Tapas

[OzAnnie]

Was there a particular establishment or stop along the way -you can recommend for the Tapas ?
I would really like to know a place in Santiago de compostela that you consider 'the winner' .

My 2nd time in SdC last sep 13 and I still wandered and took pot luck. I enjoyed myself but feel I could have asked a few more questions before I got there.

2. Also time? -What is the actual time that you can expect tapas,and at what time can one expect to be able to order the 'menu del dia '?

3. What is your favourite tapas if you are ordering? I have had lots of complimentary tapas when I have ordered a drink in SdC and LEon etc, but wonder if there are times /and places where u can select your preferred tapas ?
I know I found these places inMadrid, but can u do the same on the Camino ?
Annie

 

[Bajaracer]

Calle Estafeta in Pamplona on Thursday evenings, €2 tapas with your choice of wine, beer, or bottled water.
I was with four women, went to five different tapas bars and each of us bought a round for €10, after the last tapas bar, we were full and satisfied.

 

[mspath]

...at what time can one expect to be able to order the 'menu del dia '?...Annie

The idea of the menu del dia was established during the time of Franco to offer workers a single hearty daily meal at a very reasonable price. It is generally provided on workdays ie Monday through Friday at lunch time or roughly 2pm to 4pm. For many suggestions on where to find a good menu del dia on the camino read this earlier Forum thread.

MM

 

[mralisn]

Thursdays...Juevepinchos!

There is an incredible place just down from the cathedral in SdC. If I find a proper map, I can give you a good reference.

On the Camino Norte, there are MANY places which make it hard to continue walking.

 

[OzAnnie]

Margaret
Thank you for clearing up the time issue for menu del dia.
I often rocked up just on the off times last year as the Spanish meal times take a little to get used to.

So basically, if one manages to eat the menu del dia just before 4pm and then attend to washing chores etc later, the evening could be just a snack etc


Thanks again. I didn't realise either it only applied to Monday - Friday.
Annie

 

[OzAnnie]

Calle Estafeta in Pamplona on Thursday evenings, €2 tapas with your choice of wine, beer, or bottled water.
I was with four women, went to five different tapas bars and each of us bought a round for €10, after the last tapas bar, we were full and satisfied.

Thanks Bajaracer
Now that you mention it, I do recall some signage in Pamplona, but was a bit shy at the time regarding fronting up and asking for it (2 ladies ). A bit more confident on Camino now tho. So next time thru there will try.
Annie

 

[OzAnnie]

Thursdays...Juevepinchos!

There is an incredible place just down from the cathedral in SdC. If I find a proper map, I can give you a good reference.

On the Camino Norte, there are MANY places which make it hard to continue walking.

Mralisn
I really liked reading 'plenty available on the Norte '. I'm hoping to walk the Norte in sep /oct

I will have to find out 'the place in SdC before next time. I have heard others say they found a place but can't pinpoint where .

Thankyou

 

[miguel_gp]

With regards to Santiago de Compostela, I have always found El Bispo really good. Tapas are on display in the bar area and you can eat there and point to a bit of what you fancy or sit down in the restaurant area and order. Open all day from memory.

El Bispo Location

El Gato Negro has a good reputation but is a bit more "rustic" than El Bispo. It is always very busy when I have passed it (I haven't had the chance to eat there though) but it has more limited opening hours.

El Gato Negro Location

I'm sure you could probably get a hundred different recommendations. The great thing of course is that you can just move on to the next one

Buen Comiendo
Mig

 

[mralisn]

Yes! This is awesome! I am almost sure it is El Bispo I was thinking of. Fully looking forward to another stop here this summer.

Thank you Mig!

 

[miguel_gp]

And with regards to favourites, for me it is Gambas Al Ajillo or Pimientos De Padron. However, there are many close seconds!

El Bispo do a small piece of steak atop a slice of bread and topped with a pimiento. Wash it down with a cold glass of Albarino; Heaven!

My mouth is already watering.
Mig

 

[OzAnnie]

And with regards to favourites, for me it is Gambas Al Ajillo or Pimientos De Padron. However, there are many close seconds!

El Bispo
My mouth is already watering.
Mig

Thankyou for terrific detail Miguel

My mouth is now watering too!
Annie

 

[OzAnnie]

Wash it down with a cold glass of Albarino; Heaven!

