I love the authentic bars in Santiago de Compostela. These are my tips for cervezas and tapas in café bars full of local flair.
I’m a friend of the authentic, of those places that live a culture’s traditions. And when it comes to authentic Spanish bars, they are usually coarse, pragmatic, and unfancy. You won’t find comfortable furnishings and modern design in them. The counter, a handful of tables and hearty dishes from the kitchen are more important.
Slowly, however, the bars on the Camino de Santiago, especially those that were opened solely for pilgrims, are adapting to guests’ taste for coziness. Suddenly the bars have lounge chairs and quotes by Paulo Coelho on the walls. Don’t get me wrong, I love a cozy café too, but coziness has little to do with an original Spanish café-bar. When I started my pilgrimage more than 20 years ago, the pubs and restaurants in the city of Santiago were rather spartan.
Modernization has now made a home here too and some really tasteful bars have sprung up – yet I am always drawn back to what I call “original bars”. These are my recommendations for typical authentic bars in Santiago de Compostela.
Cafe Bar San Francisco
You will find this mini-bar reminiscent of a by-gone era on Rua de San Francisco, the only access road to the Praza do Obradoiro, the square in front of the cathedral. There are maybe three tables in the room – the prettiest is the one by the window where I once waved to King Felipe of Spain as he drove by in his limousine on St James› Day (and he waved back to me). The menu is typical and basic – but the owners are friendly and bocadillos (sandwiches) are made with a lot of love.
Bar La Cueva
Bar La Cueva is located on a little square between the Rúa do Vilar and the Rúa do Franco. While there is one touristy restaurant after the next on Rúa do Franco, this little place is also frequented by the Santiago university students. In summer and in winter, you can stand here in front of the bar and drink «hierbas» (herbal schnapps) or «licor de café», a delicious coffee liqueur. From the small selection of raciones, try the «tigres rabiosos» – mussels in a spicy sauce.
Bar Orella
The word “orella” is the Galician word for “ear.” The name says it all: if you order an alcoholic drink, you get a portion of pig’s ears for free, a delicacy here in Galicia. When cooked, they have a soft consistency with a hard core, the ear cartilage. Located next to Las Cuevas, you should stop here just to taste these special tapas – pig ears taste much better than you’d think! 😉
La Campana
Right on the corner next to the former convent of San Martín Pinario (opposite the cathedral’s north door), this little bar is bravely standing up to the onslaught of modernism. There are seven tables inside and another three on the street (I counted!). The owners are a mostly grumpy couple, the storage behind the counter is chaotic, but the tortilla servings are huge and the home-cooked food is delicious!
O Xachegou
Santiago’s old town is divided into two parts. Generally, the area to the left of the Camino de Santiago is the tourist area with a ton of souvenir shops and restaurants. On the right, the area is more local and authentic. And here (in the Rúa de Algalia de Abaixo) is the simple bar O Xachegou, where students and local residents meet but pilgrims and tourists rarely stray to. The menu is small and rustic without any attempt at presentation. But the portions are large and cheap and it feels like a typical Spanish bar.
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