We were drawn to Restaurante La Maresía as we drove into Órzola, they occupy a lovely position in the village. It may not be right on the harbour waterfront, this is compensated by a lovely shaded alfresco dining area in the garden at the side of the restaurant, plus they have parking facilities.
Our instincts proved right, La Maresía is definitely the place to eat in the harbour of Órzola, let us explain why.
We were greeted by Andres who showed us to a shaded table outside, and took our drinks order. He was passionate about their menu and full of recommendations, we ordered a portion of mussels to share as a starter with his approval.
We both wanted a fish main course, I asked about the fresh fish of the day and picked a Cantarero from the choice, which I requested to be fried. Mike on the other hand wanted a fillet, so ordered the Corvina cooked a la plancha (on the grill).
A dish of mojo sauces and freshly warmed bread was delivered, followed by a slate with 4 pieces of homemade gofio appetiser of the house.
We wondered if we would still be able to eat our main courses, after a huge plate of mussels was presented to the table. We could taste that the mussels were really fresh, and so juicy.
I loved the way my fish was presented, it was proudly stood up in the centre of my plate, with Canarian potatoes on one side, and a crisp mixed leaf salad on the other. Cantareros may look ugly, but these are really tasty fish, cooked simply, just scored and deep fried. It’s not complicated to eat the scorpion fish, the flesh simply lifts off the bones, it has a delicious crispy skin and moist white meat underneath.
Mike’s fish fillet was good, and lots of it, but he had fish envy and wished he had ordered the same as me!
Whilst we were chilling out between courses, we realised that the restaurant had noticed our social media check in, this is very unusual for Lanzarote. We asked who was responsible for Facebook and was told “el joven” the young one, who worked in the kitchen. We made sure to stop by and say hello to Miguel Ángel in person, it is fantastic to find a business empowering their staff, to use their initiative and make best use of their skills.
La Maresía has a menu you could find in many Spanish / Canarian cuisine restaurants on the island, however do seem to have an innovative edge, utilising fresh local ingredients and with their food presentation. There’s a lovely banter between the waiters and clients, time is taken to engage you in a conversation, what ever your nationality.
The portion sizes are generous and well priced – fresh fish of the day €13.50, fillet of fish €11.50. NB. there is a €1 charge for the bread & appetiser.
We left knowing that right now, this is one of our favourite restaurants, not just in Órzola but within the municipality of Haría. We’ll definitely be returning soon and look forward to bringing our friends and family with us in the future.
For Information, we don’t give reviews in return for free food or advertising and we never tell the restaurant we’re planning to review them. We simply rock up, eat our meal, pay the bill, and then write our review.
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