Mig

I haven't tried Albariño, (a lot to learn)

Do you ask for it by that name? I see it is grown in north west Spain.

Gets more interesting
Annie

 

[Pelegrin]

Talking about Galician wines Albariño, Ribeiro, Condado.... All these white wines are really good for tapas with fish or shellfish.
For tapas with meat, tortilla, or even pulpo I would try red wine from Ribeira Sacra or Valdeorras.

 

[mspath]

Margaret
Thank you for clearing up the time issue for menu del dia.
I often rocked up just on the off times last year as the Spanish meal times take a little to get used to.

So basically, if one manages to eat the menu del dia just before 4pm and then attend to washing chores etc later, the evening could be just a snack etc


Thanks again. I didn't realise either it only applied to Monday - Friday.
Annie

Annie,

One handy way to find spots with a good menu del dia in an unexplored location is to eat where the road workers, police, and lorry drivers go. For example when at Villadangos del Paramo in a rain storm I staggered into a large truck stop because the parking lot was packed with vans and trucks. Inside about 80 very macho men and I (no other woman) enjoyed the daily special. All seemed curious about what I would choose for dessert and sent over extras for "strength on the camino"! Another similar spot in Melide is the bar/restaurante Sony. Great food, low prices and much atmosphere!!

Margaret Meredith

 

[KinkyOne]

@OzAnnie
Maybe the attached file could be of some help.
Buen provecho!

 

[naplesdon]

The offering of tapas and pinxos is pretty universal at bars in Spain and Pays Basque. It is not a sit down sort of experience. The price generally depends on the style of the toothpick attached. Normally less expensive bites are one euros and stuck with single wooden toothpick while the better ones (say fois gras, lobster, etc.) with a fancy toothpick are usually no more than two euros. Your only requirement is to save your toothpicks because they act as your l'addition. The quality and freshness of the nosh vary widely so you are best off to pick a busy bar and squirm your way up to the bar, ask for a plate and load up.

 

[OzAnnie]

The offering of tapas and pinxos is pretty universal at bars in Spain and Pays Basque. It is not a sit down sort of experience. The price generally depends on the style of the toothpick attached. Normally less expensive bites are one euros and stuck with single wooden toothpick while the better ones (say fois gras, lobster, etc.) with a fancy toothpick are usually no more than two euros. Your only requirement is to save your toothpicks because they act as your l'addition. The quality and freshness of the nosh vary widely so you are best off to pick a busy bar and squirm your way up to the bar, ask for a plate and load up.

Yes Don
In 2012 whilst travelling around Spain (before walking the Porto -Sdc section of camino Portuguese ), some larger places, which included Madrid, had tapas bars which were packed and staff 'knew' exactly what you ate when u went to pay later, even though nothing was written down ! At others, it was paying up by counting the number of used toothpicks on the plate. We didn't find tapas everywhere though. It was so good, being able to have wee morsels to get the taste of something. If one isn't your 'cup of tea' the next morsel usually made up for it. They can be quite filling . They don't break the bank either. I had thought it was on a 'time ' setting too, (like has been explained with the specific timing of the menu del dia. )

How does pinxos differ from tapas?
Annie
Annie

 

[OzAnnie]

@OzAnnie
Maybe the attached file could be of some help.
Buen provecho!

You are a very organised person, KinkyOne. Thankyou. I'm sure this database will be printed out by many of us on the forum awaiting the opportunity to put it to the test. Yum.

Annie

 

[OzAnnie]

Talking about Galician wines Albariño, Ribeiro, Condado.... All these white wines are really good for tapas with fish or shellfish.
For tapas with meat, tortilla, or even pulpo I would try red wine from Ribeira Sacra or Valdeorras.

