Taberna do Cunqueiro, Ourense
Named in honour of Galicia's beloved writer Álvaro Cunqueiro, this intimate old-town taberna is the kind of place where the menu changes with the market and the wine list reads like a love letter to Galicia's underrated interior appellations. It is exactly where you want to eat on your first night in Ourense.
What to order
Start with the pulpo á feira — octopus dusted with smoked paprika and sea salt on a wooden board — which here is noticeably more tender than versions you'll find in tourist-facing restaurants, because they source it from a single trusted supplier in O Carballiño, the nearby town that considers itself the world capital of octopus.
Follow with the caldo galego, the region's deeply comforting broth of white beans, grelos (turnip greens) and pork rib, then move to whatever the day's market fish is. In season, the lamprey (lamprea) prepared in its own blood is a genuinely historic dish that adventurous eaters should not skip.
The wine and the atmosphere
The taberna carries an exceptional list of Ribeiro whites — the crisp, slightly saline local appellation that pairs perfectly with seafood — alongside bottles from Valdeorras and Monterrei, two Ourense-province DOs that rarely appear on menus outside Galicia.
The room is small, stone-walled and candlelit, with perhaps a dozen tables. Reservations are strongly advised for dinner. The staff speak enough English to guide you through the menu, but pointing enthusiastically at neighbouring tables' dishes works just as well.
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