Restaurant in A Coruña, Spain
Michelin value, no formality required.
Taberna 5 Mares holds back-to-back Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition (2024 and 2025) and delivers an affordable tasting menu with genuine technique in a casual, view-facing room adjoining Árbore da Veira. At the €€ tier with easy booking, it is the most straightforward value decision in A Coruña's contemporary dining scene.
At the €€ price tier, Taberna 5 Mares is one of the more direct decisions on A Coruña's dining scene. Michelin awarded it the Bib Gourmand in both 2024 and 2025, which means the guide's inspectors found good cooking at a price that doesn't require a special occasion budget. The tasting menu sits at an accessible price point for what it delivers, and the à la carte runs wide enough to suit most appetites and spending levels. If you're deciding between Taberna 5 Mares and spending considerably more at Árbore da Veira next door, the honest answer is: come here first, go there when you're ready for the full fine-dining commitment.
Taberna 5 Mares occupies the former café space adjoining Árbore da Veira, the award-winning restaurant run by the same owner-chef duo, Iria Espinosa and Luis Veira. The setting is bright and casual, with views over A Coruña that work particularly well for a relaxed lunch or early dinner. The informal atmosphere is deliberate: this is the duo's answer to the question of what gourmet cooking looks like when it drops the ceremony. Think of it as the more approachable sibling of a serious kitchen, where the technique is still present but the room lets you breathe.
The menu is structured around appetisers, main dishes, and a section specifically designed for sharing, which makes the venue flexible across group sizes and dining styles. There is also an affordable tasting menu built around signature dishes, including spherical olives and a carpaccio of scallops al ajillo with black garlic. These are not vague menu descriptors — they are the verified dishes Michelin's inspectors flagged when granting the Bib Gourmand designation, so you can book with reasonable confidence that they reflect what the kitchen does well.
For a special occasion at the €€ price level, the tasting menu is the cleaner choice over building an à la carte meal. It is designed to showcase the kitchen's range, and at a price point that sits well below comparable tasting menus in Spain's broader contemporary dining scene, from Aponiente in El Puerto de Santa María to El Celler de Can Roca in Girona. The progression here is not about dramatic arc or theatrical courses — it is about a kitchen that takes the idea of gourmet cooking seriously while keeping the format relaxed. The spherical olives and scallop carpaccio point to a kitchen using contemporary technique without making the food feel effortful to eat.
For context, the tasting menu format at this price tier is rare in Galicia. Most restaurants at €€ lean toward direct à la carte. The fact that Taberna 5 Mares offers a structured tasting menu with signature dishes at an accessible price is a practical reason to book it for a date or a small celebration where you want the experience of a curated meal without the financial weight of a full fine-dining evening. Compare that with what you'd spend at DiverXO in Madrid or Arzak in San Sebastián and the value position becomes obvious.
The venue works well for a birthday dinner, a low-key anniversary, or a business lunch where you want quality without formality. The views add something that a comparable spend at 55 Pasos or Terreo Cocina Casual doesn't necessarily provide. The casual room means you won't feel underdressed, and the Michelin recognition means you're not compromising on food quality to stay comfortable. For couples, the tasting menu format handles the decision-making, which is an underrated feature of a date-night booking. For groups of three or four, the sharing section of the à la carte gives you flexibility to order widely without committing to a set menu.
What the venue is not: it is not the place for a major milestone dinner where the room itself needs to impress. If the setting and service formality matter as much as the food, Árbore da Veira at €€€ is the step up to make. But for a celebration where the food is the point and the bill shouldn't dominate the conversation, Taberna 5 Mares earns its recommendation.
Booking difficulty is rated easy, which means walk-ins may be possible but a reservation is still the sensible move, particularly on weekends. The restaurant is located at Estrada Os Fortes, s/n, A Coruña, adjacent to Árbore da Veira. No phone number or website is listed in current data, so booking via a reservation platform or arriving in person to reserve ahead is the practical approach. Hours are not confirmed in available data, so verify before visiting. The €€ price tier positions this well below a budget concern for most diners visiting A Coruña for a short trip; see our full A Coruña restaurants guide for broader context on what the city's dining scene offers at each price tier.
A Coruña's restaurant scene punches above its size, with a concentration of creative and contemporary kitchens that reflect Galicia's strong produce base, particularly seafood. Within that context, Taberna 5 Mares sits at the intersection of accessibility and ambition. It is not the most adventurous booking in the city, but it is one of the most reliable at its price point. For those building an itinerary around food, it pairs well with a more casual meal at Pedra Furada or A Espiga, and sits comfortably before or after a more serious dinner at Árbore da Veira if you're spending several days in the city. For everything else the city offers, see our A Coruña hotels guide, bars guide, wineries guide, and experiences guide.
| Detail | Taberna 5 Mares | Árbore da Veira | El de Alberto |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price tier | €€ | €€€ | €€ |
| Cuisine | Contemporary | Creative | Modern Cuisine |
| Michelin recognition | Bib Gourmand 2024, 2025 | Yes (starred) | Not listed |
| Tasting menu | Yes | Yes | Not confirmed |
| Booking difficulty | Easy | Harder | Not confirmed |
| Views | Yes (A Coruña) | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
Yes, clearly. Two consecutive Michelin Bib Gourmand awards confirm good cooking at a fair price. At the €€ tier, you are getting a kitchen with genuine technique and a tasting menu option that would cost significantly more at comparable venues elsewhere in Spain. For Galicia at this price level, it is difficult to find a better-credentialed contemporary dining option.
