Dining Archives - TravelDir

El Diablo literally translates as the devil', which is quite fitting for a place that uses a volcano grill to cook your food. Of the many places to eat in Lanzarote, this Cesar Manrique sculpted restaurant is by far the most unique. Located deep within Timanfaya National Park, the panoramic volcano views you'll find while dining here can make it hard to focus on the menu. Geothermal Cuisine There are many ways to grill your food, but using a volcano as a barbecue is an idea that's simply out of this world and very fitting of the volcanic landscape. The grill where the meat is cooked was designed by architects Eduardo Caceres and Jesus Sot and is kinda like a hearth earth oven. Volcanic activity well below the earth surface provides the cooking power with 450-500 degrees of natural geothermal heat rising upwards through nine layers of volcanic basalt rock. There is no electricity used here, just natural, volcano-powered heat. This incredibly unique method of geothermal cooking gained widespread approval in the 1970s and has been delighting both food-goers and scientists ever since. Geothermal Food While the overall menu here is quite small, El Diablo's specialties are volcano grilled fish and meat. A full three-course meal is available along with cold food options. Due to the oven like geothermal heat on the grill, you'll find the meat to be a little crispy. Few spices are used during cooking to appease the palates of the average tourist, so you might need to bring your own or request they add a little firey flavor to yours. A few cold vegetarian options are also offered along with coffee and cake. Fire in The Kitchen One of the main attractions of El Diablo is that it's an open kitchen with an outdoor barbeque feel. You'll never have to wonder how long your food will take as you can easily see it cooking on the volcano grill. While you wait, you can also learn how the food is crafted to get that crispy taste or just admire the landscape.