kmdesign1

Looking into visiting mostly small towns & cities, and in Asturias, Cantabria or Catalonia regions near the Pyrenees. Does Spanish food stay very regional, or can you get all the cuisines in each part of the country? I am excited to try the local flavors, but can I also great paella and Madrid-style tapas (Jamon, patatas bravas etc) in the north?

Are pintxos bars and tapas restaraunts common in northern Spain outside the Basque region? Do you have any recommendations?

Can we get pintxos at bars during the day or only at night?

What is the earliest most restaurants open for dinner?

ekscrunchy

I would not look for paella in the north. Just so you know this: Paella is just one of many "rice dishes," but again I would seek out other dishes in the north which ice not a rice-growing region.
Those dishes you call "Madrid-style" should be easy to find in the north, but the north is a large area so you might want to decide first where you re going and then we can offer specific recommendations. The entire northern coast is a spectacular eating zone.

Will you have a car? That is an important deciding factor in where to go...

mikelg

So...northern Spain is tipycally considered Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria and the Basque Country, as well as León, Burgos, La Rioja and Navarre. Catalonia is in the Mediterranean and although it´s technically in the North, we consider it the East. Meals, climates, landscapes, traditions...vary a lot from region to region, Spain may be the most diverse and heterogeneous country in Europe. What you call "Madrid style" tapas are really more from the south, you can find fantastic patatas bravas in León, Logroño, Soria...so many places. I would not have a paella outside of the Mediterranean area, it´s not a typical dish from the north, but of course there are good places for them. Each region has its particular meals and even drinks (forget about Sangría, which is something very demanded by visitors but very few Spanish ever have one...maybe in the south and on a picnic, but very rarely in a bar).

Lunch IS the most important meal of the day, while dinner is much smaller and less relevant. So we love to stop for lunch around 2pm and have a long meal, while dinner is (at homes) around 9pm and later. Because of the influence of tourism, quite a few restaurants offer dinner from 0830pm or even earlier, 8pm, but you´ll find only foreigners there at that early hour. Pintxos are typical from the Basque Country, never a meal but a pre-lunch or pre-dinner appetizer to go with your drink, one per bar, standing and rarely seated, moving from place to place while socializing with friends and family. And "tapas" is a different thing. You´ll find pinchos too in La Rioja, Valladolid...but it´s not the same thing as in the Basque Country. Jamón ibérico (make sure it´s 100% Bellota if you want the good one - bellota means acorn fed-)

Very different cuisines, people, landscapes, traditions, languages...welcome to Spain!

Michael

If driving, in Puertas de Vidiago there is the Casa Poli for sea food. If adventurous, try the percebes:


In Barzana de Quitos there is a restaurant that serves a variant of the Asturian fabada based on chestnuts:


In Villamanin we had a mediocre meal at a local restaurant, we should have done what is described below this picture:


In Gijon I would eat at el Globo and drink their cider:


If going as fr as Leon, this place is an institution, but serves only morcilla:


https://www.yelp.com/biz/la-bicha-le%C3%B3n-2

ekscrunchy

Once you decide where you will visit, maybe we can offer some tips on what to eat and where....Northern Spain is a food paradise! Well, ALL of Spain is a food paradise, although I probably should not say that since I've not been to every region of the country but every one I've visited had sublime food and as said, above, the difference from region to region is astounding.
I think that Spain has more variation from region to region than does Italy, but that statement might incite a dispute here!!

kmdesign1

thank you! yes we will have a car. Still trying to hone in on where we're going and then I'll have more specific questions.

kmdesign1

that sounds amazing, definitely is one of the reasons I want to explore multiple regions but without over-extending ourselves!

kmdesign1

thanks so much for the info!!