Al Fresco Family Dinner at La Chimenea, Costa Teguise

We came across La Chimenea the first time we went to the beach at Costa Teguise, while we enjoyed a drink in a nearby bar. Despite my love for Spanish cuisine, we were both drawn to steak and in particular, the chateaubriand. It looked a good family-friendly restaurant, with indoor seating and an outdoor courtyard – no view of the beach, unfortunately. Like many of the buildings we spotted in Lanzarote, La Chimenea is traditional: white-washed with green detailing. We visited on a Wednesday night and didn’t book, but we didn’t need to. I’m not sure if it’s required for a Friday or Saturday night. But there’s also a fabulous ‘menu del dia’ for lunchtime, priced at 9.80€ per person.

We sat outside as it wasn’t overly hot and had a lovely table at the end of the terrace. Highchairs are provided for babies, but they’re the kind with no table... thankfully we packed our bibs for Alfie. The staff were friendly and spoke a good level of English – handy as my Spanish is basic conversational – like most people on the island. The menus are in multiple languages, too. One thing I will mention is that our waiter never went through the specials with us and these weren’t listed on a board, so we didn’t know what they were. The other waitress explained these with her tables – but by then, it was too late, as we’d ordered our meals.

Despite, being drawn to steak, neither Ash nor I went for beef. But we did go straight in with main courses (we aren’t starter people!) and both opted for lamb. I chose the chuletas de cordero (lamb chops), as it’s something I don’t eat at home, but it’s always on menus in Spain. I was presented with six chops in varying sizes and the meat on the bones was plentiful, with the fat rendered down nicely. The dish was accompanied by cubes of potato, cooked in garlic and paprika, and some mixed vegetables. The portion was far too large for me; although I managed to eat all the meat – which was cooked beautifully and packed full of flavour. There was certainly no need for sauce, although Ash requested mint sauce.

He originally decided on the roasted lamb, but the waiter explained the meat would be off the bone and instead, recommended a special (yay): lamb shank. Imagine the surprise on Ash’s face when the whole leg of lamb arrived to the table! It was huge not surprising, he couldn’t tackle it all by himself. There appeared to be so much meat and it wasn’t as fatty as you’d expect. I didn’t try any, as I struggled with my own dinner; but Alfie sampled a little bit and I don’t think he enjoyed it. The meat looked so tender though, falling off the bone.

The children’s menu consisted of all the usual chicken nuggets, beef burger, fish fingers etc. We chose the macaroni bolognaise for Alfie, which was more like penne or rigatoni, but came with a bowl of grated parmesan, which he loved. Being a children’s meal, there was far too much for our little 13 month old and once we cut up the pasta shapes, there seemed to be even more. Although he only managed about half, he seemed to enjoy it and the other diners looked on in amazement (he really isn’t a fussy eater!).

I always have room for dessert and while there were plenty of ‘bought in’ ice creams and puddings on the menu, I had to go homemade. And of course, went for one of my favourite Spanish desserts: flan. It didn’t disappoint, with a lovely firm egg custard and lashings of caramel sauce. I enjoyed it greatly, but ate it in about three mouthfuls!

The service on the whole was good and decor made the dining experience relaxing. Once we had ordered, one of the waitresses came round and lit tea lights in beautiful jars. It was a lot more atmospheric outside, with a few of other families, couples and one larger party of friends enjoying good food and wine. If we were to return to the island, I’m sure we’d eat at La Chimenea again.

Love, Lucy xx

La Chimenea - Playa Cucharas, 35508 Costa Teguise, Lanzarote
Trip Advisor
Facebook