We ventured into Dolores this morning for the simple reason we’ve not really visited and explored here despite it being just down the road. There were a couple of places we wanted to go to or find out how to get to, but once we’d done that, we decided to go for a coffee and tostadas con tomate.
We walked down past the indoor market, which was very quiet. Past the local police station, then down by the side of the church. To the right was a coffee shop/bar with no empty tables outside, so we walked to the left, in front of the church doors. To the left was another coffee shop/bar, bathed in sunshine, but again, not a single place to sit. So we ventured further across this square and came to a place that did have free seating.
1. Rizzo Panaderia and Cafeteria
What We Had
At Rizzo Panaderia and Cafeteria, I had a cafe con leche, Soph opted for a Caribbean smoothie, and we ordered a tostada con tomate to share.
How Much Did It Cost At Rizzo?
This came to € 6.80. Because we asked for the bill and were advised of the amount verbally, we didn’t get a receipt, so cannot break down the items.
Overview of Rizzo Panaderia and Cafeteria
The female server was friendly and spoke almost no English, but that wasn’t a problem; our Spanish is generally good enough to place the order. The guy there speaks very good English, and despite our attempts to speak Spanish, he switched to English, probably quicker and less stressful all around!
One thing that did annoy me was everyone else drinking coffee who ordered both before and after us got a small piece of cake with their coffee on the saucer to try, possibly as a tester. Sadly, I didn’t, which is one of those things in life that really does annoy me. I may have tried the tiny sample and thought, ‘Wow, this is really good; I’ll order some to take away,’ but alas, we’ll never know.
The coffee was decent; the tostada was on nice bread, though the olive oil was a little bit bitter compared to the others, but that comes down to personal taste. While there, we also bought some bread, which proved excellent and very good value for money
2. Bar La Plaza
What We Had
At Bar La Plaza we ordered a cafe con leche for me, Coke Zero for Soph, and the tostada con tomate to share.
How Much Did It Cost At Bar La Plaza?
A very surprising € 3.80, which we thought was wrong and she had missed something off, but when we queried this, she confirmed this was the actual amount. The server advised us verbally of the amount, so again, we didn’t get an actual receipt; they were so busy it would have felt churlish to request one.
Overview of Bar La Plaza
Super fast service with a smile. The coffee was served in a glass and was nice; the tostada was fine, the smallest of the three, and possibly could have done with a few seconds less under the grill, but nothing bad, really. Coffee was served with a biscuit!
3. Antiu Xixona La Fuente
What We Had
At Antiu Xixona La Fuente we had the same as a Bar la Plaza, a Coke Zero for Soph, cafe con leche for me, and the third and final tostada con tomate to share.
How Much Did It Cost At Antiu Xixona La Fuente?
Our bill here came to € 4.30; this was the only venue that gave us a receipt.
Overview of Antiu Xixona La Fuente
The smiling service was very quick; the server repeated the order I had placed in Spanish back to me in very good English. This was the best of the three tostadas con tomate that we tried today. The bread was very fresh, nice, and soft and a close competitor to the amazing bread we had at Daniela Cafeteria. This was also the largest serving, so size does matter!
At the time we were there, this was in the shade, which was welcome as the sun was hot, and it was nice to cool down a little.
Final Thoughts on the Tostadas con Tomate
There’s not much to choose between these three locations. The first and third were in the shade, although the first was in the sun as we were leaving the square. Bar La Plaza was rammed, and this meant we ended up on the only table available, which was in the sun. There were sun umbrellas available, so I guess you could have asked for one or helped yourself. The final place was nice and shaded, which actually was nice and cooling.
Would We Go Back?
Yes, to all three, but we’d probably try the third location first if there was a table. The square is quaint, the church is picturesque, and watching the old boys sitting on the benches chatting to each other is relaxing.
There were no British voices heard at the first place we’d visited (we liked that!); there was one table of four at the second and just one table with two English women at the final place. The others out having their morning drinks were all Spanish.
