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From the humblest of cafeterias to the hautest of dining rooms, chefs in Galicia, Asturias, and Cantabria emphasize the use of fresh, local ingredients. Excellent, cheap meals can be found at smaller, family-run eateries, which usually stick to traditional foods and tend to draw mostly local crowds. Restaurants that stray from the culinary norm—and which also offer top-notch service and elegant surroundings—usually also include a higher price tag.
"From market to plate" is this nueva cocina restaurant's philosophy: chefs start and finish the day with an empty larder and a blank menu. The freshest fish and produce are handpicked at the neighboring Mercado de Abastos and coaxed into exciting dishes that defy tradition. Be sure to book ahead as the industrial-chic dining room and terrace fill up fast.
The two exquisite tasting menus at this tranquil Michelin-star establishment offer a whirlwind tour of modern Cantabrian cooking at a good value. Request a table in the romantically lit brick wine cellar, and savor such delicacies as roast partridge with celery-root puree, griddled tiger prawns, and ultra-creamy rice pudding.
This upscale restaurant by one of the region's most promising chefs serves elevated Galician cuisine in a bright, modern dining room with exposed stone walls. Menus feature a plethora of hyperlocal ingredients that have "first and last names," as the chef likes to say: Cambados oysters, Fisterra razor clams, Cachena beef, etc.
Appropriately named, A Viaxe (a journey) takes diners through the edible landscape of Peru and South America, with especially bright renditions on Peruvian dishes using Galician ingredients. A coveted spot at the bar includes views of the open kitchen and detailed presentations straight from the chef himself.
This award-winning, modern Asturian restaurant in the old town is adorned with rustic stone walls and a hand-painted mural. There are also inventive tapas and tasting menus (starting at €65). Notable dishes include creamy rice with tiger prawns and squid, Xaldu lamb royale with mushrooms, and warm chocolate cake with ice cream.
Decorated with an ornate barometer to gauge the famously unpredictable local weather, this family-run seafood spot is in a 19th-century building on the harbor. In addition to an inexpensive menú del día (prix fixe), there's outstanding seafood à la carte including fried calamares (squid) and uni-stuffed asparagus. If there were ever a place to splurge on bogavante, large-claw lobster, it's here. For dessert, the fig ice cream is delicious.
Skylights, plants, and an air of modernity belie the age of this sophisticated restaurant, which opened in 1924 and is now in its fourth generation. The nueva cocina menu changes seasonally, and there is also a tasting menu. Dishes might include artichokes in spicy afuega'l pitu cheese sauce, langoustine tiradito, or apple cake with cinnamon ice cream.
Book a table at this terrace garden restaurant 2 km (1 mile) outside of town toward O Grove for a fine-dining culinary tour of the region. Local mackerel, chorizo, hake, and beef are mainstays here, as are traditional Galician cheeses and wines. Though the ingredients are primarily local, they're enlivened with international, nueva cocina touches (think king crab fajitas and scallop aguachile).
Five blocks from the marina, this white-tablecloth dining room with blue walls and hardwood floors pulls out all the stops: Order the tasting menu, for instance, and you'll sample no fewer than five varieties of olive oil. Mains hinge on Cantabrian seafood and run the gamut from cod al pil pil (with an emulsified garlic-oil sauce) to flambéed suckling pig to scallop tartare.
Across from the parador, this long-established restaurant produces inventive dishes like scallop salad, mango soup with mascarpone ice cream, and salmon with anchovy mayonnaise. Specialties include arroz de marisco caldoso (shellfish, stock, and rice).
A hundred meters from the cathedral, this cozy venue has excellent Galician fare and professional service. The bar and adjoining bodega serve plenty of cheap raciones (appetizers). The surtido de quesos gallegos provides generous servings of four local cheeses; ask for some membrillo (quince jelly) to go with them and the brown, crusty cornbread. For dessert, try the filloas con nata y miel (flambéed pancakes with cream and honey). The dining room upstairs has an inexpensive set menu.
With a focus on top-notch sourcing and modern takes on traditional Galician fare, this eatery offers creative, seasonal dishes in a contemporary setting. À la carte options are available, but the superb (€65) tasting menu is definitely worthwhile.
Steps away from the parador, this innovative kitchen artfully prepares Galician fare with both Basque touches and global fusion. You can order a-la-carte, but the tasting menus are affordable and abundant.
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