Step off the train at Buñol and this Spanish town will snuggle you with its sweetest secret. Seven minutes’ walk from the station, along Avenida Pérez Galdós, stands a quaint inn. No flashy signs, no grand announcements, just four centuries of watching the jasmine that blooms every May like clockwork. Like a Spanish home, this inn, Posada Venta Pilar, has a long-standing tradition of hospitality, going back to at least 1880. It’s a place that reveals itself quietly. This isn’t tourist Spain. This is Spain.
The Galindo family has been the soul of this place for four generations, and watching Enrique and María José move around the kitchen is like watching a paella come together. Over time, the inn has seen many changes, but the building itself dates all the way back to the 17th century, when it first served as an inn for travellers and their horses. “The name is quite straightforward,” notes Desam Garcia, the tourism officer of Provincial Council of Valencia. “Posada means an inn or lodging house, and Venta refers to rural inns, serving as a rest stop for travellers and their horses.” She then describes how these establishments functioned in earlier times. "Travellers needed to rest overnight, and their horses required proper stabling. And the inns made long-distance travel possible,” shares Garcia.
Push through the heavy wooden doors and you step into a space where Spanish life unfolds in every detail. The dining room separates into smaller spaces, each with its own character. Every day brings a carefully curated set menu featuring drinks, dessert, and delightful tapas.
The Golden croquettes with molten centres, delicate papeletas bursting with savoury fillings, and pastry cones filled with cod and potato mash are a must try. The first course includes; fresh cheese salad, beef stew, tortellini carbonara, fidegua, and potato arm with hard egg, tuna, and piquillo pepper. Arroz Caldoso con Pollo de Corral Magro was the standout—a soupy rice dish featuring tender grains, chicken, boletus mushrooms, and artichokes. The Carrilladas are the most traditional offering, as these succulent cheeks represent ancient Iberian cooking methods, slow-braised to perfection since medieval times. Dessert here is a classic choice between flan de huevo (Spain’s beloved creme caramel) and tiramisu
“Our pisto—Spain’s answer to ratatouille, enriched with tomatoes, eggs, and pine nuts—represents the sublime marriage between Castilian robustness and Mediterranean finesse,” shares Galindo, reflecting on dishes cherished for 400 years. The Thursdayonly “Olleta” exemplifies authentic Spanish philosophy: beans soaked since Tuesday, pork cuts chosen with diamond merchant precision. “This is real Spanish cooking—understanding that it cannot be rushed,” he says. Posada still maintains its historic stable, offering a glimpse into the inn’s past. Now in its fourth generation, with no children to take over, the the family remains confident that the right hands will eventually come—not to reinvent, but to honour what generations before have quietly built.