Hospital de Orbigo is a small municipality in the province of Leon with almost 1,000 inhabitants. El Camino de Santiago passes through this locality, which has contributed to the development of hostels and restaurants in the area. Eating in Hospital de Orbigo is a good option since the town has a great agricultural tradition.
If you want to know what to eat in Hospital de Orbigo, about 14 km from Astorga, trout is the queen of the local culinary tradition and is prepared in a thousand distinct ways, which distinguishes the town from other enclaves in León. The most common preparation is roasted and stuffed with strips of ham, so that the meat stays very juicy, with the perfect amount of salt. But you can also try it marinated with Bierzo wine vinegar and garlic, or as a base in the traditional trout soup. This soup is also used as a dressing for ham roasted “a la Tucker” in which, before making the broth, the trout is pickled in order to give it a totally unusual taste. In 2013 the town organized the first Jornadas Gastronómicas & Deportivas de la Trucha, which is now celebrated every year in the months of March or April.
Por otro lado, las empanadas de carne o camperas, el lechal asado, los guisos de Alubias de la Bañeza-León, con I.G.P. o el cocido maragato (servido a la inversa que en Madrid: primero la carne, luego las verduras y por último, la sopa) comparten mesa en esta comarca leonesa. Riega todas estas especialidades con una copa de vino Bierzo o de Tierra de León, ambos de producción autóctona y Denominación de Origen. Además puedes probar algunos de sus quesos de elaboración artesanal y dulces tradicionales a base de hojaldre. Con hojaldre también se elaboran deliciosas tartas de manzana, gracias a las ácidas Manzanas reinetas del Bierzo, con D.O.P.
Want to eat tapas in Hospital de Orbigo? It’s a small town, so the options are not very extensive. We recommend the following places:
Bar Café El Cantón is the typical bar in town that serves delicious tapas. You can even eat octopus brought from Galicia. At the Restaurant María Palos, next to the Paso Honroso bridge, they serve a tapa with your beer. You can also go to Jabel, where you can eat frog legs, sweetbreads, and delicious hamburgers.
If you’re looking for a good restaurant in Hospital de Orbigo, we recommend La Encomienda where the Morán twins (eighth-generation restauranteurs), after three centuries of history in a house classified as having Local Touristic Interest, offer typical homemade cuisine that includes many varied trouts recipes, like trout Laureate with frog legs. They also have a lovely dining area in the courtyard.
For eating with beautiful views of the Roman bridge over the Orbigo river, go to the Restaurante Don Suero de Quiñones.
Another more economical option is Flamingo, which is ideal if you want to recover your strength. They have a daily menu of homemade food.
