This is how Galicia tastes
There are many ways to know the kitchen of a destination: get a guide and get carried away by her recommendations, ask the locals when we are already there , catch up on what social media is saying…
Another equally interesting is to let them be the experts, those who cook on the field every day, those who know the producers, the seasons and the markets who guide us.
And that is precisely what we do on this tour: ask 13 Galician chefs what their main places are , those who go to unwind, to enjoy the day off and where they know they will find an honest kitchen , really, of those that justify the displacement.
An essential? D'Berto, in O Grove
We have been recommended some restaurants that are in all the guides but also eating houses, pulperías and sandwich places , so we have a small selection, perfect for all occasions and for all tastes, of much of the best that the Galician cuisine it can offer.
THE FAVORITES
Although later we will see the preferences of each one of those consulted, there has been a whole series of places recommended by more than one that allow us to see which are the first places in the ranking of elections of Galician chefs.
And if something is clear it is that Or Grove (Pontevedra) It is one of the places that any fan of gastronomy you have to underline in red in your notebook of essentials. The two places that we recommend the most are in this locality of the Ría de Arousa :
D'Berto:
“Berto, for me, is the benchmark for Galicia”. That's how blunt it starts Daniel Lopez , cook and owner of The English Way to tell us about one of the two restaurants that have received the most votes.
“In Galicia we base ourselves on the product and that is why Berto is number one. Not much more to say. When someone comes from outside, the first restaurant we should send them to is this ”.
Culler de Pau: dishes prepared with care
"D'Berto, in terms of product" , confirm Pepe Solla. And another neighbor of the estuary, Javier Olleros , from the restaurant Culler de Pau , adds “Not only are we very good friends but there is a very special complicity. In addition, Berto has **the best product in Spain** and I learn a lot from him”.
Culler de Pau:
Tied with D'Berto is, in the preferences of the cooks, precisely the restaurant that Olleros has in rebored , on the outskirts of O Grove. "If we talk about a more gastronomic profile, Javi has to be there" , affirms Pepe Solla.
The Ourense Miguel Gonzalez ( Rustic Hotel San Jaime by Miguel González ) adds “for the passion, for the product, for the care and dedication that they are capable of transmitting to the client, is essential”.
Y Adrian Felipe , from the restaurant Crumb (A Coruna) He assures that what he feels towards Culler de Pau is “admiration. It transmits quality, honesty, elegance, Emotions were on the surface ”.
From here the opinions are diversified, so it is best to see them from interviewee to interviewee:
Alberto Ruíz-Gallardón, Auga e Sal (Santiago de Compostela):
Grilled meat? Without a doubt, that of Sansibar
Alberto bets, in the first place, on another O Grove restaurant, Sansibar , of which his outstanding product stands out, Christian's hand with the coals and the treatment and good taste of Luisa.
The other place he recommends is To Curve **(Portonovo) ** for its excellent product, for its traditional cuisine and authentic and for having one of the best wine lists in northern Spain.
**Pepe Solla, Solla (Poio) **
Precisely To Curve is another of Pepe's favorites: “Because you eat very well and drink even better. And it is more difficult to find places where you can drink at that level than places where you can eat well. Without at doubt it is one of the best bars I know”.
Solla continues with a whole selection of establishments of all styles: "If we talk about gastronomy, in addition to Culler de Pau, I would say Pepe Vieira. If we talk about simpler sites, Bagos wine cellar (Pontevedra) It also gives drink very well. And if we are looking for something different, ** Taberna Meloxeira , in O Grove, cooks very tasty”.**
**Javier Olleros, Culler de Pau (O Grove) **
Javier sweeps home, with which he adds more reasons to visit O Grove and enjoy a gastronomic festival.
To those already mentioned D'Berto and Meloxeira Tavern , “a privileged corner where it cooks very well , fun and always wanting to continue improving”, adds the name of the restaurant Beiramar , a town seafood restaurant of which the quality of the seafood stands out and, above all, of ** the rice dishes: "Santi, the owner, is an example of kindness and professionalism.** It is a classic of O Grove in which I am at home" .
And the tour ends in O Muiño, a restaurant in the village of San Vicente, in the same municipal district, of which its octopus stews :
“Those caldeiradas with that mysterious allada so rich. I can't get him to give me the secret. Each time it adds a detail but something is always saved. You have to go”, and the privilege of eating just a stone's throw from the beach.
**Dani López, O Camino do Inglés (Ferrol) **
One of the great tapas of Galician cuisine is, for Dani, ** Asador O Pazo , in Padrón.**
In his opinion, it is a very complete restaurant, that pampers the product and respects and knows the world of wine well in which, moreover, "Óscar has a hand and a special sensitivity for what he is doing."
"I believe that the work he does with the coals it is not far behind if we compare it with the big ones”, he points out.
