Cal Maciarol restaurant

The Cal Maciarol dining room is in the farmhouse of the same name, about 2 km from the centre of Àger along the Coll d'Ares track and 1 km from the Parc Astronòmic. It is run by a family that has been in rural tourism for more than twenty years, and it cooks what it calls home cooking of the Lleida Pre-Pyrenees, with produce from the valley and dishes that change with the season.

The €30 menu

What the house offers is a €30 tasting menu with water, wine and a soft drink included. You start by sharing in the middle of the table: goat's cheese salad, charcuterie and cheeses from the Vall d'Àger, coca de recapte, spinach panadó, toasts with pâté and olivada, and a mushroom scramble. The main course is a mixed grill of lamb, churrasco and llonganissa, with garnish. The desserts are homemade: crema catalana, cheesecake and mató. It is designed for sharing at the table.

For something quicker

The à la carte menu, which is a PDF on its website, has combination plates, pizzas and cold and hot sandwiches. It is the option if you arrive short of time before a session at the Parc or if you are with children who prefer something simple. The house also says it adapts menus to what each customer needs, in price and dishes: if you have an allergy or are in a group, mention it when booking.

Always book

The website does not publish hours or closing days, so don't turn up without calling. Book on 675 593 117 or 973 455 047, at [email protected] or from the contact form on its website. If you sleep at the house, ask for dinner when you book the room: the house itself offers to book both at once.

Before or after the stars

It is the most convenient place to have dinner on a night of planetarium and telescopes at the Parc Astronòmic: you are four minutes away by car and don't have to go back down to the village. The Parc has no café, only machines, so dinner is before or after. With sessions at 18:00 or 19:00, have dinner afterwards; with those at 21:00 or 22:00, before, and tell them your session time when you book. It is also the dinner in the plan of collegiate church, telescopes and farmhouse dinner.