Ortigueira is situated in the northern part of A Coruña. Known for its summer Celtic festival, the town’s surrounding natural environment makes it a perfect destination for a getaway. Additionally, since it’s a Galician town, eating in Ortigueira a great option. If you like octopus, shellfish, and good meat…Don’t hesitate to eat in Ortigueira!
If you want to know what to eat in Ortigueira, famous for its summer Celtic music festival, the cuisine provides a large variety of fish and shellfish due to its location in an estuary close to the ocean. You’ll find barnacles, crab, dorada and salmonete (two kinds of fish), along with other typical Galician ingredients. There’s also the ubiquitous octopus a feira, served with boiled potatoes (cachelos) and cayenne pepper, as well as the lacón con grelos
A local representative dish is the bertones rellenos, which is a complex recipe made with turnip leavese leftover from the grelos harvest that are filled with morcillo meat.
Try visiting the large gastronomic events in Ortigueira: the Mercado Mariñeiro, which lasts for three days in mid-August, and the Feria de la Miel, which has been celebrated for more than a quarter of a century. At the former you’ll find a tasting of clams, cockles, mussels from the estuary, arroces, etc…all accompanied by the thematic fair atmosphere. At the latter, you can discover the sweet nectar produced in the region and taste incredible local desserts. The orellas (‘ears’ in Castilian), the pestiños and the bolas freixós, very typical to carnivals, will satisfy even those with the biggest sweet tooth.
Having tapas in Ortigueira is a great option. Whether you’re at a festival or just visiting the area, we recommend stopping for a snack at Cafetería Arcos, a small place ideal for drinking a glass of wine or beer with a tapa or a rich hamburger. At Casa Rodrigo, a restaurant serving traditional cuisine, pinchos and tapas are accompanied by drinks from the bar; at their shop they also prepare small daily menus and specials for parties. Mesón O Malecón is ideal for having good and abundant tapas with a great wine. We especially recommend the tostas de setas (mushroom toast) and the croquetas de algas (seaweed croquettes).
Here we highlight just a few of the many recommendable restaurants in Ortigueira.
At the restaurant Planeta, open since 1973, they have their own aquarium, so their seafood is very good. They also have great views.
If you want to eat fresh, good food on a pleasant terrace in Ortigueira, we recommend Manolo’s Xantar. You can taste the scallops au gratin and prawn carpaccio. Their desserts are highly recommended, particularly the tarta de queso in the Galician style.
Finally, A Cabana do Fos is great for eating as a family. It’s slightly hidden amongst the foliage but is easy to find with GPS. Particularly good are their chuletón de buey as well as their typical Galician seafood.
