What seems like ages ago we were sitting in the comfy lounge of our all-inclusive hotel in Playa Blanca and thinking about adding some adventure to this holiday. You see, we had previously been to Lanzarote and done the whole sightseeing malarkey (do also check out my guide to places to visit on the island), but we still wanted something special to remember this holiday by. Googling helicopter tours was unsuccessful, so we decided to go to Lanzarote volcano restaurant called El Diablo located in the middle of Timanfaya National Park and have a meal cooked over volcanic heat.
The original plan was dinner overlooking the sunset. However, it turned out El Diablo didn't actually stay open that long (it shuts to the general public early afternoon, around 3:30pm if I remember correctly). Some people in reviews mention evening tours, but we were not able to find one, so we decided to go for lunch on our last day instead.
We didn't have a rental car and it seemed a waste to get one just for the sake of driving to a single restaurant, so we opted for a taxi instead. The hotel reception told us it would not be a problem - the taxi would wait for us by the restaurant and it would cost €60. We were also told no reservations were accepted, so we decided to try our luck and see if we could get a good table.
One minor setback was cash - having checked our remaining stock, we realised there was only €100 left. With the ATM at the hotel broken and no time to find another one, we thought we'd just have to make sure we didn't spend more. And so we set off.
Calling a taxi was not a problem - the lady at the reception did that for us. It was when the taxi arrived that the problems began.
'El Diablo restaurant, please,' we said.
'Is that in Playa Blanca or Puerto del Carmen?' was the driver's response.
'The restaurant on the volcano' didn't explain it any better, so I had to summon my Spanish skills and launch into a lengthy explanation of what and where we wanted to do. At the end of it, we were finally in sync on where we were heading, but discovered that €60 Euros was just an approximation - the meter would be kept running, so it could easily turn into more than that depending on how much time we wanted to spend there. As a guideline, to pay €60, you would need to spend less than an hour in the restaurant, according to the driver.
That information made me fidgety. I became even more fidgety when we got to the entrance of Timanfaya National Park and discovered that we still needed to pay the entrance fee of €8 per person even though we were just going to the restaurant and not wanting to do the tour of the park. So do consider that additional cost when planning your visit.
We finally arrived at El Diablo and found the place almost empty, so we were given a table right by the window with a brilliant view. And what perfect timing it was - just 10 minutes or so later all the tables by the window were occupied!
I opted for chicken while my husband went for seafood, both cooked on volcanic heat and both very tasty. They will bring out bread without asking, but that doesn't mean it's free - if you eat it, you will have to pay for it (we didn't). The food was served reasonably quickly, but we didn't stick around for dessert as I was worried about the running taxi metre (I know, I know, I should just chill, but I am such a planner and a control freak that I find it difficult sometimes when things aren't 100% under control). Thankfully, the restaurant accepts cards, so we didn't have to use our depleted cash reserves there.
Once finished, we took some photos of the surrounding area, watched a cleaner get soaked during a geysir demonstration (and nearly got soaked ourselves - be mindful of the wind, which is very strong, and those demonstrations when walking around) and then got into the taxi and drove back to Playa Blanca. A pleasant surprise at the end of the trip was that the taxi only ended up costing €50!
Would I recommend El Diablo? Certainly - it's an experience that you can't get in many places and the food was good. Just writing about it now makes me crave some more of that chicken! Would I recommend doing it by taxi? Again, yes, it's a great option if you don't want to or can't drive and, in my opinion, a reasonable price for what is a rather long journey. You just might want to plan it out better with cash, especially if you want to hang about in Timanfaya National Park and do the bus tour of the area.