Claves para saborear lo mejor de Santiago
It’s not just an incentive to encourage pilgrims on their way. Gastronomy in Santiago de Compostela has, indeed, recognized worldwide. From the products available at Mercado de Abastos, freshly arrived from the fishing harbours or the fields nearby, which are later available in baroque stills at counters and seafood restaurants.
Tourists go to Santiago looking for great quality on seafood, abundant and well-priced ¿The best? The seafood captured at Galician Rías by the North Sea, of course. Species like crab, lobster, shrimp, razor clams, oysters, crabs, crabs, barnacles, clams, oysters, prawns, barnacles and scallops, better known as "Concha de Santiago", which is also the symbol for the pilgrims and Santiago Way. Seafood is usually conserved alive until is prepared, simply boiled or grilled. However, you should know typically a Galician won’t put any sauce on it, as it masks the taste and qualities.
Then, there is the octopus. Any popular celebration to be considered must have octopus as the star course. Inside, it’s usually cooked "á feira", while in the coastline is usually prepared until is "recio", to be topped with coarse salt, pepper and a splash of oil. In Santiago you will find restaurants specialized in octopus at the streets Conxo, Vista Alegre o Concheiros, where you can also try recipes like octopus pie or octopus with rice.
There are other main products around here: Galician beef – juicy, with an intense and delicious flavour – or the cheeses from Arzúa-Ulloa or cheese roll, usually served with quinces, or the famous Santiago cake, made of almonds. In Santiago, you’ll usually get served a tapa as a courtesy. You can distinguish the tapa from an actual course as the ration is more abundant, sophisticated and not free. Near Obradoiro Square, at the streets of Rúa do Franco and Raíña, you can try all kind of tapas with high quality wines, like albariños and ribeiros.
The best option to discover the richness and gastronomic tradition of Santiago is to book one of the gastronomic tours, a guided visit to the most traditional stores and markets like Mercado de Abastos, to discover all the tips and secrets of their gastronomic culture and to try some of their products.
Another option if to go to some of the gastronomic events, like Santiago(é)Tapas, a tapas contest organized in November which allows you to discover the best and most innovative Galician gastronomy as you discover the city, too.
So you feel like visiting Santiago de Compostela, do you? Book your flights here!
more infoDakar’s exotic taste
Dakar offers travelers the chance to enter a world of exotic flavors. It is the best place for a curious palate eager to travel between new flavors and scents of spices, as Senegal’s cuisine has a reputation as the best in Africa. A cuisine influenced by France, Lebanon, Portugal and Vietnam but with its own character and complex flavors.
Dakar, being surrounded on three sides by the Atlantic Ocean, floods its restaurants with the best seafood and fish, brought by the fishermen’s colorful canoes of the area to be sold in the Soumbédioune market immediately. Shrimps, lobsters, sea urchins, grouper, tuna, monkfish, mackerel, swordfish and crabs are exquisite.
A good dish of meat, fish or senegalese seafood always comes with rice (Yassa), base of their cuisine along with wheat and millet.
The most popular Senegalese dish is indeed the mix of these two ingredients: rice and fish marinated to elaborate the traditional tieboudienne, their national dish.
Yassa au poulet is another of their popular dishes, a recipe based on chicken marinated with lemon and onion or blunt maffe, which used to be prepared with lamb and rice and accompanied by a delicious peanut sauce.
Quenching the color with fruit juices made in the are is a pleasure. The ones that you will easily find are those of roselle (Hibiscus), Bouye (from Bwee, baobab fruit) and ginger. They are very refreshing and provide many vitamins.
Street stalls and markets are great places for a quick meal. The vendors are placed around the market with their stalls selling beignets, fritters that will sweeten your day. The best market to find them is Sandanga, located on the corner of the Pompidou and Lamine Gueye Sandaga avenues.
Just4u
Avenue Cheikh Anta Diop
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Two leading national prides are brought together here: gastronomy and music. The best place to enjoy the city’s musical talents , extraordinary musicians like Youssou N'Dour, Didier Awadi or Baaba Maal started here. With a daily schedule of concerts, you'll enjoy a lively evening in this cozy outdoor restaurant.
