Hola Folks,
Can you recommend a good small restaurant to celebrate Christmas eve in Santiago de Compostela? I was thinking of the lovely restaurant at the Parador, but I didn't want to dress up, I'm packing light, so no evening dress .

Booklady

Well I'm afraid you will have to dress up. Tradition in Spain says that a dinner for Xmas is an ellegant one. Sure it won't be easy to find such a place you are looking for.
Also, the restaurant at the Parador is not big, but impresive. It is as a cave bellow the former hospital the Parador was in XVI century for the pilgrims from all the Old World.

There's a nice restaurant - I can't remember the name - I have their card around somewhere and will edit this post if or when I find it: It's on the Rua do Franco (AKA Calle de los restaurantes) - little plaza, first on your left after Rua Fonseca (with the Plaza del Obradoiro behind you). It's on the opposite side of the Plaza from the Facultad de Medicina (and the Parador). This one has two restaurants: one on the road to the airport, the other on this little plaza.

It's probably among the more expensive in the neighborhood, but their ambience and cuisine are excellent. I have dined at both branches.

You will find numerous restaurants along the Rua do Franco: I have dined in several of them and never had any complaints about the food or service. I don't know which will be open for NocheBuena (a family time in Spain when families get together for dinner) or whether you will need a reservation.

¡Que aproveche!

[ 11-18-2001: Message edited by: Eddie ]

Hola Josemacall & Eddie,
Thank you both for your advice. Jose I guess I'll have to pack something nice for Noche Buena after all, but does it have to be a dress? What about a fancy sweater and slinky slacks?
Eddie, you have been ever so helpful with the information about the area.With this information I will e-mail the reference desk at the University library and ask them if they could give me the phone of those restaurants. As you say NocheBuena is very popular and tourists will probably need to make reservaciones. When I return I'll let you know what I found out.
Gracias,
Carmen

Here's a link: http://communities.msn.com/GettoknowalittlefromSpain
Click on Photo Album and you can see some of my fotos from Año Júbilar Xacobeo (1999) in Santiago around July 25th.

OK! Here goes: I found the card for the one in San Marcos (out by the airport). It's Restaurante/Marisqueria Sexto. Not limited to seafood. Last time I ate there (Feb'99) we had lacon con grelos. It was the season for that dish - we saw many roadside stands on the way to A'Corunha selling grelos (greens). I ate at the one on Rua do Franco Jul,'99 when I returned to Santiago for SANTIAGO. The phone # for their San Marcos location was 56 65 07 but I think you have to prefix with 011-34 and then an '8' or something like that. I don't remember which one is Sexto I and which is Sexto II.

You might also want to consider Hostal Hogar San Francisco. I've never eaten an evening meal there, but they have an ample dining room and being a hotel as well as a working Franciscan Friary, they are sure to be open Christmas eve.
I have stayed at HHSF several times over the past 5-years. Their 'standard' rooms are 'spartan' (if that term is still in use) but they have one room (Cotolay, named for a carbonero who helped Francis of Assisi build this place). Expensive (by their standards) but it's worth every nickel. I have stayed at the Parador and I like the Cotolay more.

BTW:
The Friars stay in a wing off the back of the Cloister/Garden. It's unlikely you will encounter any of them although I chatted with the Provincial during my Jul'99 visit.

If you continue to the end of the Historic District there's a restaurant facing Alameda Park (named Alameda). 'Hang a left' to the Rua do Senra, then left again toward the Plaza de Galicia, you'll find a couple more restaurants. I like one called Yaté for breakfast because it's the only one in town that I could find that makes fresh Churros. I don't think they are open for the evening meal.

I usually dine 'on the cheap:' midday meal is my big one (around 15:00), and I have a light supper (tapas con vino), especially la NocheBuena, then la Misa del Gallo & maybe get fortunate enough to see / hear some Tuna Universitaria along the Rua de Fonseca, the Plaza de Platerias or somewhere else in the Historic District.

Another tidbit of info regarding a fabulous buffet breakfast at the Parador: It's not included in the room rate; it's overpriced (IMHO); and it's not that fabulous! Before I retired I travelled quite a bit & stayed at biz class hotels: Marriott, Hyatt Regency, etc. Most would have a buffet breakfast for about $10, as good as or better than that at the Parador.
On one of our visits 2-years ago we stayed at Bahia Vigo (in Vigo, Pontevedra). They had a very reasonable weekend special (thru mid-May) that included full buffet breakfast for two.

[ 11-22-2001: Message edited by: Eddie ]

Eddie,
You're Fantastic! Thank you for the work on my behalf, that is so very nice of you. I will call the restaurant a couple of weeks in advance to be sure of a table. The advice about eating the main meal at lunchtime, and doing the tapa mambo in the evening sounds great to me. I don't think I can wait to 10 p.m. for dinner!

Gracias,
Carmen

Booklady, I've said it before and I'll say it again, you can't do any better than Casa Manolo in Santiago, and now you have two to choose from. You won't need to overdress, and the food is (and as long as Manolo is there always will be) the best!! No pretensions, no fluff, just good food and good, down-home atmosphere.

Doña Carmen (AKA Booklady):
If it's a nice evening, plan on being out very late on NocheBuena: Take your pandareta and join in the festivities! Allay Pum! You may encounter groups of young people (and not so young) singing villancicos as they stroll the streets of the Historic District: Pero mira como beben los peces en el rio - por ver a Dios nacer. It's a happy time! Figure 4:00 AM.

Sorry for my delay.

I think you are looking great -sure you will-, so probably, you won't need a dress. Do not forget a tie for your man...
Hope you will find a great restaurant. Use the contacts posted above by others, because many restaurants are closed in such day.

Enjoy the food the wine of Galicia.

Mil Gracias Señores Calibasco, Eddie y Josemacall,
I will reserve in one restaurant on the 24th, and the other on the 25th, thanks to the two of you now I have a nice place to have my Noche Buena and my Christmas Day dinner.
Josemacall, my man is my 16 year old son, who said he was going to be be nice to his mother and take a tie!
Mil Gracias,
Carmen a.k.a. Booklady