Pelegrin
Yes,, after reading the mention (of Albariño )in the post above, I googled it to find out more about it.
Thankyou for the extra detail, I enjoy varying the wine. By the time I am up to my xx'th camino, I feel I will have become quite the informed pilgrim.
Do you actually (eg in Sdc), when ordering a drink, ask for an 'Albariño , or a 'Condado' ? Would they be available in most places or are they a very special wine?
Annie

 

[OzAnnie]

Annie,

One handy way to find spots with a good menu del dia in an unexplored location is to eat where the road workers, police, and lorry drivers go. For example when at Villadangos del Paramo in a rain storm I staggered into a large truck stop because the parking lot was packed with vans and trucks. Inside about 80 very macho men and I (no other woman) enjoyed the daily special. All seemed curious about what I would choose for dessert and sent over extras for "strength on the camino"! Another similar spot in Melide is the bar/restaurante Sony. Great food, low prices and much atmosphere!!

Margaret Meredith

Wow -great observation Margaret,

I guess it's a little like (when in Rome)? Ie. follow the lead of the locals. I never thought of a truck stop before, but it makes sense. The real McCoy (Spanish people ). Would be a good place to practise the language too I would think and dispel any shyness.

While on the subject above of alcohol, a question for you (I hope you don't mind). when you enjoyed your Champagne at the end of your camino". Mentioned in one of your recent posts. " are you usually served real champagne or the Spanish equivalent? And is there a special establishment in Sdc at which you choose to sit and savour this treat?

No need to answer where , if you want to keep it special though !

Thankyou
Annie

 

[Pelegrin]

"OzAnnie, post:
"Do you actually (eg in Sdc), when ordering a drink, ask for an 'Albariño , or a 'Condado' ? Would they be available in most places or are they a very special wine?".


I usually order Albariño or Ribeiro. Albariño is more expensive. So, it depends on what i want to spend.
Despite beeing from Galicia I'm living in Madrid for many years and so that I'm a bit out of date of the current offer of wines at specific bars in SdC. Surely there are in this forum many others more well informed than I am about this question.
But, I dare to say that Albariño and Ribeiro are available in every bar in SdC. Whereas, Condado could be more difficult to find.
In red wines, I really don´t know the situation of Ribeira Sacra and Valdeorras in SdC , but in case of problem they always have Rioja and Ribera del Duero.

 

[OzAnnie]

Thanks for responding Pelegrin.
I understand better now.
Annie

 

[mspath]

Wow -great observation Margaret,

I guess it's a little like (when in Rome)? Ie. follow the lead of the locals. I never thought of a truck stop before, but it makes sense. The real McCoy (Spanish people ). Would be a good place to practise the language too I would think and dispel any shyness.

While on the subject above of alcohol, a question for you (I hope you don't mind). when you enjoyed your Champagne at the end of your camino". Mentioned in one of your recent posts. " are you usually served real champagne or the Spanish equivalent? And is there a special establishment in Sdc at which you choose to sit and savour this treat?

No need to answer where , if you want to keep it special though !

Thankyou
Annie

I live in Champagne facing a vineyard across the river Marne, hence at the end of each camino as a link between my "lives" and before I turn back towards home I savor one flute of French champagne generally in the cozy bar of the hotel O Semaforo at Cabo Fisterra. During the camino of course I enjoy a glass or two of Spanish wine every day. Who wouldn't?

Margaret Meredith

 

[naplesdon]

There really isn't much difference between pinxos and tapas. It is a regional thing much like the different ways street vendor refer their hot dogs in Chicago and NYC. Some claim a pinxos requires a knife and fork because it might be 2 bites and sadly once upon a time most tapas was offered for free. A racione is a freshly prepared plate you can order at the bar or sitting at table, and it will serve several people, my favorites are calamari frites and chipirones and usually you can find server who is willing to fill a selection of tapas on a plate for you, but why miss out on the chance to select your own assortment.
The choices of wine are usually listed on a blackboard, the conventional price is 3 euros a glass, normally you order the house red, white or rose by the region of origin you want (i.e. vino tinto Rioja) and depend on the proprietor for his good taste. In Biarritz we argue about the various qualities of the roses from Provence and Spain being offered around the marche and gravitate towards the reds from Rioja over our local Bordeaux at lunch time.

 

[Silverton]

I second Margaret's recommendation of that truckstop on the left side of the road in Villadangos/Urbanizacíon Camino de Santiago. It's named Avenida II, I think. On my second CF I took the alternative route and enjoyed an in-house lovely paella, and breakfast too, in the first private albergue in Villar de Mazarife, San Antonio de Padua--I hope it's still there if I pass that way again.