Le Djembe
56 Rue Saint-Michel
Dakar has a large Lebanese community. Although the place is owned by one of those expatriate Lebanese, the restaurant’s menu is Senegalese. Ideal to taste the best typical recipes like the thieboudienne or chicken with rice served with refreshing juices as Bouye (from baobab) or bissop (hibiscus).
Cabane des Pêcheurs
Plage de Ngor
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One of the best places to try the local fish and seafood on the seafront in the lively beach of N'Gor. Its interior is decorated with lots of nautical motifs.
Le Toukouleur
122 rue Moussé Diop
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All the colorful African culture gets together in this restauran, with a courtyard decorated with painted clay statues. Perfect to try out a mixture of refined local cuisine and international flavors.
Why not take a trip to Dakar? Have a look at our flights here!
more infoGazi. The trendiest neighbourhood in Athens.
Full of life, Gazi neighbourhood (Γκάζι) is one of the most cheerful in Athens. This is the place to taste the nightlife of the Greek city, a labyrinth of narrow streets full of multitudes to enjoy a great offer of leisure.
This was the first neighbourhood hosting gay-friendly clubs and, after time, became the trendiest place in Athens, with an energy that cannot be seen anywhere else in the city and its own rhythm.
In Gazi there are the modern cocktail bars, night pubs, new cafés and restaurants, also museums, galleries and theatres. The main spot in the neighbourhood is an old gas factory that was reopened in 1999 as an elegant arts centre named Tecnópolis.
Gazi means exactly that, gas factory, and is at this factory where there are exhibitions, concerts and festivals regularly. The building is from 1862 and includes cultural spaces, a big patio, the María Callas Museum, the city radio and a cosy café.
This might be one of the few gas factories that remain after World War II. The reason is that is near the Acropolis and the old archaeological setting of Keramikos and the nazis, who were into classic culture, were afraid to bomb this area.
At night, the relaxed cafés of Gazi Square and the streets around, like Iakou, Persephonis, Dekeleon and Voutadon, become modern bars and restaurants.
Go to Mamaca's in Persephonis street. It’s a classic around here, the place to eat great Greek food. At the same street, The Butcher Shop, an excellent psistaria, typical Greek tavern specialized in roast and grilled meats. Both restaurants have tables in the streets.
In Vitonos there is Thalata, a great restaurant specialized in seafood. Even it’s a little bit expensive for the Greek standard, the quality is great and you won’t feel like you’re in a fake place made for tourists. Walls are painted with the beautiful colours of the Cyclades and you can get the advice from the owner to get the freshest products.
In Athiri you have a great weekly menu, made of gourmet courses, for about 25€. The restaurant was awarded several times so is a safe option, with fresh products, organic olive oil and homemade desserts. Even the bread is homemade!
To go for a drink, Gazarte is the most famous place to go. Getting a cocktail at the roof, with great views over the Acropolis, is so refreshing. There is also a cinema, a restaurant, a bookstore and a room where there’s live music scheduled daily.
Makes you want to go, right? Do it! Check out our prices here!
more infoContemporary Athens
Ever since the first event in 1955, Documenta has been held in Kassel every five years. As the fourteenth edition approached, the modern cultural event packed its bags and moved to Athens for the first time. Under the title “Learning From Athens”, the 2017 event has adopted proposals with political connotations. Running from 8 April to 16 July, this the largest and most important contemporary art exhibition in Europe is being co-hosted by both Athens and Kassel. As Documenta lands on Greek soil, we leave behind the Acropolis and venture into the heart of a more contemporary Athens.
National Museum of Contemporary Art
The main Documenta exhibition is housed in the National Museum of Contemporary Art (EMST Museum), which was inaugurated in 2014. An exhibition featuring works by over 80 artists will form the backbone of a journey with dark overtones from colonial times to the economic pragmatism of today. One of the leading and most interesting galleries in Greece, the museum is located on the premises of the former Fix Brewery – built in 1962 and designed by architect Takis Zenetos in collaboration with Margaritis Apostolidis. The brewery closed down in 1982, having produced what was the most popular beer in the country for decades. Kallirrois Avenue & Amvr. Frantzi Str
Exarchia
Those interested in counter-culture should make a point of visiting the Exarchia district. This bastion of anarchism in Athens has often been the scene of major demonstrations during the most difficult moments of the economic crisis. Exarchia is the closest thing to one endless, open-air art gallery. It is a striking display of street culture, with every single stretch of building frontage acting as a potential canvas; indeed, you are unlikely to find any patch of wall not covered in graffiti. By way of an Athenian version of Barcelona’s Gothic quarter, Madrid’s Malasaña, London’s Camden Town or Berlin’s Kreuzberg, Exarchia also boasts some of the best cafés in Athens, as well as the most highly recommended book shops and stores selling comics, records and second-hand clothing.
