La Taberna del Tío Caraco

A restaurant on the industrial estate, by the motorway exit

La Taberna del Tío Caraco is a family business of home-style La Mancha cooking that is not in the old town of Consuegra but on the industrial estate, on Calle Tres, plot 2-E. That, which looks like a drawback on the map, is its advantage: you park without circling, in a large car park, and it is easy to reach from the A-4 and from the Autovía de los Viñedos. It is the stop that works if you come from Madrid or Toledo and want to eat before going up to the windmills, or if you come down from the hill with the family and do not want to fight for a table in the centre.

Inside there is a dining room for 65 people and a marquee for 120, plus plenty of outdoor space, so it is also a place for celebrations and large groups.

Everyday cooking

Here they cook every day with local recipes. The house speciality is Taberna potatoes, fried with egg and ham, ordered for the middle of the table. The menu continues with the usual La Mancha fare: to start, asadillo (roast pepper salad), Manchego cheese in oil, tripe and venison in sauce; for mains, pork loin preserved in a jar, lamb sweetbreads, grilled deer, roast suckling lamb and lamb caldereta (stew), and also cocido, migas and gachas.

There is a menu of the day, but the website does not publish what is in it or how much it costs: ask when you call.

From 8:30 and with two days' notice

It opens from 8:30, so it also works for breakfast on the way to the windmills. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays it closes at 16:30; on Fridays and Saturdays it carries on until closing, with dinners; on Sundays, until 22:00. On Tuesdays it does not open.

Bookings are made at least two days in advance, on the form on its website or on 686 982 227 and 625 784 525. For a weekend or a group, do not leave it to the last minute.

From here to the hill

From the estate you drive up in a few minutes to the windmills on Calderico hill and La Muela castle. If you stay overnight, the Hotel Consuegra is also on the outskirts, without having to cross the village.