On a day trip to Cuenca and this was near the Modern Art Museum so we figured we'd give it a try…read more We were seated at the bar area which had a fun Vespa theme, retro tunes, and a sleek interior. Went with the three course menu of the day. Primero: noodles carbonara style- a bit bland, but not bad. My husband had the eggs with mushrooms and peppers which were quite good. Segundo: chicken. We thought it would be prepared with almonds as stated on the menu. In fact it was regular roast chicken on the bone, served with roasted potatoes that were almost potato chips. Not sure which one they were going for. The chicken was good, plain, but like a home cooked chicken dinner. Dessert: tarta de abuela. If it's got grandma in the name it's got to be good, right? It was FANTASTIC! It felt like a deep dish smore, with custard instead of marshmallow. It was served in a jar with a lid, bottom layer crushed (vanilla?) cookie, layer of chocolate pudding, then a layer of custard. We were in heaven! Best part of the meal. Service throughout was a bit hands off, but decent. I'm torn between four and five stars, but I'm going with five only because the dessert was so good, the ambiance was fun with good music and the price was reasonable. A lot of other customers were ordering burgers and dip/tapas style appetizers, so maybe menu of the day is not the path to take here.

Pícaro Tapas y Copas is just off a side street from the triangular and colorful Plaza Mayor in…read moreCuenca. This is our first real introduction to a tapas bar. Oddly enough, while it is the largest wine producer in the world, Spain really loves drinking beer as a way to pass time during the day. The refreshing lager comes in a small glass, caña, or a doble. You usually receive free olives and the tapas of the moment. They say that the mark of a good bar can be detected by olive pits and crumpled napkins. We had an exceptional sampling of tapas. Morteruelo is a pâté from Cuenca containing liver, game meat (quail, partridge, and rabbit), bread, and spices, that is served in a clay dish that you dip toasted crackers into. The pâté is smooth, meaty, and warm.   Ajoarriejo is also served in a clay dish with pureed salt cod. ¡Arriba, abajo, al centro, pa' dentro!

Good food, wine, and location. Thanks to Chtistian for putting up with mi español terrible! He was…read morekind to switch to English when I struggled.

Perfect stop for lunch. The view was incredible, and the food and service was beyond our…read moreexpectations. Highly recommend the turbot, eggplant with honey, apples and cheese, and the lamb meatballs.

Outstanding!!!! An absolute must. Creative fusion restaurant…read morethat produces dishes that border on orgasmic flavors. A highlight of my time in Cuenca.

Wow!!! Just wow!! This restaurant is phenomenal! If you're looking for a break from the typical…read moreSpanish flavors in the area, this is the place to go. While the menu is small, the flavors are BIG BIG BIG! The services was also impeccable! The woman who served us was full of smiles and patience explaining menu items to us. We had three dishes, the tuna tartare, chop suey, and a pork plate. All were truly amazing and distinct. The tuna tartare was fresh and packed with flavor. The chop suey was not at all traditional and made with zucchini noodles, but came in a creamy delicate sauce. Finally the last, the thinly sliced pork dish was rich and nutty. The Asian influence is readily apparent, but we loved how they created new flavors in the fusion. Finally my husband order the chocolate ice cream. It had broken cone chunks on top and a shot of Bailey's they poured over once at the table. It became almost like a cereal! But a very delicious adult version. We can't recommend this restaurant enough! Be open minded, don't expect traditional Spanish flavors, and you'll love it. Expand that palette

I have never visited Cuenca before, but it is really beautiful. The Parador, which is an old…read moremonastery, is surrounded by nature. The restaurant was originally a chapel. It is stunning and relaxing. The food was amazing! We tried some seasonal vegetables and "Morteruelo" (Cuenca's most famous dish), a sort of purée made out of bushmeat, topped with a few pinions. Then we tried the "Ajoarriero" cod. I love "ajoarriero", but this is probably the BEST I have never tried. A must in Cuenca! Excellent service, excellent wine... a bit pricey but definitely it is worth! Totally recommended!

Excellent food!! Great service!! Loved every bit. Would recommend anyone that is visiting Cuenca to…read moregive this place a try.

