10 Best Restaurants in Galicia and Asturias, Spain

"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. 

La Galana is a typical Asturian sidrería with colossal barrels lining the walls, thick wooden tables, and plenty of standing room at the bar, where locals munch on Cabrales cheese. The kitchen serves refined cider-house fare: Expect cheeses with quince jam, bubbling cauldrons of fabada, and a range of creative tapas. There is also a terrace overlooking the porticoed Plaza Mayor and a sit-down dining area beyond the bar with fancier fare including coal-fired steaks, suckling lamb, and grilled sea bass. 

Tucked behind the cathedral, this tapas bar specializes in products from El Bierzo, a comarca (subdivision) in Castile-León, either in the animated bar or in one of the stone-walled dining rooms. Visitors stopping in for a drink at the bar can expect a generous portion of free tapas, while the menu has a selection of grilled meats, revueltos (scrambled eggs with a variety of toppings), cold meats, and cheeses.

Fancy it ain't, but this jovial tapas bar is where you can devour the freshest catch from the Rúa Pescadería fisherwomen, and it does a roaring lunch trade with Vigo locals. Expect heaping plates of marisco (shellfish) and scallops with roe at market prices, plus fresh and fruity Albariño, its trusty sidekick. Indoors there are round tables covered with paper, while the outdoor terrace is a pleasing place to slurp down some oysters and watch the old town bustle.

The tostas (open-faced sandwiches) are the tapa to try here. Whether your chosen toast-topper is smoked salmon, blue cheese, baked ham, or otherwise, you can't go wrong at this down-home bar. The economical prices make Fuentefría's finger food all the more palatable. 

This is one of Santiago's favorite spots for tapeo (tapas grazing) and chiquiteo (wine sampling); it's just a five-minute walk from the cathedral. The traditional bar area takes center stage, playing host to locals, pilgrims, and tourists alike, all gathering for wine, Iberian cured meats, cheeses, and seasonal dishes. It can get crowded, but this only adds to the atmosphere. The tapas live up to their reputation, and they're a better choice than the main dishes.

Head to this renowned white-tablecloth restaurant and meeting spot on one of Oviedo’s main thoroughfares for cachopo, a heart-stopping fried veal cutlet stuffed with ham and cheese—an Asturian speciality. If you prefer something a bit lighter, there are salads, fresh fish, and meat dishes. The bar on the ground floor does a roaring trade all day long in sandwiches and light snacks.

Join the locals leaning on wine-barrel tables to watch soccer and snack on Galician cheeses and spicy chorizo, which hangs from ceiling racks above the bar.

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.

This ample and lively bar flanked by ancient stone and exposed redbrick walls is a good spot for tapas and beer as well as Albariños and Ribeiros.