Technopolis
In the Gazi district of downtown Athens you will come across a huge cultural centre which was founded with the aim of promoting the art scene and enshrining the site’s industrial heritage (it houses the Industrial Gas Museum, dating from 2013), as well as arousing public awareness about social issues. Built in 1857, this complex was originally a gasworks. Amid chimney stacks, furnaces and huge gas tanks, attesting to the site’s recent past, Technopolis is the venue for virtually daily must-visit events in the fields of music, cinema, theatre and the visual arts, such as Fashion Week or the Athens Jazz festival. 100 Pireos Street
Embros Theatre
A self-managed theatre with one of the liveliest cultural agendas in Athens. The Embros Theatre is housed in the former headquarters of one of the leading publishers in town. But, when the business went to seed, the owners were forced to sell the building, which was acquired by a popular theatre company and turned into one of the most frequented theatre venues in Athens. However, the venture was short-lived. The company split into two and the building fell into disuse. In 2010 the auditorium was acquired by the Athens City Council but, in view of it hosting zero activity, it was occupied by a group of actors. Ever since the theatre has been hosting all kinds of artistic and cultural events, as well as operating as a social centre. Riga Palamidou, 3
Former Gestapo Prison
Surprisingly, a place bearing such a historical burden as this former prison has been overlooked by most tourist guides. It is located on Korai Street, opposite the Panepistimio metro station. Visitors can venture into what once concealed a clandestine prison of the Gestapo. Now designated a Historical Memory Site, under the German occupation during World War II it was where communists and other members of the Greek left-wing were incarcerated. It makes for an emotionally charged visit, of which the highlights are the picture gallery and the carvings made by the revolutionaries during their confinement. 4 Korai Street
Booze Cooperativa
One of the trendiest venues in town. In the morning, this multi-purpose space operates as a specialty café and a refuge for the bearded crowd working on their laptops. After lunch, which in Greece ranges from three to five o’clock in the afternoon (and the Booze Cooperativa cuisine is highly recommended), it turns into a bustling bar and stays that way until the wee hours. But, the great draw of Booze Cooperativa is the exhibition room hidden in the basement. On display in this gallery are works by some of the most evocative names from the local alternative art scene, while the theatre room on the floor above is the first choice for upcoming, alternative Athenian playwrights. 57 Kolokotroni Street
Αvli
After so much art and culture sightseeing, the time always comes to replenish your strength. And, talking of good food, there is nothing quite like Greek cuisine. There are dozens of spots where you can get delicious traditional Greek fare in Athens, but Avli tops them all and it’s set in one of the most picturesque yards in the city where you can taste all the homemade Greek specialities. And, in between helpings of keftedakia, loukaniko and moussaka, be a daredevil and have a few sips of ouzo. Locally made, this is one of the most popular drinks in Greece, characterised by its high alcohol content (from 37% to 50% proof), strong flavour and liquorice aroma. 12 Agiou Dimitriou
Monastiraki Flea Market
All trips tend to end off with a round of shopping. And, when you’ve been on an alternative tour of Athens, this should be negotiated at the Monastiraki Flea Market. Monastiraki is renowned as one of the major shopping hubs in Athens, and it also features numerous boutiques. However, on Sundays, this area, particularly along Ermou Street, becomes one huge flea market where you can pick up practically anything, from antiques to out-of-print books, vinyls, second-hand clothing, furniture… This rounds off your perfect Sunday morning programme, after having tucked in to a whopping breakfast of cheese or spinach pastry, washed down with a Milko (the Greek Milo chocolate drink) or a huge frappé coffee (although this is the speciality in Thessaloniki).
Texto de Oriol Rodríguez
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