Food on the Camino: Highlights and What to Expect

Food was one of the major attractions for walking the Camino de Santiago for me. Cafes with lattes and pastries, lunches filled with cured meats and cheeses, dinners of fresh seafood, and the opportunity to try new things—this is what my dreams are made of! I don’t like to refer to myself as a “foodie” because I’m not sure I’m educated and experienced enough to be in that category, but I’m always aspiring to be at that level.

Cafes

I love coffee shops and since cafes are a big part of the Camino culture, this was perfect for me! Pilgrims often stop mid-morning and/or mid-afternoon to break up their day. Since cafes don’t open early in the morning, we’d have some breakfast at our accommodation. Oftentimes this was a Camino sandwich, fruit, and a cup of black coffee; then we would stop a few miles into our day for a latte and sweet treat. On the longer days or particularly rainy days, we’d stop in the afternoon for a second treat as we needed a break.

A typical cafe along the Camino offers black coffee, lattes, fresh squeezed orange juice, wine, beer, pastries, and sometimes a savory breakfast option. Since these weren’t like United States chain coffee shops, which I don’t prefer, I expected a little more variety and special options. This wasn’t the case, but the coffee was always consistent and delicious. Also, the prices were extremely inexpensive and usually came with a random bonus. When we ordered a cafe con leche- big, it was essentially a 10 oz latte. Adding that much milk was sort of seen as not a real coffee drinker. Locals were never asked about the size, most ordered shots of espresso, and some ordered with a splash of milk. Flavoring wasn't an option. With your coffee, you were always given a little treat. Usually, the cafe had a large cake and they would give you a small square on the side of your order. It was super fun to see what each cafe would surprise you with. Later in the afternoon, the addition would be anything from crackers and jam with peanuts to a small bowl of potato chips. Once we were even served a bowl of roasted potatoes with sausage!

The biggest surprise would always be the bill. It became a game of guessing for whichever one of us didn’t pay. The very first walking day we stopped for our largest bill. It was 9.20 euros, less than $10 (USD) and we each got a latte, a savory breakfast option, and a sweet pastry! See the first picture below. Every other stop was 4 to 5 euros for two lattes and two pastries, see all the other pictures below. There is also no tipping for cafes. If our bill was less than 4 euros, we usually gave a tip just because we felt it was too cheap. For example, the last picture was 2.4 euros, so I gave 4 euros. For reference, we ordered 2 coffees, and the jar of cookies with jam and honey, along with the bowl of peanuts was free. The price menu is the picture before.

Pilgrim Meals

Many restaurants along the route would offer a Pilgrim Meal. The meal was usually a small salad or cup of soup, followed by a main course with the choice of meat or fish, then a small dessert and either a bottle of port wine or a large beer! We took advantage of the pilgrim specials only a few times. Below are three examples of food options and pricing.

The first was at lunch on our second walking day. We were quite hungry and ready for a big meal at lunchtime. We veered off the trail only a couple blocks and found a cute local spot. They offered a pilgrim meal, but we were the only pilgrims there that day, the other patrons appeared to be locals on a lunch break. I ordered the fish option while Keith chose the chicken option. This meal included bread, drinks, and a piece of cake. Our bill was 14 euros.

Next, we enjoyed the pilgrim dinner at the Glasgow Hotel, where we were staying. We ordered one of everything on the menu to try. I enjoyed the seafood soup and the bowl was so large that Keith finished it. The fish and pork were really good and we drank a whole bottle of wine! This meal was quite the treat and a good mix of soup, salad, bread, and a filling main meal which was needed since we were on our seventh day of walking by this point. Our bill was 46 euros.

Another memorable pilgrim meal was on a chilly rainy day when we found a pilgrim stop with hot meals! I ordered the Galician Stew, bread, and wine for 8 euros and Keith got pasta, bread, and wine for 7 euros. Notice my bowl of stew is filled with meats and vegetables, plus a plate of more meat on the side! We planned to eat on the outdoor patio and then go back in to choose desserts, but we were so full that we couldn’t even think about dessert. Our bill was 15 euros.

