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Much of Cuenca's cuisine is based on wild game, and partridge, lamb, rabbit, and hen are ubiquitous on menus. Trucha from the adjacent river is the fish of choice, and it turns up in entrées and soups. In almost every town restaurant, you can find morteruelo—Cuenca's pâté of jabalí (wild boar), rabbit, partridge, hen, liver, pork loin, and spices—as well as gazpacho manchego (aka galiano), a meat stew thickened with dry flatbread. For dessert, try the almond-based confection called alajú, which is enriched with honey, nuts, and lemon, and torrija, bread dipped in milk, fried until custardy, and sprinkled with powdered sugar.
La Ponderosa is a quintessential yet elevated Castilian bar where locals mingle at high volume while tossing back local wine and munching on well-priced seasonal delicacies like griddled wild asparagus, suckling lamb chops, and seared wild mushrooms. It's a standing-room-only joint, so if you want to sit, you'll have to come early and find a place on the terrace.
This family-run white-tablecloth restaurant serves updated Castilian classics in an airy dining room set in a medieval stone house overlooking the old city (ask for an outdoor table when booking). Specialty dishes include Manchegan migas (fried pork and bread crumbs), ajoarriero (pounded potatoes, garlic, bacalao, and olive oil), and lamb stuffed with foie gras and pine nuts.
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