Went here after a field trip and it was the perfect place to satisfy our hungry stomachs! We felt…read morethere were numerous options in the plaza, all around the same price for the menu del dia, and we are so glad we chose this one. We had a group of 10+ people and they seated us in a room upstairs family-style. Everyone got the menu del dia. I got: - wine - Tastes fine to me but I'm not an avid wine drinker. It went well with my food! - bread + balsamic - Hefty portion of bread loaves. You pour the oil and balsamic yourself. - paella - My first time eating paella ever! To be honest, it was quite salty but it helped a bit to squeeze the lemon on it. I ate it with bread. I thought starters were meant to be small but I found this portion to be quite big! - lamb stew - The photos online looked small but the portion was decent, especially along with the starter paella. The bones and meat were soft and had lots of cartilage. Potatoes were a good accompaniment. - salad - Just standard salad lol but my body really misses vegetables after being in Spain for a while. The service here was quick, prompt, and overall a great experience! We were worried about our big group but not only did our food all come out at the same time in a timely manner, it was also great talking to the servers! We were all able to pay separately too. I highly recommend this place!

We rented a flat just next door. This place has a very nice decor. A bar at the front and dinning…read moreroom in the back. We went at 7:45 pm and dinning room was closed. Barman told us it would be open in 10 minutes. Ordered a beer and it came with a free boquerones tapa. The have lots of menu choices. From 11 to 25 Euros. We ordered the 20 Euros one and a La Mancha red wine. Amazing. Juan, our waiter, did his best to take care of us. Breakfast is not great but it's inexpensive.

Restaurante Mangana is one of -10 street side Cafe's in Plaza Mayor in old Cuenca. We didn't have…read morea way to choose between them so we sat here because it already had a busy crowd. Either the other people had good Intel or we are just all collectively sheep. Anyway, this sheep was very happy with the choice. My wife and I sat outside under one of the many canopies. Our waitress greeted us and instantaneously knew we didn't speak Spanish and without asking brought us an English menu. Very nice! Also she was very patient with us non-Spanish speakers for the entire meal. We sat down around 2 pm which is roughly when people eat their "big" meal of the day. Someone immediately brought bread and table lagniappe (fried potatoes and roasted bacon) and took our drink order. Dos cervezas por favor! For lunch we picked items, 2 each, from their daily menu. I chose the Beans with Chorizo and the Sea Bass as my two. My wife selected the Gourmet salad (walnuts, fresh tomatoes, greens, balsamic) and the roasted chicken. The meal was fantastic. The beans were cooked in a tomato based sauce with flavor coming from the chorizo. The sea bass was prepared with skin-on and was super tender. My wife's meal was equally delicious. One thing we've noticed about Spanish food in general, and it applies here, is that food is prepared so that the natural flavors are dominant. Salt, olive oil, and maybe lemon or vinegar are the primary added flavorings. At Mangana this was the case and the food was beautiful. The corn on my salad tasted like it was just cut off the stalk. As for the European dining experience, this place has it. You are sitting at the entrance/exit (2 way traffic through a single open on the three arches) of a major gathering place of Plaza Mayor. You have the hustle and bustle of busses, cars, tourists, school kids, and motorcycles all passing by and in near proximity with dozens of like minded people enjoying their beer and food out in the open. You will see outside stuff outside, like birds and bugs. Not crazy amounts, but they are there naturally. If you want a more traditional eating experience, they also have a second floor, in-door dining room upstairs. I went up there and there were a few people up there, while most opted to sit in the dry, sun soaked 75F day outside. Downstairs they have very nice bathrooms as well to round out your visit. After the meal we had a couple of coffees to finish out our meal and they were very good as well. I can't say how Mangana compares to all the other places but we definitely had a great experience here.

No bueno. Worst meal of our trip. Wet and old calemares. Not fried all the way. For some reason the…read moreflies were covering the tables, but not those at the restaurant next door? Not sure what the scoop was. Friends ate next door and enjoyed their meal. All 4 of us left most of the food on our plate.

Had a lovely lunch while visiting the city. The tomates were perfectly chilled and salted, gambas…read moreal ajillo had a nice kick, and the bread was soft and warm. Conveniently located and no reservation was necessary. Loved it!