World Travel Guide

City Guide  - Santiago de Compostela  - Food and Drink
Food and Drink

Galician cooking draws on the harvest of the uplands and seas, with Atlantic fish and seafood filling traditional menus. The local broth caldo gallego contains ham and seaweed, and sometimes lard, vegetables and potato, while el cocido may contain all the above plus sausages, beef, chicken and chickpeas. Carnivores may enjoy roast beef, pork shoulder, veal, lamb and ox meat. Empanada pie can be made with meats or fish and seafood, including cockles or lampreys. Favourite fishes, often grilled or garnished with paprika, garlic and oil, include turbot, hake, sea bass, grouper, elvers, trout and sole. Out of the vast variety of shellfish and marine molluscs, scallops (symbol of the pilgrim), santiaguiños (which have the cross of St James on their shells) and pulpo (octopus, a staple of local banquets) deserve special mention. A number of Galician cheeses, such as Ulloa and Cebreiro, are also notable. Tarta de Santiago is the quintessential local dessert, an almond cake. Galician white wines include Albariño, Ribeiro and Valdeorras; fine reds are Amandi, Condado and Espadeiro.

There are a number of good restaurants in the Old Quarter, especially in the Rúa do Franco. Lunchtime is usually between 1300 and 1600, and dinner is served from about 2100 until about 2400. Service is not normally added to the bill, so a tip of around 10% is expected.

Restaurants
: Housed in the beautiful Hostal dos Reis Católicos, Libredon, Praza do Obradoiro 1 (tel: (981) 582 200), mixes a Galician repertoire with modern influences, and three-course meals cost Pta4700-6000. A little outside the centre of the city, but something of a Galician institution, the Ruta Jacobea restaurant in the hotel of the same name, at Lavacolla 41 (tel: (981) 888 211), is especially noted for the high quality of its ingredients, three courses cost Pta1900 (menu) or from Pta3500 (à la carte). Vilas, at Rúa Rosalía de Castro 88 (tel: (981) 591 000), is another pinnacle of Galician gastronomy, custodian of the finest local culinary traditions. Diners enjoy delights such as lamprey in sauce and merluza a la gallega (Galician-style hake) for Pta2200, or fixed three-course menus at Pta4000. Fornos, Rúa Hórreo 24 (tel: (981) 565 721), specialises even more in fish and seafood, though its Galician veal or puff pastry tart with cream are equally good. Three courses will cost Pta3800-5600. Representative dishes at Anexo Vilas, Avenida de Villagarcía 21 (tel: (981) 598 637), include seafood noodles or tripe, with a fine selection of regional and national wines. Three courses cost Pta4200-5500. A large brasserie-style establishment, El Estanco, at Rúa Hórreo 26 (tel: (981) 563 808), is famous for its paellas; three courses will cost Pta1500-2500; the fixed menu at Pta2350.

Close to the Cathedral, San Clemente, San Clemente 6 (tel: (981) 580 882), offers a fine repertoire of standard Galician dishes at Pta3400-4700, but also cheaper tapas for those dining on a budget. Those seeking to rub elbows with Galician high society over cochinillo (suckling pig) or game can try Don Quijote, Galeras 20 (tel: (981) 586 859), where three courses cost Pta2500-4400. Centrally situated, Alameda, Porta Faxeira 15 (tel: (981) 584 796), offers seafood paella or lacón con grelos (shoulder of pork with turnip tops); three courses cost Pta2800-5000; the fixed menu is Pta3000. A short distance from the Cathedral, Camilo, Rúa Raiña 24 (tel: (981) 584 593), offers cheap tapas and snacks at the bar only. Alternatively, fixed menus are available in the restaurant for Pta3000-4000; its terrace is open in spring. There are many other excellent small establishments catering to students and budget visitors: Abellá, at Franco 30, Negreira (El Patata), at Rúa do Vilar 75, O Gato Negro, at Raiña, and O 42, at Franco 42, are just a few of the notable ones in the Old Quarter alone.

Cafés
: With so many tapas bars, pubs and small restaurants in Santiago de Compostela, the dividing line between these and true cafés is more blurred than elsewhere. Half-café, half-pub, El Paraíso Perdido, Antealtares 3, is a lively basement offering coffees and liqueurs. Modus Vivendi, Praza Feixóo 1, is an arched converted stable formerly belonging to a manor house. La Bodeguilla de San Roque, San Roque 13, offers good local hams and cheeses in its snacks. The Café Quintana e Quintana sur, Praza da Quintana, is housed in an eighteenth-century building in a lovely setting, with a fine terrace.



Copyright © 2001 Columbus Publishing
    
GENERAL
City Overview
City Statistics
Cost of Living
History
Language
Accommodation
 
GETTING THERE
Air
Water
Road
Rail
 
GETTING AROUND
Getting Around
 
BUSINESS
Business
 
SIGHTSEEING
Sightseeing
Key Attractions
Further Distractions
Tours of the City
Excursions
 
ENTERTAINMENT
Nightlife
Sport
Shopping
Culture
Special Events
Food and Drink