 

[SabsP]

The place to be for tapas / pintxos is Logrono, especially the Calle Laurel and neighbouring strees. Every bar has their own speciality. Recommendable!!!!
Not to miss.....

http://www.callelaurel.org/en

 

[tploomis]

We arrived exhausted in Pamplona after 30 hours of airplane flights (almost exactly half way around the world) and riding the train from Madrid. After checking into our hotel, we went out in the evening into one of the most memorable events of my trip, and the official Camino had not even started. The bar scene was pure conviviality, everybody and their families out there going from bar to bar, sampling pinchos (tapas) and drinking wine or beer. We felt as though we were floating along on this giant river of good will and fellowship. It was a symbolic precursor of the Camino itself -- nothing planned, everything just laid out for you, fun and adventure around each corner. It was a Saturday night and we did not think it could possibly by that glorious on a weekday. Five days later, we walked back into Pamplona on a weekday, and the bar scene was just as fabulous -- we did it all again!

 

[anniethenurse]

With regards to Santiago de Compostela, I have always found El Bispo really good. Tapas are on display in the bar area and you can eat there and point to a bit of what you fancy or sit down in the restaurant area and order. Open all day from memory.

El Bispo Location

Buen Comiendo
Mig

Hola Mig,
El Bispo is my favorite in SDC.

 

[mikevasey]

El Bispo gets my vote, however there is quite a few good places I have not eaten in Santiago so over a few more visits it could change.
There is a place in Abastos market, called Marisco Mania which I had never heard of but was dragged there by a few of myCamino group last time around, it can be a bit hit or miss, the deal is that you book a time to eat there,then you buy fresh shellfish from the surrounding stalls give it to them and then they will prepare it for you, they charge 4 Euros per person to do this. We had a lavish meal, perhaps bought too much of varying things. Next time I would stick to Lobster, clams, mussels and maybe one unusual delicacy from the market stall. The other stuff if you want them, drinks, desserts, salads, you buy of the cafe and this is where they start to make some money on the deal. Our bill came to 90 euros for the 5 of us, that was 6 bottles of Ribeiro and fees of 4 Euros each, and from the fresh seafood stalls I'm not sure but it was at least 100 euros +, I could have taken several other photos at varying times when the table was covered in other seafood.

 

[peregrina2000]

Great mouth watering suggestions. When I'm in a big town or a small city, I have an odd way to go about finding the best tapas in town. First, I ask a local (and for some reason I usually ask a pharmacist, my reasoning is that they are local, with some disposable income, likely to know the town well) for the one place and the one tapa they would recommend in their town. I go there and when I'm done, I tell the barhand that I'm on the Camino, won't be coming back and had been sent here to try the best tapa in town, but now could he/she please direct me to the "second best" tapa in town so I can have some variety. And so on. I have found that it works very well, but it has to be in a place that is big enough to have a range of choices, obviously.

Buen camino, Laurie

 

[naplesdon]

El Bispo gets my vote, however there is quite a few good places I have not eaten in Santiago so over a few more visits it could change.
There is a place in Abastos market, called Marisco Mania which I had never heard of but was dragged there by a few of myCamino group last time around, it can be a bit hit or miss, the deal is that you book a time to eat there,then you buy fresh shellfish from the surrounding stalls give it to them and then they will prepare it for you, they charge 4 Euros per person to do this. We had a lavish meal, perhaps bought too much of varying things. Next time I would stick to Lobster, clams, mussels and maybe one unusual delicacy from the market stall. The other stuff if you want them, drinks, desserts, salads, you buy of the cafe and this is where they start to make some money on the deal. Our bill came to 90 euros for the 5 of us, that was 6 bottles of Ribeiro and fees of 4 Euros each, and from the fresh seafood stalls I'm not sure but it was at least 100 euros +, View attachment 12124 I could have taken several other photos at varying times when the table was covered in other seafood.

Lovely photo, lovely meal and decent price, but tapas it is not!

 

[mikevasey]

I know but could not resist posting it and this thread seemed the best victim.

 

[mikevasey]

Hi Laurie I always try to ask as well, it usually provides excellent results.

 

[Sue M]

Loads of lovely tapas in Pamplona, and there's. also a nice bar with tapas on the corner outside Burgos Cathedral.