinian Fillet. They also have a very nice selection of wines.
Amazing steaks and great advice from staff. As someone who loves their steak Blue it was great to be advised which steaks were the best to have cooked that way. When the meal arrived it was the best steak ever. All the staff went out their way to be helpful and brought steaks over we were interested in explaining exactly how they would cook it. Absolutely amazing meal would go back again in a heartbeat
