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Recommended local dishes/restaurants along the way

JillGat

la tierra encantada
Donating Member
Time of past OR future Camino
2018
I got pretty tired of pilgrim meals last time I walked the CF, and I didn't find them to be cheap, either (often $10 - 12 Euros). So I started asking locals what special dishes I should look for in their towns. I especially enjoyed soups and stews and in the regions where tapas were popular, that was always my preferred dinner. (I avoided octopus though, as I have a rule against eating anything that is smarter than my brother).

What restaurants/local dishes did you find in towns along the Camino Frances that you would recommend?
 
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A couple of doors down from the muni in Fromista is the cafeteria Venta Boffard. It was a most welcomed changed in quality and menu, and for less than your typical pilgrim menu. I had a risotto with squid ink.
 
Best paella I had this year was in Hontanas at Hostal Restaurante Fuentestrella run by Svetlana and Manuel. The food was great and the whole night was a happy cultural and multi-cultural experience. The hostal is fantastico too but you don't need to stay there to eat in the restaurant. You just need to let them know reasonably early that you want to eat dinner there.
 
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I stay away from most of the paella dishes because so many of these are "formula" menu items.
Walk a block or two off of the Camino and eat the menu del dia like the locals after 2pm.
 
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biarritzdon said:
I stay away from most of the paella dishes because so many of these are "formula" menu items.
Walk a block or two off of the Camino and eat the menu del dia like the locals after 2pm.
Click to expand...

Indeed.
A good option for this is La Pausa at the bussation in Astorga.
 

I think that you will not find a meal cheaper than 10-12 euros if you eat the "menu del día" Dayly menu, on weekend it is more expensive. If you like tapas depending on the place could be expensive, about 3 euros tapa and wine. In La Rioja I can suggest patatas a la riojana "potatoes with "chorizo" but not all restaurants or bars prepare it. Its more common to find "cazuelitas" as "patitas de cordero" small lab feets, but I dont know if you like them. There are parts of the animal like ears, feet, and other parts of animals with a tomato an vegetable sauces slightly hot.
 
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Good conversation, thanks for all the tips. I will take a pass on all the shellfish due to allergy, and I just need to find the places where to buy some good jamón curado y queso [keep them handy in my backpack and I will be good to go for a couple of days]. Buen provecho, y que la luz de Dios alumbre su camino.
 
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I don't know how to ask the locals what their favorite dishes are. I don't speak Spanish, so I've been mostly doomed to the pilgrim meals and menu del dias on the Camino. I was still grateful for a hot meal at the end of the day, albeit rather repetitious by the time I reached Santiago.
 
Ask for the "carta" and you will see what is available beyond the pilgrim menu. Menu del dia is usually pretty good. You can also ask "que me recomienda?" - what do you recommend. And bring your cell so you csn google what's on the menu and see what it is.
 
Pamplona- Chuleton and Pintxos
Logroño-Pintxos/Tapas
La Rioja Region- Bean Soups
Burgos- Morcilla, Chuletas de Cordero, Cochinillo, Pintxos/Tapas, Alpargatas de Jamon
La Meseta- Sopa de Ajo y Sopa de Trucha
Leon- Tapas, Cecina and Chorizo
Astorga- Cocido Maragato
El Bierzo- Botillo
Galicia- Pulpo, Caldo Gallego, Empanandas, Padron Peppers
O'Cebreiro- Caldo Gallego and Queso O'Cebreiro with Honey
Melide- Octopus
Santiago- Empanadas, Cockles, Mussels, Scallops, Calamares in all forms.

Jamon Iberico, Cafe con Leche, Bacalao, Patatas Bravas, Calamares, Tortilla Española and Tarta de Santiago are also favorites along the entire Camino Frances. Don't expect much from paellas in Navarra, La Rioja, La Meseta, El Bierzo or in Galicia. It's like ordering Shrimp and Grits in Utah.
 
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biarritzdon said:
I stay away from most of the paella dishes because so many of these are "formula" menu items.
Walk a block or two off of the Camino and eat the menu del dia like the locals after 2pm.
Click to expand...

Yeah, those microwaved paellas you see advertised on sandwich boards in front of cafes are a crime. Paella isn't a northern Spain specialty, but you can certainly get good homemade paella occasionally.
 
JillGat said:
Yeah, those microwaved paellas you see advertised on sandwich boards in front of cafes are a crime. Paella isn't a northern Spain specialty, but you can certainly get good homemade paella occasionally.
Click to expand...
Totally agree about the frozen paellas. In the hostal in Hontanas definitely homemade from scratch by a very proud Spaniard who has made the camino his life.
 
Sometimes I did use google translate, but often it was just as confused as me!
 
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biarritzdon said:
I stay away from most of the paella dishes because so many of these are "formula" menu items.
Walk a block or two off of the Camino and eat the menu del dia like the locals after 2pm.
Click to expand...
I also found many of the paella dishes to be quite generic and usually with very little seafood in them, so I stopped ordering them as I was often dissappointed. In fact, at one communal dinner where it was served, a jovial Italian man sitting across the table from me said with confidence that he could tell it was a generic frozen paella, much to my surprise!
 
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