Sidrería El Llar de Viri, Gijón
Asturian cider culture is not just a drink — it's a ritual, and El Llar de Viri in Gijón is one of the finest places to experience it. The escanciador lifts the bottle high above their head and pours a thin arc of natural cider into the glass with theatrical precision, releasing its fizz and releasing your inhibitions simultaneously.
The Art of the Escancia
Natural Asturian cider (sidra natural) is flat in the bottle and comes alive only when aerated by the high pour. Every table gets its own bottle and the expectation is that you'll drain each small measure (culín) in one go before the bubbles die. It sounds intimidating; within ten minutes it feels like the most natural thing in the world.
El Llar de Viri, on Calle Capua in the Cimadevilla old quarter, is beloved by locals for its no-nonsense atmosphere, excellent pour and serious kitchen. The wooden interior smells of apples and woodsmoke.
What to Eat Alongside
Order the cachopo — two enormous breaded veal fillets sandwiched around Cabrales cheese and Serrano ham, deep-fried to a shattering golden crust. It is the definitive Asturian comfort dish and a single portion will comfortably feed two people who haven't skipped lunch.
Don't leave without trying the fabada asturiana: a slow-cooked stew of large white fabes beans with chorizo, morcilla and lacón. It's rich, smoky and warming in a way that feels almost medicinal. Pair it with a second bottle of sidra and the afternoon will take care of itself.
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