Studying in Spain for a semester gave me plenty of time to try different food, below is my list of foods you need to eat in Vigo. The majority of meals I ate in Vigo were cooked in my apartment. My roommate and I were extremely stingy buying groceries so that we had extra money for travel and experiences. Vigo is also not a common tourist destination, and while we found some incredible places to eat, I didn’t have a list of places I wanted to try before leaving. Vigo is located in Galicia. While some of the foods can be found throughout Spain, others are specific to the region.

Looking up maps, the majority of restaurants I remember eating at are no longer open besides Tommy Mel’s American 50’s Diner. My first day in Vigo, this is the restaurant I ate at after university orientation with two other exchange students from the United States-my soon to be roommates. The only reason we ate here was that we were too hungry to wait for any other restaurant to open. In Spain, everything is pushed back in the day, but maybe nothing quite like dinner and nightlife. By 8 pm we couldn’t wait another hour or two for restaurants to open so this is where we ate. We quickly adjusted though and soon found our favorite spots in the city for tapas, sushi, and other authentic cuisine for the area.

Read about my experience of living in Vigo here. Here’s a list of 12 foods you need to eat in Vigo Spain!

Tapas

I love the Spanish culture of tapas (little plates). While tapas aren’t specific to a certain region of Spain, there are regional tapas. I go into more detail below on some specific to Vigo and Galicia. In Spain there are different versions of tapas restaurants you can find. Particularly in more touristy areas you can go to restaurants and the table will all order multiple tapas that you can pass around to share so you can try everything. Another version is that if you order just your drink first at a restaurant, they will bring out a plate with varying tapas for each person. Then you order your meal.

A more traditional version is that the food comes with your drink and you don’t get to choose what the food is. Most cafes turn into bars at night. We had one across the street from our apartment we loved to stop at. We would order a drink and they would drink out a plate of either meat or potatoes and bread. About 15 minutes later they would bring out the next tapa with a different food item. This would continue and over the course of an hour or two, we would get a full meal, only having to each pay for a few drinks.

Euro alcohol

We judged prices of restaurants by the drink prices. Our first legal drinks (I was only 20) was at a Chat y Tapas that the international students organization hosted at a local bar. Our drinks-I had sangria-only cost a Euro and the tapas came with. My roommate and I each chose one-paella and a bocadillo de caballo (horse sandwich)-and then split the food so we could try both.

The beer at McDonald’s was also only a Euro (McBeer as my family likes to call it.) My friends studying in other countries ate at American fast food chains frequently. Vigo only had the one McDonald’s, at least that I was aware of, and I only stopped in there one time. I do think it can be fun to at least check out the McDonald’s in other countries, because their menus do change to reflect the country and culture. You can buy macaroons in Switzerland, we had some fancy pastries from one in Italy, and most European locations serve potato wedges.

Gambas (Shrimp)

Vigo being a port city meant a lot of fresh seafood. Garlic shrimp was one of our favorite tapas to get.

Jugo de naranja (Orange juice)

Spain is a huge exporter of oranges. While Vigo is on the opposite coast of the major region that produces oranges, they still seemed to be everywhere. As a result, orange juice is a very popular beverage served with breakfast.

Pulbo á feira/Pulpo a la Gallega (Octopus)

Pulpo can be found in a lot of areas of Spain, however it’s one of the regional foods of Galicia. This was a common tapa in the area, and had a mix of calamari and pulpo on the plate.

Licor café (Coffee liquor)

I don’t have a photo, but this is a Galician drink. When we celebrated Carnival in Xinxe (post here), one bar gave us multiple free shots of it. Licor café is made from Orujo, coffee beans, and sugar. Orujo is a brandy from Northern Spain.

Roscón de Reyes (King’s Ring/Bread)

King’s Ring in Spain is their version of Kings Cake. It is a sweet bread topped with sugar, candies, nuts, and dried fruits. It is traditionally eaten on January 6th. The grocery stores were still selling them when we arrived closer to the end of January so my roommates and I bought one to share. It was also sliced in the middle and filled with frosting or creme.

Bocadillos

A bocadillo is a traditional Spanish sandwich usually made with a baguette that contains different combos of meat and cheese, or tortilla de España (a quiche like dish made with eggs and potatoes). Chorizo is a common choice and they are sold at most cafes and bars. Generally, you eat a bocadillo around noon and full lunch around 3:00pm. This makes it possible to push dinner back until 9:00-11:00pm.

Café y té (Coffee and tea)

I am personally not a coffee drinker, so while my roommates would stop for un café I would always ask for un té. Often we would also order a croissant or pastry.

Pastries and croissants

Speaking of pastries, it was so tempting every day to stop at a panadería (bread shop/bakery) all the time. Even getting the pre-prepared croissants at the grocery stores were better than 99% of options you can choose from in the United States.

Sushi

This sushi we had is still the most expensive meal I’ve every paid for. But it was worth every bite, and is what made me truly begin liking sushi.

Spanish treats

We stopped in a supermarket that was in the basement level of a mall. This was the largest grocery store I saw during my time in Spain. Along with all the normal foods, we found self-serve olives, and different candies. My cousins would have loved these trucks full of candy!

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