He refuses to give just a couple of names and expands his list of essentials: ** La Molinera (Lalín), Nado (A Coruña), David Freire (Ferrol) and O Gaiteiro (Cabanas).**
**Jorge Gago, A Maceta (Santiago) **
Jorge affirms that the restaurant he goes to the most is ** Casa Marcelo (Santiago) **, although he also frequents two other places in the city that he does not want to stop highlighting: ** Pampín Bar ** Y ** Abastos 2.0 ** : “I go to this last one a lot. I always end up snacking on something on Mondays”.
**Iago Pazos, Abastos 2.0 (Santiago)**
By allusions, we go with the opinions of the self-proclaimed Taberneiro de Abastos 2.0. **Iago has breakfast at the El Muelle cafe**, in the Plaza de Galicia and many Sundays he is encouraged to visit Michael House , a traditional eating house, in the neighborhood of O Castiñeiriño , where according to him they serve the best cut of meat in the city at popular prices.
A little rice? At Pampin Bar
Casa Marcelo is reserved for tributes: “Cooking in its purest form. I am a Fan. Marcelo is a teacher for us”.
And he continues the tour through ** A Estrada (Pontevedra), in Argentinos **, a historic place in the town where today “the best international sandwiches with the best Galician products are served: their meatball sandwich or their pulled pork are a huge delicacy ” .
He finishes his recommendations with ** La Molinera (Lalín) **, which according to the cook offers “The best Galician stews in the world”.
Bea Sotelo
Bea Sotelo had **a Michelin star in A Estación (Cambre)** and she was cook of the year in Spain in 2008. Now, focused on teaching, she recommends the restaurant ** Río Sil (Carballo) **, where she opts for her beef or beef steaks and of which the family treatment stands out.
**Lucia Freitas, A Tafona (Santiago) **
Lucía opts for the surroundings of Compostela: “I really like going to O Balado de Marta and Roberto (Boqueixón). She has a very pleasant environment and the treatment is always familiar. They have a very good product and they treat it with care and respect”.
The delicious potato omelette from Fogar do Santiso
Without leaving the region, she opts for ** Fogar do Santiso (Teo): ** “They have their own garden, they work only seasonal vegetables that they collect themselves, they raise their own cattle and make their own bread. They work with a very good product in a very pleasant environment.”
**Fernando Agrasar, As Garzas (Malpica)**
Fernando is, together with his wife María de él, in front of the The only restaurant with a Michelin star in A Costa da Morte. When he has to go out he opts for two urban proposals:
“ Maruja Lemon (Vigo) I like it for its cuisine, for the good work of Rafa and Inés. And because, by the way, it is a good excuse to visit the Vigo estuary”. In A Coruna choose “Nado, by Iván Dominguez, for the interesting way he has of understanding Galician cuisine”.
**Miguel González, Rustic Hotel San Jaime by Miguel González (Ourense) **
In addition to mentioning Culler de Pau , Miguel also notes the name of the Pacific Coffee , an Ourense restaurant, for its respect for the product. “Fran Domínguez works with sublime professionalism and technique”.
**Adrian Felipez, Miga (A Coruña) **
Adrián is another of those who declare themselves unconditional Culler de Pau. But, in addition, he proposes a visit to Supplies 2.0 . “Because of his sincerity, because of his market environment and tavern”
**Pablo Pizarro, Bocanegra (A Coruña) **
Since we are talking about Adrián Felípez and his Miga restaurant, we are going to point out Pablo's opinion, who chooses him “for its seasonal dishes, such as artichokes, excellent, asparagus or fish”.
Pablo continues his Coruña itinerary in ** Culuca **, where he goes for his tripe, his salad and his fried nose , and ends at ** Pulpeira de Melide **, another classic of the city, “not only for the octopus but also ** for its fish and its tortilla ** ”.
**Maria Varela, A Parada das Bestas (Palas de Rei) **
We end the tour in **the interior of Galicia**, guided by María Varela, a cook who has been able to turn a rural house in the small village of Pidre almost halfway between Santiago de Compostela and Lugo , in a place of reference for fans of good Galician cuisine who come from here and there, as the actress Gwyneth Paltrow did a few years ago.
María decides to recommend places in her region and starts with the ** Parrillada Rúa (Melide) **: “Fabulous grilled meat and fish. It was a family business run by two indefatigable brothers until very recently."
Grilled octopus from A Parada das Bestas
"Now it is in the hands of one of his former employees, whom we saw grow in the business. My tribute to Pepe, recently retired, and to Manolo, unfortunately deceased," she adds.
She returns to her town to talk about the ** Pulpería A Nosa Terra (Palas de Rei) **, of which she has been a lifelong customer: “from playing table football from small to dinner a potato omelette and a portion of raxo Now, when I'm older, thanks to Montse for her patience!”.