With this selection of restaurants where to eat in Santiago de Compostela we want to help you make the most of the exquisite Galician gastronomy while you visit this fascinating city.
With an incredible gastronomic offer, Santiago de Compostela is, besides being one of the most beautiful cities in Spain, the perfect place to taste dishes such as caldo gallego, which is a stew made with turnip greens, cachelos, cabbage and beans; the empanada, which is a kind of pastry filled with different ingredients; the pulpo á feira, which is octopus cooked with cachelos (boiled potatoes) or the filloas, which is a kind of Galician crepe, which can be filled with sweet or savoury ingredients.
Based on the number of times we have visited the city, the last time during our route through Galicia by car, and of which we wrote an article about the essential places to see in Santiago de Compostela, we leave you this selection of what we believe are the best restaurants where to eat in Santiago de Compostela very well. Let's start!
1. Mesón 42
Located in the heart of the city, this is one of the most recommended restaurants where to eat in Santiago de Compostela, especially if you want to enjoy good products, quality cuisine and a very professional but familiar attention.
Although we are sure that any of its dishes will be a success, we recommend you not to miss the empanada for 6,50 euros, the grilled scallops for 12,5 euros, the octopus toast for 10,5 euros and the filloas stuffed with cream and honey for 3,50 euros.
Address: Rúa Franco 42
Opening hours: every day from 1pm to 4pm and from 8pm to midnight.
2. A Noiesa, one of the best restaurants in Santiago de Compostela
Also in the historic centre of the city, next to the previous recommended restaurant, we find A Noiesa, one of the best known places to eat in Santiago de Compostela.
With a menu that highlights dishes made with top quality products, with a touch of avant-garde that makes them unique and a super professional staff, we assure you that lunch or dinner here is a sure hit.
Among all the dishes we recommend you not to miss the crispy artichokes for 13,9 euros, the seafood cream for 7 euros, the grilled octopus for 19,90 euros, which is one of the star dishes of the restaurant, and the crispy aubergine for 7,8 euros.
Address: Rúa do Franco, 40
Opening hours: every day from 12:33h to 17:30h and from 20h to 00h.
Grilled octopus, one of the dishes to try at A Noiesa, one of the best restaurants in Santiago de Compostela.
3. O Gato Negro, another one of the best restaurants in Santiago de Compostela.
With a history that goes back years, this is another of the most recommended places to eat in Santiago de Compostela if you want to taste top quality seafood at a very reasonable price and cooked in the most traditional and familiar way.
Although they have a relatively extensive menu, we recommend you to try the barnacles (the price depends on the market price but is around 18-20 euros per 200gr.), the clams with seafood for 13 euros and the octopus á feira for 14 euros per portion.
Address: Rua Raina s/n
Opening hours: every day from 12:30h to 15h and from 19:30h to 23h / Sunday from 12:30h to 15h.
Barnacles in O Gato Negro, one of the best restaurants to eat in Santiago de Compostela.
4. La Tita
Known by locals and tourists alike as the bar that serves the best omelettes in Santiago de Compostela, which you can enjoy as a free tapa with your drink, and pay for it if you order a half or full portion, this small place with a terrace is one of the must-visit places in the city.
Although we found the staff rather unfriendly to tourists, we have to say that the omelette was very good.
The price for a beer and an Americano was 3,20 euros with the two free tapas.
Address: Rúa Nova, 46
Opening hours: every day from 13h to 16h and from 20h to 00h.
Tapa de tortilla at La Tita bar in Santiago de Compostela
5. Abastos 2.0
Located in the Mercado de Abastos, which is one of the places you can't miss in the city, this small place, with a very pleasant terrace, is known for serving first quality products, kilometre 0 and that changes every day, depending on the product they have in the market that day.
We ordered mussels for 7 euros, bream ceviche for 10 euros, xardo for 10 euros, empanada for 3.5 euros and octopus for 14 euros.
Address: Ameas Casetas 13-18. Praza de Abastos
Opening hours: every day from 12h to 15:30h and from 20h to 23h.
