Vigo Gourmet Food Tour: Eat Your Way along the City Streets

Vigo Food Tour: Taste the best seafood in the world!

If you have never heard of  Vigo it is a city that has always been associated with the Sea and the fruits that come from it! Vigo is the 2nd largest fishing port in the world just behind Tokyo, Japan. A city that faces the bay of Vigo on the Atlantic coast of North-western Spain. It is a hub for people wanting to taste the best seafood in the world! 

On this food tour of Vigo, our foodie guide will take you on a food walk through the streets of the new and old parts of the city centre. There is no better way to discover Vigo than walking and eating as the local Vigueses do. Instead of sitting down in one restaurant to have a 3-course meal, we will visit three different spots offering some of the best food in vigo. 

A visit to Vigo is not complete without taking a look at a local market, in fact, this will be the first stop on our food tour of vigo. The market of Progreso is local in the upper new part of the city, although a newly restored building now it has over 100 years of history offering some of the freshest produce in the city. Daily the fish and seafood; Hake fish, squid, octopus, scallops, etc... are brought up from the fishing port. Not forgetting about the amazing meats, Galician cheeses, vegetables, etc... It is a small but very well-stocked market for the locals of this part of Vigo to get their groceries.

Walking down the Calle Principe (Price Street) the street is lined with designer clothing stores like; Zara, Blanco, Roberto Verino, etc... Arriving at the Plaza del Sol (Sun Square) which connects us to the old fishing quarter of Vigo city. This square is a meeting point in the city with an iconic statue of El Sireno (The Merman) sculpted by the artist Fransico Leiro.

Fernando VII granted Vigo the title of faithful, loyal, and courageous city.

Making our way deeper into the old part of town we arrive at the Plaza de La Constitución (Constitution Square), a square that celebrates every year on the 28th of March the Reconquista de Vigo (Reconquest of Vigo). One of the most important dates in the history of Vigo, as on this date in 1809,  the honest farmers, fishermen, workers, etc.. with their pitchforks, were able to win back their city and repel Napoleon´s troops out of Vigo city.  A year later, Fernando VII granted Vigo the title of faithful, loyal, and courageous city.

Time to sit and share some food and wines in a quaint Galician tavern

After walking the streets of this urban coastal city, it is now time to sit and share some food and wines in a quaint Galician tavern (or delicatessen store/bar depending on availability.) located on the oldest street of the old part of town Calle de Cestieros (Wicker-basket Maker Street). Carmen always has quite a spread of local Galician cheeses prepared for us, like the famous Tetilla cheese! We also taste the gourmet canned seafood pate with local crackers. All this alongside the Galician wines of the different Appellations of origin; D.O. Ribeira Sacra, D.O. Ribeiro, etc... We will try both white and red young wines made of local grapes... Mencia, Treixadura, etc... All products are locally sourced from small wine cellars, farms, fishermen, etc... keeping to the Slow Food movement of eating the products as close to home as possible.

On our way to the 2nd stop, we will pass by one of the essential streets in the city called Calle de las Ostras (Oyster Street)  near the A Pedra Market (Stone Market). The name of this street is a dead giveaway, it is the spot to eat seafood, especially Oysters. Here the Oyster men and women come in from the neighbouring village of Arcade where they farm the Oysters in the bay. They are lined up on stone benches with crates of fresh oysters! For those who like raw oysters, you can get some. After that, we will head to a seafood restaurant near the port where you will be treated to a Galician specialty, Arroz de Marisco (Seafood Fisherman´s rice dish). This Galician dish could be confused with Spanish Paella, even called by some a Galician-style paella, but it is quite different since seafood is the flagship including various types of shellfish; Mussels, Prawns, shrimp, clams, etc... with more broth made of fish-stock and, other ingredients like paprika which is used quite a bit in the Galician cuisine. This dish has to be accompanied by the wine of the Sea, D.O. Rias Baixas Albariño wine.

Sunken treasures from the Battle of Rande on Vigo Bay

Starting to get full... but it is not over yet... we will take a stroll along the promenade and nautical port where sits a bronze statue of Jules Verne, made by Jose Molares. Jules was a famous French writer who wrote the book 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea in which he dedicated a chapter to Vigo Bay and the sunken treasures from the Battle of Rande.

Our final stop on the Vigo food tour promises a delightful experience! Relaxing at a pastry and bakery shop specializing in delicatessens since 1911. We conclude our tasting journey with the exquisite Tarta de Santiago cake. Made of almond meal, this delectable treat is paired perfectly with your choice of espresso, coffee, or tea.

This vigo food tour will give you a great taste of what the city has to offer!

• 11:15 AM (please arrive at least 5 mins. before the start time): Our Food Expert Guide will be waiting for you in front of the bronze sculpture El Salto (The Jump) also known as La Bañista (The Bather) made by the local artist Francisco Leiro.
• After a brief introduction from our guide, you will then walk along the nautical port of Vigo stopping out front of the Real Club Nautico de Vigo to admire some of the buildings and architecture, like the AC Universal Hotel which was a Casino in its days now a four-star hotel in an excellent location of the city.
• Crossing the Alameda da Praza de Compostela Park, a beautiful residential area in the city.
• Continuing through the urban streets up to the new part of the city stopping to admire the Garcia Barbon Theatre built in the 19th century on the way up to the Rua do Pincipe, the shopping district of the city centre with many boutiques and fashion stores with important brands like Zara, Roberto Verino, etc...
• Arriving at the *Mercado Do Progreso, a market that was recently rebuilt with an excellent selection of vegetables, cheeses, meats, and of course a wide variety of fish & seafood! Our guide will explain the different types of fish and seafood caught in the area. This is an excellent way to get familiar with the locally sourced products in Galicia. We will taste a special fair-style doughnut stick (palitos de anis) made at the local bakery. (*NOTE: On a Monday there is no seafood or fish as the fishermen do not go to sea on Sundays. On Sundays the market is closed so more of a walk will be included and the market visit is not available on a Sunday.)
• Now we make our way down to the Puerta del Sol (Sun Square), a gathering point in the city that is the limit between the old fishing quarter and the new part of town.
• Entering into the Casco Vello, the old part of town thru the Plaza de la Constitucion another one of those spots in the city to sit on a terrace and enjoy a drink!
• After our walk through the city, it is time to dive into some local tapas and wines at our first stop, at a quaint tavern bar with barrel tables and located inside an old fisherman´s house fully restored.
• Paring a local white wine of the region D.O. Ribeiro is served in typical tazas (ceramic bowls) with local Galician cheeses like the famous Tetilla. Then on to the second wine, a red one this time made of the Mencia grape of the D.O. Ribeira Sacra, served alongside some gourmet canned seafood pate. All the wines and food are locally sourced by small-scale producers chosen by our food and wine experts.
• Off to the second food stop we pass by the Cathedral of Santa Maria de Vigo and walk along the Calle das Ostras on our way to the second stop where we will taste some of the best seafood and fish in the city! The specialty here is the Arroz de Marisco, a seafood rice dish with many types of seafood in a delicious creamy broth! The best to pair a dish like this is white Albariño wine from the D.O. Rias Baixas.
• Our last stop will be at a popular cafe/bakery that has specialized in delicatessens since 1911. After all the seafood, now it`s time to taste a delicious Galician dessert, the Tarta de Santiago almond cake accompanied by coffee or tea.
• To stretch our legs after all the food we walk to another bronze statue at the port sculpted by local artist José Molares of Jules Verne
  
• 03:15 PM approx.: The final goodbye from our guide will be back at the port of Vigo right near the starting point.