La Parra - Valganon

I had read a few scathing reviews about this place but thought surely it can 't be that bad . How wrong can you be! The writing was on the wall when we passed the bar (restaurant? earlier in the day as the eccentric lady who owned the place emerged with a live lizard and dropped it mercilessly under the wheels of a passing tractor. We had already booked to eat there some hours later... were we to be her next victims? We weren 't far off the mark. Our request to eat outside was brusquely denied... we were summoned indoors. She offered us neither a welcome nor a menu, just an impatient glare and a ragged, fatty piece of meat that was mostly inedible. When we showed her that it was too tough to even cut she grabbed the knife and tried to prove us wrong. Hard as she tried, she had little more success. When we indicated that E20 for a plate of gristle was not a good deal she returned a few minutes later to dump some meatless goat chops onto the table. We knew then that it really was time to escape the darkness of her dingy room. We paid and left. For comedy value, this is highly recommended. For a dining experience, think of the worst restaurant you have ever been to and expect something well below that.

We had a lovely dinner, kindly booked by Javier and Ascen at Pura Vida. The food was tasty and simple and the owners very hospitable.

From the outside La Parra looks like a typical local bar restaurant. We walked through the bar where the locals were enjoying excellent local riojas and were seated next to a giant grill and served with chulton a la plancha big slabs of steak chops, sourced from the owner 's own herd of cattle, and red and green peppers from the restaurant garden. Simple delicious food served by passionate producers. A great experience.

Servicio impecable y rápido. Sitio familiar, con amplitud de salón. Comida casera y abundante. Recomendables las carnes, son jugosas y de excelentes sabor. Postres caseros buenos.

Éramos un grupo grande, 50 personas, los chaparrones estaban deliciosos y el chuletón a la brasa en su punto: sonrosado por dentro y tostado por fuera, muy jugoso, acompañado de pimientos rojos ricos.