I recently spent a week enjoying the magical, food-loving city of Oviedo in Northern Spain.
The region, known as Asturias, has gained some recognition over the years thanks to shows like Somebody Feed Phil and famous chef José Andrés, who was born and raised here.
We chose Oviedo as our base because it seemed like the most central option to be able to do day trips to places like Gijón and other cities along the coastline. I also knew, after doing some basic research, that it would be a fantastic place to eat and drink (there is a whole street dedicated to cider bars!).
A week is a long time in a city as small as Oviedo, so we had the opportunity to revisit a few of these spots throughout the trip, allowing me to confidently recommend these delicious spots.
As always with my food guides, they lean heavily on local foods. This list doesn’t include any higher-end restaurants or international cuisine. However, it is packed full of tapas bars and restaurants serving up traditional Asturian foods.
A note about language: Asturias is still relatively unvisited by international tourism, except those passing through along the Camino de Santiago. It is quite popular with domestic tourists, and there is a growing number of people willing to make the trek to learn more about this culture (like you who have searched for and found this article, hurrah!).
A few restaurants have English menus and a few more have at least one staff member who can speak English, but go with the knowledge that you may have to look up the food on your phone before you order it and then smile and get your best high school Spanish out!
Where to Eat & Drink in Oviedo
The most ordered things for me on this trip were cheese boards and chorizo in cider. I must have tried it at almost every single restaurant in Oviedo.
1. Sidrería Marcelino
One of my favorite local-feeling cider bars, this is located around the corner from the main “Cider Street.”
They have a nice selection of different ciders from the region and the food here is delicious. Everything from classic Spanish dishes like croquetas and octopus Galician style (Pulpo a la Gallega) to local dishes like Fabada Asturiana. They have fresh seafood dishes as well that are really great.
Whether you just want a few snacks to share for the table or you’re looking for a good spot for dinner and good atmosphere, this place should definitely be on your list of best cider bars in Oviedo.
2. Sidrería Tiera Astur Gascona
This is one of the most famous and touristed spots in Oviedo, but I went here twice and felt both times that the service was great and the food was very high quality. There are two locations along Gascona Street (that’s the name of the cider street) and both have tons of seating and the same exact menu.
The first time I came here my friends and I all sat at a table and we ordered several of the larger dishes to share. The local cheese selection is extensive, the chorizo in cider (a very traditional dish from Asturias) was one of my favorites, and the cider selection here is fantastic.
The second time I came here just with Luke and we propped at the bar enjoying a few bottles of cider and some bar snacks. They have a separate bar menu that you can order off of which had smaller portions (and smaller prices) than the main menu, perfect for snacking.
Entrecote or ternera as its sometimes called on the menus is available at most restaurants around Oviedo and it’s delicious!
3. Sidrería El Ferroviario
Another very popular cider bar along Gascona Street, El Ferrobiario was one of our favorite places to simple stand at the bar and people watch. They serve up their cider with a big bowl of chips for you to snack on and when either gets low they top you up immediately.
I loved the bartenders here – it seemed like a place that was both used to tourists and also had a steady flow of locals who come for a few ciders after work. The food here is classic cider bar fare, meat heavy, traditional Asturian, and some Spanish tapas options as well.
I overheard them speaking some English to another group who were at the bar, so if you are worried about speaking Spanish, they do have some younger staff who are happy to help out when ordering.
4. Sidrería La Cabana
Located on the quieter end of Gascona Street, this place is very popular with the locals for dinner, so if you head here between 8:30 and 9:30pm, expect to wait for a table (or make a reservation ahead of time).
This is a great place to come and order a bunch of different dishes to share (although admittedly, most places on this list are perfect for exactly that). The chorizo in cider is spectacular here, as are the shrimp, muscles, and bacalao.
If seafood isn’t your cup of tea, they have a whole section on the menu of huevos rotos or broken eggs, which is a popular bar food in Spain made of crispy potatoes topped with fried eggs and usually a meat like chorizo or serrano ham, but these guys also serve it with octopus, morcilla (blood sausage), or picadillo (ground beef).
5. Sidrería Yaya
A tiny, hole in the wall cider bar that, once all of the tables are full after 9pm, tends to shut the doors and close to any new customers. So come early because you can’t make a reservation here and they are only open a few days a week. But the food here makes it worth the hassle (even if the surly customer service doesn’t).
The food here is exceptional, from the perfectly fried croquetas to the creamy, meat-filled Fabada Asturiana, you will leave here full and happy.
The chickpeas with octopus is a dish I haven’t seen anywhere else and was absolutely delicious, the octopus was so tender and well seasoned. They also have a really nice selection of Asturian cheeses to sample along with crusty bread on the side.
