Restaurante Xoanes — Restaurant in Portomarín

We had our first visit to Xoanes for dinner after our first day of the camino walk. The restaurant was busy but we got seats right away. The food blew us away - we didn't expect much for a small town but the secret pork was amazing. The charcoal flavour seeped through the whole pork. The pulpo was the most tender that we had throughout the 6 day walk as well.

It was so amazing we decided to come back a second time after we finished the walk specifically to try their ribeye steak which was priced at a very reasonable rate. We came back for lunch and were one of the first customers that day. Ribeye did not disappoint but the pork was not as good as the first time unfortunately - not to say that it was not flavourful, but it wasn't as perfect as the first time around. We also got some complimentary shots after the lunch, possibly since they're not as busy as the first time around.

We definitely would come back but maybe for dinner the next time to get another shot on the delicious...

While we had a wonderful and tasty dinner, our first impression was not the best. We met early in the day the owner of the place who isn't the most welcoming person. My recommendation would be for the owner to shout less and be more appreciative. A smile on your face wouldn't hurt. We almost didn't give the place a chance because of the owner, but we didn't regret our decision to actually go there. Our waiter David made us forget about the earlier bad encounter. He was great, attentive, friendly, and always with a big happy smile on his face. The owner is lucky to have such amazing employees. We also want to compliment the chef's cooking. We wiped our dishes clean, because it...

wonderful experience. I stopped for a light meal after my trek from Sarria. I just had a soup and wine ( and nice chat with the host). I saw and smelled the Rib Eye special; the hot assured me that the small (1kg) steak was doable for one with a nice wine to meld with the meal :-) I came back for that for dinner. And it was great! Top of list of steaks I've had. All the staff were great, the host in particular was just great, conversant , while doing a great job balancing seating, and keeping the flow.... very good .. It was quite busy this time of year, so maybe a madhouse during prime season,...