Cervecería El Tirador — Restaurant in Toledo

When traveling I try to blend in, staying away from tourist traps and walking for miles around looking for hidden gems that tourists typically don't get to see. This place was next to my hotel and advertised "craft beer on tap". I feared the worst. But I saw that they had good reviews and was also too tired one night to put up a big fuss about where to eat. And I'm glad that I tried this place. I had the carcamusas for the second time in Toledo. It is similar to a thick vegetable soup or stew but with savory chunks of various meats. The first time I had it it was just deer. I liked El Tirador's version the best. Although they are a cerveceria with "craft beer on tap", I didn't know enough words to ask for anything in particular, but whatever they gave me was quite refreshing. My Spanish is a never-ending source of embarrassment, but the waiters responded only with kindness and good cheer. Also, they seem to be open from...

I ordered a venison (ciervo) burger and was excited to see how they would prepare it. What arrived was a thoroughly mediocre burger, that was dry, small and far chewier than normal for venison (at least relative to other servings I had in Toldeo). My girlfriend ordered a plate of grilled veggies and what she received was a plate covered in bland, mixed frozen veggies you could have bought for 1-2 € at a grocery store. Service was friendly but surprisingly slow, despite the restaurant being less than half-full.

The only reason to visit is if you desperately want a craft beer. They had a seasonal pumpkin beer that was a nice change at least. Also, the atmosphere and decoration are nice.

I was excited to try this restaurant, but for the life of me, I can't understand how they get such positive reviews. My best guess is North American tourists who don't want to try local food flock here for something...

So this isn't a place for fine dining....but it's cheap, good and if you like beer an absolute gem (so many options!!). We arrived late on a Sunday and this place was two minutes from where we were staying. Google translate helped us with the menu and we all had some form of meat and chips which was what we needed at that point. I wouldn't seek it out regularly for dinner to be honest but for drinks and a handy spot when you're starving it came up trumps. We also had breakfast there a couple of days later and this was spot on. Great coffee, great pastries, great Spanish omelette and soooooo cheap! Would recommend for breakfast and beer lovers...