Camino Sandwich

Camino sandwiches are popular among the pilgrims and we ate these every single day. We’d usually stop in a grocery store each afternoon to buy 2 fresh baguettes from the bakery, two packs of cured meats, one pack of cheese, jelly if we were out, fruit juice, fruit, chips, and a sweet treat. We would each make a large sandwich the next morning and eat half for breakfast, saving the other half for lunch. Or sometimes we’d use this for dinner and then breakfast the next morning, depending on if lunch or dinner was a big meal for the day. In the 17 days while on the route, we went into a grocery store eight times and the bills were between 8 euros and 33 euros.

Special Occasion Meals

Crossing into Spain

The day that we crossed from Portugal to Spain, we stopped for a delicious fresh seafood meal to celebrate. The restaurant, located over the water, was the fanciest place we'd been to in Portugal! I ordered the swordfish and was shocked at the size of the fish. I didn't even know they were that big. Keith ordered the octopus and once again we were speechless at seeing the size. We also ordered two types of bread, a shrimp appetizer, a bottle of wine, and a bottle of water. Our meal was absolutely amazing and one of the best memories I have of the trip. Our bill was 55.20 + 5 tip = total, 60.20 euros.

Rest Day in Padron

We were staying in Padron for two nights and having a rest day the day after, so we decided to have a night out at a tapas bar. We arrived and recognized nearly everyone on the patio! It was surreal, I felt like I walked into our local bars back in Indiana. We started with wine and bread and then ordered several plates and a dessert. Our bill was 38.60 + 4 tip= 42.60 euros.

During our rest day, we did some chores and sightseeing. Then we decided that we were still incredibly hungry! We chose to treat ourselves once again with a carvery restaurant. The various meats were served on a grill with hot coals! We also chose the fries with two sauces, Padron peppers (named for the town we were in), wine, and bread. Our bill with the tip was $66.25 (USD).

Other Memorable Meals

Below are some other pictures of the tasty meals we enjoyed along the Camino route!

Grocery Stores

This trip solidified my obsession with grocery stores 😂I think this began when we first moved to Utah and there are so many grocery options. Groceries also became important when we were traveling in our motorhome and staying in tiny towns with barely a store nearby. Over the last few years, when we’re traveling, I look forward to seeing the large chain stores that aren’t in our local area and also finding local gems.

I knew I’d love the experience of grocery shopping in another country. Comparing and contrasting the stores to one another and to those I frequent back home would be right up my alley. Keith, of course, thought I was crazy and didn’t understand why I’d be excited about grocery stores, but that’s okay.

The size of the stores was the first thing I noticed. The first few days we were in smaller towns and the options were more the size of a gas station convenience store, but with completely different food choices. These held everything we needed and were looking for. We did find some chain grocery stores that were larger, but still significantly smaller than we’re used to. These stores offered more choices, but even so, it was interesting to see the much larger options for fresh foods and much less packaged options. For example, I wanted something from the potato chip/snack section. I wish I had taken a picture. The bags are a smaller size and there were about eight options; two choices for a regular chip, two choices for a flavored chip, pork rinds, something similar to a Dorito, something similar to a puffed popcorn, and then maybe two other choices.  All of the options were in a 3-foot wide section of shelving.  I compare this to my local stores where the chip aisle is one whole aisle and the number of options varies by size, brand, flavor, low sodium, low fat, cooking oils, etc.

Small fruit and vegetable stands were easy to find especially in the larger cities as an alternative to the grocery stores. I don’t think we ever bought anything at these, only because we stopped at whatever store was closest to our accommodations and we didn’t stay in a city often. I love seeing these stands though... fresh, colorful, and so healthy looking.

Upcoming Post

Next week we will talk about what a typical day is like along the Camino. How to find a routine that works for you and some tips we learned along our adventure.

Are you nervous about food options when you're traveling or are you excited to see what is eaten and try new dishes? Do you have any memorable foods or meals from a trip you've taken? Are any grocery store lovers out there like me, or am I the only one? Let us know in the comments section below.👇 💬