O Eirado da Leña

Six tables opposite the old museum

O Eirado da Leña is at number 3 on Praza da Leña, the small square of arcades and a cruceiro in Pontevedra's old town, opposite the old entrance of the museum. Inside there is a dining room with six tables and a private room: it is a small house, with stone walls, and that decides almost everything else. With so few tables, you cannot eat without a reservation.

It was opened by Iñaki Bretal in 2003 with two partners who left in 2012 to set up O Balado, in Boqueixón. Bretal, born in the Basque Country to a Galician family, the son of a ship's captain, trained at the Centro Superior de Hostelería de Galicia. He received a Repsol Sun in 2019 and in 2020 the first Michelin star the city had, which the Michelin Guide still gives in 2026. His motto fits in three repeated words: product, product and product.

Curricán or Palangre

The cooking is offered in two menus that change with the market and the season, and which differ in the number of dishes. The Curricán gathers the house's classic dishes; the Palangre is the longer one and shows the more creative side of the kitchen. The website does not publish prices or the number of courses: ask when you book, because it is a star-level table and the wine adds up. If anyone at the table has an allergy or a diet, say so then.

The cellar has over 400 references and changes often. It has plenty of Galician wine from small producers and a selection from the rest of Spain and beyond. With Rías Baixas Albariño twenty minutes away, it is a good chance to take advice.

Lunch six days, dinner Friday and Saturday

According to its website, it opens at midday from 13:00 to 16:00 every day except Tuesday, and in the evening only on Friday and Saturday, from 21:00 to 23:30. On Sunday, therefore, you can have lunch but not dinner. You book on its website, on 986 860 225 or at [email protected]. They also sell gift menus.

Getting to Praza da Leña

Pontevedra's old town is pedestrianised. Leave the car in one of the car parks on the edge and walk in: Praza da Leña is five minutes from Praza da Ferrería. Two streets away is the Pontevedra Museum, best seen before lunch, and the Santo Domingo ruins. If you want something more informal in the same area, Trasmallo is on Rúa Figueroa, a few steps away.