Best restaurants and what to eat
Spain
Gijón is one of Asturias’s great gastronomic capitals, where the sea and the green Cantabrian hinterland meet on the plate. Its food culture is built around cider, hearty bean stews, excellent fish and seafood, dairy-rich mountain products, and rustic sweets that reflect both maritime and rural traditions.
A legendary blue cheese from Asturias, intensely pungent yet beautifully creamy, with a salty, spicy finish that lingers. It is often enjoyed with rustic bread or a spoonful of quince paste, and it pairs especially well with bold local cider.
A traditional Asturian cheese with a compact, slightly crumbly texture and a gently lactic tang, sometimes dusted with paprika. Its name and character are deeply tied to the region’s dairy heritage, and it works well both fresh and aged.
A smooth, mild Asturian cheese with a buttery profile and a supple paste, ideal for eating on its own or melting into warm dishes. It is a gentler counterpoint to the region’s stronger blues and farmhouse specialties.
A robust cured or semi-cured sausage colored with paprika, delivering smoky, garlicky depth and a juicy bite. In Asturian cooking it is often used to enrich stews, beans, and mountain dishes.
A hearty blood sausage with a soft, rich texture and notes of onion, fat, and warm spice. It brings depth to traditional Asturian plates and is especially satisfying when pan-fried or cooked with beans.
The classic cured-meat set for Asturian bean stews, usually including chorizo, morcilla, and cured pork belly or shoulder. It is less a single sausage than a defining flavor base of the region’s most iconic casseroles.
The defining drink of Gijón and Asturias, naturally fermented from local apples and poured from a height to aerate and enliven it. Dry, bright, and slightly earthy, it is served young and pairs perfectly with seafood, cheeses, and tapas.
Traditional unfiltered cider with lively acidity, a dry finish, and a cloudy, artisanal character. It is poured in the classic escanciado style, which opens the aromas and gives the drink its signature texture.
Sparkling Asturian cider with a brighter mousse and a more festive profile than the still style. It offers apple freshness and a crisp finish, often enjoyed at celebrations and modern cider houses.
A softer table cider from Asturias, typically less rustic than traditional poured cider and suited to casual meals. It keeps the apple-driven personality of the region while offering an easier, more relaxed sip.
A bottle-fermented or sparkling cider style associated with festive Asturian drinking. Its fine bubbles and clean apple notes make it a more elegant expression of the region’s cider tradition.
A modern dessert-style cider made by concentrating apple sugars through cold treatment, resulting in a richer, more intense drink. It is sweet, aromatic, and often served in small glasses after dinner.
The signature dish of Asturias: a luxurious bean stew with fabes, chorizo, morcilla, and pork, slow-cooked until the broth turns silky and deeply flavored. It is rich, smoky, and iconic, especially satisfying in the cooler coastal climate of Gijón.
A rustic, spoonable stew of greens, beans, potatoes, and cured meats that captures the mountain side of Asturian cooking. Hearty and nourishing, it offers a greener, earthier counterpart to fabada.
A coastal fish stew built from the day’s catch, simmered with potatoes, aromatics, and a savory broth. In Gijón it reflects the city’s maritime identity and the simple elegance of Cantabrian cooking.
Tender baby squid grilled quickly with olive oil, garlic, and salt, preserving a sweet marine flavor and lightly caramelized edges. It is a classic tapa in seaside Asturias, best eaten hot and simply dressed.
Hake cooked in cider with onions or aromatic garnishes, creating a refined sauce that is bright, fruity, and subtly tangy. This dish is a perfect meeting of the region’s fish and its most famous drink.
Monkfish prepared with cider-based sauce, producing a firm, elegant dish with sweet acidity and a maritime depth. It shows how Asturian kitchens combine local fish cookery with orchard-driven character.
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