Toledo has a proper local food culture built around game and stew — venison, partridge, and pork feature heavily, slow-cooked in the Castilian style. The city was named Spain's Capital of Gastronomy in 2016, which drew attention to a tradition that had always been there but rarely marketed.
The most characteristic dishes are perdiz a la toledana (partridge braised in wine, vinegar, garlic, and herbs), carcamusas (a pork and tomato stew with peas, originally invented at Bar Ludeña), and venado en salsa (venison in a dark sauce of wine and spices). For dessert, Toledo's marzipan — mazapán — is among the finest in Spain, made by convents using almond paste and sold in elaborate shaped forms.
The old city has a high density of tourist-facing restaurants, many of them mediocre. The locals eat in the streets slightly off the main tourist circuit. Calle Sixto Ramón Parro and the area around Plaza del Barrio Nuevo have a better ratio of good restaurants to souvenir shops.