6. Mesón do Pulpo
Although in this case this restaurant in Santiago de Compostela is a bit far from the historic centre, about 10 minutes walking, its menu made with quality products, its familiarity and the fact that you can have lunch or dinner in a traditional restaurant, justify every minute you have to go away from the heart of the city.
Although they have a fairly extensive menu, we recommend you try the octopus á feira, which is the house speciality, for 13 euros a portion, and the fried mussels for 9 euros. And of course, you can't miss one of their desserts, especially the cheese flan and pineapple tart for 3.5 euros.
Address: Vista Alegre 57
Opening times: daily from 9am to 4pm and from 8pm to 11pm / Sundays from 10am to 3.30pm.
Octopus, one of the dishes you must try in the restaurants in Santiago de Compostela.
7. Pampín Bar, another of the most famous and recommended restaurants in Santiago de Compostela.
You can't leave Santiago de Compostela without trying the Pampín Bar's coulant de tarta de Santiago, although we would add that you can't leave the city without trying this dessert and the empanada de millo from Pampín Bar.
Located very close to the historic centre, this restaurant, as well as serving dishes made with top quality products, has a staff with a professional quality, which we assure you, will make you feel at home.
We had empanada de millo de berberechos for 10 euros, fish of the day, which was xurel for 16 euros, and for dessert a spectacular coulant de tarta de Santiago.
Address: Ruela das Fontiñas, 4 Barrio de San Pedro
Opening hours: every day from 13:30h to 15:30h and from 20:30h to 23h / Sunday from 09h to 17h.
8. O Sendeiro
Located on the outskirts of the historic centre, this is another restaurant where you can enjoy an excellent product, cooked with care, which leaves no diner indifferent.
Although they have an extensive menu, we recommend you not to miss the chorizo and chestnut croquettes from Quiroga for 8 euros, which is one of the house specialities, the scallops for 18 euros, the hake with Albariño for 17 euros and for dessert the cheesecake for 6 euros.
Address: Rua Olvido, 22
Opening hours: every day from 13h to 15:30h.
9. Marcelo House
Included in the Michelin Guide, this restaurant is characterised not only by its excellent cuisine, in all senses, but also for serving a tasting menu in which you will not know what dishes you will be served, since depending on your tastes or allergies, the chef will decide which dishes you will try.
The price will depend on the dishes you are served, but in general terms it is around 60-90 euros, depending largely on the drinks you order, and it is practically essential to book in order to find a table.
Address: Rúa das Hortas, 1
Opening hours: every day from 13:30h to 15:45h and from 20:30h to 23h.
10. A Horta Do Obradoiro
We could not finish this selection of restaurants where to eat in Santiago de Compostela without mentioning A Horta Do Obradoiro, an institution in the city, where on our last visit to the city we could not go because we could not find a table despite the fact that we tried to book several times.
Despite that, and after the hundreds of recommendations you made to us on Instagram, we thought this one should be included in this list so that you have the opportunity to try it.
Address: Rua Hortas 16
Opening hours: every day from 12h to 00h
Keep in mind that the restaurants in Santiago de Compostela that we have included in this list are some of the most famous in the city, so that on weekends and in high season they are usually full and it is highly recommended to book in advance to avoid being left without a table.
In addition to trying the local gastronomy in one of the restaurants in Santiago de Compostela that we have recommended, another very special way to get to know the local culture and enjoy Galician gastronomy is to book this gastronomic tour or free tour.
Zamburiñas, a dish you must try in the restaurants of Santiago de Compostela
All these restaurants where to eat in Santiago de Compostela are within the tourist routes of the city, which you can prepare following the next posts, depending on the days you have available:
The best free tours in Santiago de Compostela for free
25 must-see places to visit in Galicia
The best routes of the Camino de Santiago Which one to choose?
Stages of the French Way of Saint James How to plan your trip?
15 essential tips for walking the Camino de Santiago
Where to eat on the French Way of Saint James
Guide to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela
Empanada, one of the dishes you must try in the restaurants in Santiago de Compostela
