Pulpería O Lagar & the Cidade Vella Tapas Circuit
The cobbled lanes of A Coruña's Cidade Vella (Old Town) hide some of the most honest Galician cooking in the city, anchored by a cluster of pulperías and tapas bars within a five-minute walk of each other. Start at Pulpería O Lagar on Rúa dos Olmos for a slate plate of pulpo á feira — tender octopus dusted with smoked paprika and sea salt — then work your way through the neighbourhood with a glass
What to Order and Where
Pulpo á feira is the non-negotiable opener: octopus boiled in copper pots, sliced onto a wooden board and finished with Galician olive oil, coarse salt and pimentón de la Vera. At O Lagar, a ración (sharing portion) costs around €14 and is easily enough for two as a starter.
From there, head to Bar Melo's on Rúa da Estrela for the city's most famous bocadillo de calamares — a crusty roll stuffed with freshly fried squid rings, no frills, no pretension. It's been a lunchtime institution since the 1960s and costs under €4.
The Albariño Trail
Galicia's signature white wine, albariño, is bone-dry, high in acidity and smells faintly of peach and citrus — it was practically engineered to cut through the richness of shellfish. Most bars in the Cidade Vella pour house albariño for €1.50–2.50 a glass, and a free tapa often arrives with your first drink.
For a more curated selection, Vinoteca Paco Lambán on Rúa da Sinagoga stocks over 80 Galician labels by the glass and the owner is encyclopedically knowledgeable about local producers. It's a tiny room that fits perhaps 20 people — arrive early or expect to stand.
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