Fernando Hermoso

Owner of Casa Bigote (Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Cádiz)

Fernando Hermoso forms part of the third generation of a family of restauranteurs that has upped the ante of typical Cádiz “tabernas”.

In 1951, Fernando Hermoso, the patriarch of the Bigote family, opened a small bar in Bajo de Guía (Sanlúcar de Barrameda) to serve “manzanilla” sherry and enter into the traditional form of payments to sailors, known as “zafo”. In 1969 Fernando and Paco Bigote, the second generation, decided to update the bar with tapas and traditional mariner stews. Carried along by the prevailing wind of hard work, in 1979 they enlarged their business with the first dining room.

Nowadays, the third generation (Fernando and Cesar, restaurant floor and kitchen respectively), acting on the instructions of Fernando Bigotes senior, carry through the day-to-day business of two large, comfortable dining rooms with wonderful views of the Coto de Doñana nature reserve, alongside the original “taberna”.

The focus of maritime cuisine at Casa Bigote is on natural fare, with no complications and a respect for a tradition which gets the very gastronomic best out of the excellent raw materials from the mouth of the River Guadalquivir. With no fear of adding new content to the menu, it is its respect for and conservation of traditional tastes and customs that have consolidated the establishment.