Gastronomic route along the Asturian west coast
Perhaps what differentiates the asturian west coast with respect to the rest of the Principality is a certain calmer character. The largest town between Avilés and the Galician border is Navia, with just 10,000 inhabitants. And that gives a good idea of the general atmosphere of the area.
Beyond a highway that has not been in operation for so many years, communications here are still through winding roads, passing through village after village or of a narrow-gauge railway that takes the barely 100 kilometers between Ribadeo and Aviles , to which he spends a little over three hours.
The Asturian western coast offers a calmer side of the community, which translates into small ports and traditional cuisine.
This translates into a relaxed atmosphere, in a rhythm that has nothing to do with the cities; in small ports that have preserved their maritime character and in a gastronomy that has known preserve its essence and that, at the same time, has been reinventing itself little by little in recent years.
Because on the western coast they coexist eating houses that have been passed from father to son with a new generation of chefs and pastry chefs that make it an essential gastronomic destination for anyone who comes to Asturias.
**PALERMO (Casariego Tapia) **
Palermo is a reference in the cuisine of the sea of the western end of Asturias for 4 decades. Alfonso Santiago, its current owner, is the third generation of a saga dedicated to gastronomy and he has been in charge of the business since 1993.
In his restaurant, Alfonso offers the best of the western rolls , but also products from the Galician Cantabrian ports, such as Celeiro hake . His goal is to achieve a seafood menu of proximity products of the highest quality. And he has been doing it for years.
** VINCENT HOUSE (Castropol) **
Who enters Asturias by the road that arrives from the interior from Lugo This house in Castropol is one of the first recommended stops on your itinerary..
Casa Vicente combines a wonderful fish menu with an interesting range of meats , served in a pleasant dining room at the foot of Avenida de Galicia. Perfect for a stopover en route.
** GASTRONOMIC FERPEL (Ortiguera) **
A stone's throw from the tiny port of Ortiguera, on the outskirts of Navia, the chef Elio Fernández proposes a personal update of the cuisine of the area which makes his restaurant a unique address that should be noted in the travel agenda.
More classic root dishes, such as sea bass with fishbone broth or ray fish stew coexist in his letter with proposals such as the crispy pig's trotters with shrimp, the cauliflower with roast juice and rosemary or the rabbit and chocolate bonbon.
**REGUEIRO (Tox) **
Diego Fernández is surely the great innovator of Western cuisine . He Regueiro's restaurant has been delving into a personal kitchen since 2011 that mixes the local with Asian influences and other origins with a very unusual elegance.
It is worth stopping at this mansion between Tox and Puerto de Vega to discover an updated Asturian cuisine and without complexes that has been receiving great reviews from critics and specialized media for years and, what is even more important, making many people happy.
The Regueiro restaurant mixes local cuisine with Asian influences, giving rise to innovative and unusual dishes.
** MESON THE CENTER (Puerto de Vega) **
Already in the heart of the small town, a stone's throw from the coast, Mesón El Centro has been making a name for itself thanks to word of mouth.
Its cuisine, simple and local, is based on a good product treated without complications. Octopus, baby squid, monkfish salad, scrambled eggs with mincemeat or small surprises such as coppa , that sausage of Italian origin, made in Spain by Joselito, one of the greats of the Iberian world.
**CONSUELO HOUSE (Otur) **
It may seem like one of the many roadside restaurants in this area, but ** Casa Consuelo is one of the great classics of the West **. Here you eat very well (and very classic) and drink, if you want, at least to the same level.
One cannot go to Casa Consuelo and not try its verdinas with seafood, its stewed octopus with vegetables, its famous seafood salpicón or its bean stew . Then, before continuing on, it's always good to take a walk along the neighboring Otur beach, which is a perfect way to round off the experience.
Luarca is one of the nerve centers of the region and a lively summer port . Gastronomically, you have plenty to choose from, but before doing so you have to take a walk around the port, go up to the lighthouse or, in the opposite direction, look out over the town from the viewpoints of the hermitage of San Roque and San Martín.
Already back in the center, there are two classic directions :
**SPORT RESTAURANT (Luarca) **
At the entrance to the port, overlooking the mouth of the Río Negro, the more than 60 years of the Sport make it one of the classics of seafood cuisine in the area. Must try their hake pie from the skewer and then decide on one of the seafood of the day or, in season, their tuna meatballs in sauce.
**WHITE VILLA (Luarca)**
Almost leaving the town in the direction of Navia, Villa Blanca has also been serving classic cuisine from the area for 6 decades. Its dining room, one of those timeless rooms, is the perfect place to try traditional dishes such as stuffed potatoes, hake in green sauce, rice with clams or pot of cabbage just as three generations of luarcaños have already done.
**CABO BUSTO PASTRY (Bust)**
We end the route with a sweet stop . One of the most interesting in Asturias, moreover, that appears where one least expects it.
In the middle of the village of Busto, in a place where you have to go expressly (but, if you've come this far and you trust me, listen to me: go away) there is a stylish restored mansion. Its colorful facade does not suggest that this house houses, on the ground floor, It is one of the best Asturian pastry workshops.
In the small store, next to the bakery (note, they close on Mondays and Tuesdays) there is a whole display of current pastries made by Jonathan González, one of the young pastry chefs with the best reputation in Spain , in which it will be difficult for you to decide.
Whatever you choose, a good option to finish the route is to ask them to pack it for you, travel the barely 2 kilometers to Cabo Busto and enjoy your purchase next to the lighthouse overlooking the sea from almost 70 meters high.
Because this place, with the purchase you have just made, synthesizes western Asturias: absolute tranquility, a gastronomy with traditional roots that never ceases to amaze, Cantabrian and meadows that extend to the edge of the cliffs.