O Testo — Restaurant in Santiago de Compostela

A great find in my hometown that once again confirms the outstanding quality of Galician ingredients.

We started with mackerel and artichokes. The mackerel had a lovely texture, but unfortunately, the sauce overpowered its natural flavor. The sauce itself was fairly average. The artichokes, on the other hand, were incredible—super tender and flavorful, with a fun and well-balanced sauce that really complemented them.

For the main course, I tried the trio of meats: tartare, pork cheeks, and mogote. The tartare, topped with a fried egg, had excellent flavor. The combination of the meat and egg worked beautifully. One detail to note: the tartare had a bit too much sinew for my taste. The mogote was the star of the meal—exceptionally tender and tasty, it practically melted in my mouth. The sweet potato purée it was paired with was spot on, both in flavor and texture. The pork cheeks were decent. Personally, I found them a bit dry (especially considering that pork cheek is usually a juicy cut), and pairing them with a chestnut purée made the overall bite feel even drier.

All in all, I’d definitely come back to O Testo—especially to explore more of their...

We had a wonderful first meal at O Testo, visiting some old friends from the (also) great A Maceta. We love the elevated small plates/tapas concept as it’s easier to try more fantastic dishes without getting too full. The service is the absolute top… so welcoming, professional, and knowledgeable. Everything was delicious, but some stand-out dishes were the anchovies, the scallops, the tomatoes with burrata, bonito tartare and the yummy desserts. The milhojas taste like biting into a freshly roasted hazelnut - so good! Can’t wait to go back the next time we are in Santiago and we wish the team...

Small restaurant, with well-designed gourmet versions of Galician dishes. The best empanada galega I tasted in this trip. The torrija was masterfully made. The tartar salmon was very tasty.

As I mentioned, the restaurant is small and the staff tries to fit as many people as possible, but I felt it wasn’t too bothersome. For example, when seating different groups at the same long table, the staff would place a couple of plants between the groups, giving the impression of some privacy and separation.

A bit more pricey than other alternatives in Santiago,...