I am still dreaming about the morcilla from Gato Negro. I would travel all the way back to Oviedo just to eat this dish.
6. Sidrería El Gato Negro
This restaurant requires a reservation unless you arrive as soon as they open. It is popular with both locals and tourists and they have an English menu and good service, making them particularly popular spot with international tourists.
If I didn’t have to make a reservation, I would have eaten here two or three more times, but I kept forgetting to call ahead of time. The food here is so fantastic and the location away from the crowds make this feel like you are tucked away from it all here.
We had an absolute feast the night we went here for dinner, sharing the cachopo, an Asturian dish made of two large, thin veal fillets layered with Serrano ham and cheese, then breaded and deep-fried. We also had the chorizo in cider, the potatoes with three sauces (the blue cheese sauce was the best thing that has ever touched my lips), and finally, the best thing I ate on my entire trip to Oviedo, the morcilla with apple compote.
7. Restaurante El Fartuqin
If you want to get away from the cider bar scene and enjoy a more upscale dining experience, El Fartuqin is my top pick for that.
They have both a menu of the day where you can choose from a small list of starters, mains, and desserts or an a la carte menu where you can order whatever you want. The menu of the day is usually a fantastic price for the amount of food you get and usually includes a drink and a coffee with dessert.
However, we didn’t manage to come at the right time for the menu of the day, so simply ordered a few of the dishes right off the menu.
The grilled monkfish (called pixin in Asturias) was a true highlight of the meal. It was cooked to perfection. We also had the hake cooked in cider which was a delicious surprise, I wasn’t sure what to expect but it was so packed with flavor. We were too full to order more, but the table next to us had a huge bowl of mussels that looked and smelled incredible as well.
The Cachopo is a popular dish in Asturias and most local restaurants and cider bars have it on the menu.
8. Casa Ramón
Located right next to Mercado El Fontán, Casa Ramón was a fantastic place to stop for lunch after a morning of exploring this historical part of the city. If you’re here on a Saturday, you may want to make a reseravation or be prepared to wait a little bit for a table.
The tortilla de la Gruta was unlike any tortilla I’ve ever had in Spain and it was utterly delectable. In addition to the usual potatoes and eggs, this tortilla also had jamon, peas, and shrimp in it. I wasn’t sure about the combo when I first saw it on the menu, but it was spectacular.
They also have really nice rice dishes to share with the table with monkfish, local cheese, or carabineros, which are a type of shrimp that are SO good.
9. Restaurante Casa Lin
Located on the edge of town, close to the train and bus stations, this is a perfect place for your last meal in town (or your first if you arrive hungry!). Thanks to its location, this place feels far more local than the ones in the center of town.
The entrecot is the star of the show here. They bring out the steak raw to show it to you before they cook it. It is then cooked to medium rare perfection (unless you dare request otherwise!) and brought out to the table sliced against the grain with heaped handful of salt across the top. Just thinking about it again makes my mouth water.
They also have some nice seafood options, and some classic tapas dishes like charcuterie and cheese boards to enjoy.
Whenever I’m back in Spain, I always end up eating at least one slice of tortilla a day. It is truly one of my favorite foods in the entire country.
10. Sidrería Padre Suárez
This is the place to come for some good local comfort food. As if the cheese platters and fried potatoes that you’ve been having elsewhere aren’t comfortable enough. This place serves up delicious stewed meat dishes alongside piles of crusty bread for dipping.
They call the stews cazuelas after the type of pots that they are cooked and served in, and the selection makes it very hard to choose just one. For a lighter, seafood option, you have the shrimp and octopus which was my personal favorite. You can also go for clams and langostines, creamy mushrooms with jamon (YUM), and garlic salted cod.
For a small bar, they also have a surprisingly large selection of ciders.
11. Camilo de Blas
No food-filled trip to Oviedo would be complete without stopping at Camilo de Blas. This historical shop originally opened as a family business in León in 1876 by Don Camilo de Blas, but after the death of the patriarch, it was closed.
However, in 1914, the second son of Don Camilo opened up this store in Oviedo to continue the tradition of selling traditional confectionaries.
The main reason to come here, besides to see the stunning interior, is to try the local sweet treat of Oviedo, the Carbayón. It is an oval-shaped pastry made up of a flaky puff pastry base filled with ground almonds, egg, and sugar, topped with an egg-yolk glaze, and finished with a shiny sugar syrup. It sounds very sweet, but it is surprisingly light and not at all sickly sweet.
The carbayón at Camilo de Blas were must try!