Verde Gabán, Molino Bistró

What it is

Verde Gabán is a bistro set up inside the Caballero del Verde Gabán windmill, one of the twelve windmills lined up along the ridge of Calderico hill, next to La Muela castle. The windmill is municipally owned: Consuegra Town Hall puts it out to tender as a concession to run as a food and drink establishment, and the village's tourism listing now presents it under this name.

According to that listing, it serves breakfasts, tapas, afternoon snacks and cocktails and other drinks, with dishes made with local produce. It publishes no menu or prices, so we cannot tell you which specific dishes there are; what it does have is a location no other bar in the village can offer: you are inside a windmill, with the row of windmills on one side, the castle on the other and the plain of La Mancha at your feet.

When to go

The listing recommends it for watching the sunset, which from the hill is when most people come up. A breakfast first thing, before the groups arrive, or an afternoon snack on the way down from the castle are the other two good excuses.

The hours are not published, either in the municipal listing or in another official source. Call beforehand on 687 985 044, especially in winter and on weekdays; the listing also links to its Instagram profile, molino_verdegaban.

How to get there

You drive up along Calle del Cerro Calderico, with parking next to the windmills; the listing highlights precisely that car access is easy. On foot, you climb from the old town by the steps of the chapel of the Cristo de la Vera Cruz. Beware in August, during Consuegra Medieval, and in October, during the Saffron Rose Festival: the access road is closed and you have to walk up.

What to combine it with

The bistro is in the middle of the walk along the windmills on Calderico hill. You can start at the tourist office in the Bolero windmill, go into the Rucio windmill, visit La Muela castle, which is open every day from 10:00 to 13:30 and from 16:00 to 18:00, and finish at the Verde Gabán with something to drink as the sun goes down.

If you are looking for a full meal, down in the village there are El Alfar, open every day at lunchtime, and El Retorno, for a special meal by reservation.