Yes, particularly for a first visit. The tasting menu is built around the kitchen's signature dishes, including spherical olives and scallop carpaccio with black garlic, which are the dishes Michelin's inspectors highlighted. At the €€ price tier, a structured tasting menu with this level of technique is unusual. Order it unless you have a strong preference for eating à la carte.
It works well for a birthday dinner, anniversary, or date night where food quality matters but formality does not. The Michelin Bib Gourmand gives you confidence in the kitchen, the views add atmosphere, and the casual room keeps the evening relaxed. For a milestone where the setting itself needs to impress, consider stepping up to Árbore da Veira at €€€ instead.
Smart casual is the right call. The room is bright and informal by design, so you won't feel out of place in relaxed clothing. A Bib Gourmand at the €€ tier signals good food in an accessible setting, not a formal dining environment. Dress as you would for a quality neighbourhood restaurant rather than a starred tasting-menu destination.
The menu structure supports groups reasonably well. The à la carte includes a dedicated sharing section, which makes it practical for parties of three or more who want to order across multiple dishes. For larger groups, it is worth contacting the restaurant in advance to confirm capacity, as seat count data is not currently available. No phone number is listed in current data, so reach out via a reservation platform or in person.
No specific dietary accommodation data is available for this venue. The menu spans appetisers, mains, and sharing dishes across contemporary cuisine, so there is likely range to work with, but confirm directly with the restaurant before booking if you have specific requirements. Given the absence of a listed website or phone number, approaching via a reservation platform or in person is currently the most reliable route.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taberna 5 Mares | Contemporary | €€ | Easy |
| NaDo | Gallician, Creative | €€ | Unknown |
| Árbore da Veira | Creative | €€€ | Unknown |
| El de Alberto | Modern Cuisine | €€ | Unknown |
| Miga | Traditional Cuisine | €€ | Unknown |
| Omakase | Japanese | €€€ | Unknown |
A quick look at how Taberna 5 Mares measures up.
The à la carte format, which spans appetisers, mains, and a sharing section, gives the kitchen more flexibility to accommodate dietary needs than a fixed tasting menu would. The tasting menu includes dishes like carpaccio of scallops and spherical olives, so pescatarians are reasonably well served. check the venue's official channels before booking if you have specific requirements, as nothing in the available data confirms allergy protocols. Given the Bib Gourmand-level kitchen behind it, you can expect a considered response.
This is the casual, informal arm of the Árbore da Veira operation — the owners describe it as the offbeat face of gourmet cuisine. Dress accordingly: neat but relaxed works here. You do not need to dress for a formal tasting room, but turning up in beachwear would feel out of step with a Michelin Bib Gourmand venue.
The menu includes a dedicated sharing section described as 'landscapes for sharing', which suggests the kitchen is set up for group dining. For larger parties, a reservation is advisable rather than a walk-in, as the space is a converted café and capacity is finite. No private dining room is confirmed in the available data, so groups wanting a fully private setup should check directly.
Yes, at the €€ price point with two consecutive Michelin Bib Gourmands (2024 and 2025) and views over A Coruña, it delivers the right combination of quality and atmosphere for a low-key anniversary, birthday dinner, or celebratory lunch. It is not a white-tablecloth formal occasion restaurant — if you want that, the adjacent Árbore da Veira is the right call instead. For occasions where quality matters but rigidity does not, Taberna 5 Mares hits the mark.
At the €€ price level, the tasting menu is the stronger choice over building an à la carte meal if you want to see what the kitchen can do. It is designed around signature dishes, including spherical olives and carpaccio of scallops with black garlic, which represent the Bib Gourmand-recognised cooking of Iria Espinosa and Luis Veira. If you have dietary restrictions or prefer grazing over courses, the à la carte sharing section is a practical alternative.
At €€, this is one of the more clear-cut value decisions on A Coruña's contemporary dining scene. Michelin singled it out for Bib Gourmand recognition in both 2024 and 2025, specifically for quality cooking at accessible prices. Compared to the full Árbore da Veira experience next door, you are getting the same creative kitchen at a lower price point and in a more relaxed setting. If you want formal occasion dining, spend up. If you want Michelin-recognised food without the bill to match, Taberna 5 Mares is a sound choice.
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