The first scheduled date was washed out by rain. Three weeks later, on Tuesday, October 27, the Hotel Yanguas Nazarí Palace and the restaurant CAUCE were finally unveiled in Granada, at an event presided over by the mayor, Marifrán Carazo. A hotel and a signature dining establishment under one roof, located in a neighborhood designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
A postponement and an autumn afternoon
The inauguration was scheduled for October 6th. It rained—and in the Albayzín, rain is no minor matter: every guest had to be called again, and the countdown had to start all over.
On October 27th, at 2:30 p.m., the building filled with people. The event was opened by the mayor of Granada. Following her, the floor was taken by architect Fernando Acale, who oversaw the building’s reconstruction; Javier Dávila, who recounted the history of Casa Yanguas; Carmen Dávila, who explained how the hotel and restaurant were conceived as a single project; and chef Chechu González, who spoke about the cuisine that will be prepared within these walls.
Javier, Carmen, and Chechu cut the ribbon. Afterward, there was a cocktail reception, and the first conversations took place in spaces that, until that day, had only been seen by construction workers and chefs testing out the kitchen.
Why it is called CAUCE
A cauce—a channel or watercourse—is the path along which water flows. It is also a place where things are channeled or directed. In this building, two crafts converge: that of the people who rebuilt it, stone by stone, and that of the people who will cook within its walls.
This concept explains the project better than any slogan could. The building is not merely a backdrop for the kitchen, nor is the kitchen just another amenity of the hotel. Rather, they are two ways of caring for the very same place.
A cuisine of sauces, acidity, and Granada
CAUCE is built upon three pillars: sauces and escabeches (vinegar-marinated dishes), acidic cuisine, and Granada—understood as the entire province, encompassing its fertile plains (vega), its mountains, the Alpujarra region, and a coastline that also serves as part of its larder.
Chechu González, who trained at the Basque Culinary Center, uses this foundation to reinterpret the culinary traditions of Granada. Some of the produce comes from the restaurant’s own estate, Cortijo del Alitaje—a historic alquería (farmstead) of Arab origin dating back to the 11th century.
The offering is presented through two tasting menus. The 16-course “Zellige Experience” serves as an introduction, while the 19-course “Cauce Experience” offers the full journey—featuring the same dishes, plus three additional ones.
What begins now
An opening is just one day. What truly matters begins afterward—with every table and every guest. Thank you to everyone who made the trip up to the Albayzín on October 27th, and to those who waited with us when the rain forced us to postpone.
Our doors are now open. The next table could be yours.
