Restaurante El Molino de la Merced
Tucked into the old town near the church of La Merced, El Molino de la Merced is the kind of unpretentious regional restaurant that locals are quietly proud of and rarely mention to outsiders. The kitchen focuses on the honest, robust flavours of Castilla-La Mancha — pisto manchego, migas, carcamusas and slow-roasted lamb — executed with the confidence of decades of practice.
What to Order
Start with a generous bowl of pisto manchego — the Manchegan answer to ratatouille, enriched here with a fried egg and a drizzle of good olive oil — before moving to the house speciality of cordero asado, whole roasted lamb shoulder that falls from the bone in soft, fragrant shreds. The kitchen sources the lamb from local farms in the Valle de Alcudia.
Migas, the ancient shepherd's dish of fried breadcrumbs tossed with chorizo, garlic and paprika, appears on the menu as a starter and is deeply satisfying on a cold day. Finish with a slice of tarta manchega, a dense almond and honey cake that pairs perfectly with a small glass of Valdepeñas sweet wine.
Atmosphere and Wine List
The dining room is straightforward and unfussy — tiled floors, white walls, wooden tables — which means all the attention goes to the food and the conversation. Weekend lunches fill quickly with local families celebrating birthdays and communions, which is always a reliable sign of a kitchen that knows what it is doing.
The wine list leans heavily and correctly on Denominación de Origen Valdepeñas, the wine region immediately north of Puertollano, with a good selection of aged crianza and reserva reds made predominantly from Tempranillo. Ask the staff for a recommendation and they will steer you well.
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