Known as the Autovía del Este, the A-3 is one of six radial highways in Spain, especially busy from spring onwards for connect Madrid with the Levantine provinces, especially demanded by tourists during the months of good weather.
Lined with restaurants, sales, bars and service stations, the A-3 protects at the height of Tarancón a restaurant with a Repsol Sun which, contrary to what is thought, is not a roadside bar and well deserves to be in our A-3 Gastroguide.
Restaurant with all the letters —and with a huge bar where you can also take a break—, Essentia (Av. Adolfo Suárez, 30) requires a minimal detour —barely four minutes— from the A-3, which is more than compensated by its culinary offer, both in terms of stools and on low tables.
Popularized in 2019 by serve the best chop in the world and also famous for having created a menu exclusively with Iberian pork, the reality is that Essentia, despite concentrating on meat, is an all-round restaurant that also has a gastrobar and a restaurant whose menus you can see here.
The welcome is usually run by their torreznos and their Russian saladin addition to the abundance of hot skewers that come out of the bar, where you should also stop at their croquettes.
Perfect for having a drink and a snack, Essentia can be a good stopover for refreshments, but what makes up the most is daring to eat there and discover what the young local chef Toño Navarro prepare.
The meats that are served here are already known, but that does not mean that it is not one of the best restaurants for eat fish from all over Castilla-La Mancha. Catch of the day, including large pieces, and abundant shellfish (langoustine, red prawns, oysters, crabs, razor clams, cockles…) surprise tourists and passing travelers in the dining room.
Nevertheless, Essentia not only boasts of productbut also how to treat it. The turn of the screw of the restaurant that Toño Navarro wanted to give revolved around the axis of the grills and the embers.
Converted into a contemporary rotisserie where fire is essential, treating a quality product in a minimally invasive way, Essentia has also launched a tasting menu —which must be ordered in advance with at least 48 hours— which serves as the chef’s letter of introduction, giving free rein to seas and lands in conjunction with the flame.
To all this must also be added one of the more powerful wine cellars of the region, which is yet another temptation for travelers who decide to get on the A-3, either going or coming back, and decide to make a stop along the way.
PS: For those who do not want to drive with an extra wine, Essentia has the Ansares hotel, a four-star annex to the restaurant that also it has a spa, so it is possible that the Levantine destination or the return to the plateau must wait at least one day.
One night in a hotel at Hotel Ansares (Tarancón)
Images | essence
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