MADReview
photo credit: Kelly Hurd
La Manduca
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Once a haunt for bullfight spectators (it’s just across the highway from the imposing Plaza de Toros, the city’s still-functioning bullring), La Manduca in Concepción now draws crowds to its outdoor terrace, which is one of the largest in the city. Though lodged between densely packed apartment towers in a random concrete square, it still feels like an oasis where you should spend hours drinking cañas and snacking on the bar’s perfectly crispy patatas bravas (La Manduca's specialty). Double dip with the patatas mixtas: one half is drenched in a mildly spicy bravas sauce, the other soaked in an extra-garlicky alioli. Another path to success is ordering a baguette smothered in brie and topped with grilled steak or smoked salmon.