Restaurant in Ferrol, Spain
40-year family seafood spot, Michelin-noted.
Modesto is the most dependable seafood address in Ferrol: a Michelin Plate-recognised family restaurant with over 40 years of operation, a 4.7 Google rating, and a kitchen built around Galician shellfish — langoustines, lobster, scallops, razor clams. At €€ pricing with a bar for informal eating and a first-floor dining room for occasions, it offers strong value against pricier local alternatives.
Yes — and if Galician seafood is what you are after, Modesto is the most reliable answer in the area. This roadside restaurant on the outskirts of Ferrol has been running for over 40 years, holds a Michelin Plate (2025), and carries a 4.7 Google rating across more than 500 reviews. For a celebration dinner where the centrepiece is serious fish and shellfish, it delivers where it counts: product quality, kitchen consistency, and a room that feels occasion-appropriate without requiring you to dress for a Michelin star.
Modesto sits on the Aldea Aneiros road outside Ferrol, a deliberately unfussy location that has never stopped locals from treating it as a destination. The format is simple: a bar at the entrance where you can eat or drink informally, and a first-floor dining room upstairs that handles the sit-down service. The dining room reads as classic-contemporary — think well-maintained, comfortable, and clearly designed for unhurried meals rather than quick turnovers. The atmosphere is warm rather than buzzy; the noise level stays at a level where conversation is easy, which makes it a better fit for a date or a business dinner than a loud group celebration. Expect a settled, grown-up energy rather than anything high-voltage.
The kitchen focuses on Galician coastal produce: langoustines, prawns, lobster, scallops, and razor clams. These are not supporting ingredients , they are the menu. The Michelin Plate recognition signals that the preparation is careful and the sourcing is taken seriously, which at the €€ price tier is genuinely good value relative to what you get. For context, the Galician coast consistently produces some of the leading shellfish in Europe; the rías around A Coruña supply restaurants as far afield as El Celler de Can Roca in Girona and Arzak in San Sebastián. Modesto is working with the same raw material, in its own backyard, without the tasting-menu price tag.
The ground-floor bar is a genuine option, not just a waiting area. If you want to eat informally , a plate of razor clams, a glass of Albariño, no ceremony , the bar gives you that. It also makes Modesto more accessible for solo diners or visitors who want to eat well without committing to a full dining-room experience. The bar-to-dining-room split is a structural advantage: one venue covers two different occasions. For a special dinner, book the dining room upstairs. For a lower-commitment meal or a drink before moving on, the bar handles it. Ferrol is not a city with a deep cocktail bar scene, so manage expectations accordingly , the drinks program here is wine- and aperitif-led, in keeping with the regional tradition. If you are looking for a dedicated cocktail experience in Ferrol, consult our full Ferrol bars guide for current options.
Booking difficulty is rated easy. That said, for a Friday or Saturday dinner , especially if you are visiting with a group or have a specific occasion in mind , booking ahead is the sensible move. A restaurant with this kind of local reputation and 40-plus years of trade does not go quiet on weekends. Contact by phone or in person is the most reliable route; no booking platform is listed. For a weekday lunch, walk-in prospects are more reasonable. If you are travelling specifically to eat here, confirm availability before you make the trip from central Ferrol or further afield. The restaurant is roadside, so a car or taxi is the practical transport option.
Modesto works leading for: a couple looking for a serious seafood dinner without the formality or price of a full tasting-menu restaurant; a small group of four to six wanting a long, unhurried lunch around great shellfish; or a business dinner where the food needs to impress but the setting should feel approachable rather than intimidating. It is less suited to large, rowdy group celebrations where atmosphere and volume are the priority, or to diners who want a cutting-edge modern kitchen. For the latter, the comparison set changes , look at what Spain's three-Michelin-star kitchens like Azurmendi in Larrabetzu or Martin Berasategui in Lasarte-Oria are doing. Modesto is not competing in that register , it is making the case that great ingredients, cooked well and consistently, over four decades, is its own form of credibility.
At €€ pricing with a Michelin Plate, Modesto sits in a favourable position. You are paying mid-range prices for shellfish that would cost significantly more in a Michelin-starred context. The 4.7 rating across 534 reviews is unusually consistent for a restaurant of this age and size, suggesting the kitchen does not have wide swings in quality. For comparison, seafood-focused restaurants at similar price points on the Italian coast , such as Gambero Rosso in Marina di Gioiosa Ionica or Alici on the Amalfi Coast , tend to command higher prices for comparable produce quality. Modesto's longevity and price point make it a strong case for booking if you are in or around Ferrol.
For a wider view of where Modesto sits in the local dining scene, see our full Ferrol restaurants guide. If you are planning an extended stay, our Ferrol hotels guide and Ferrol experiences guide cover the rest of the trip.
Quick reference: Galician seafood, €€, Michelin Plate 2025, 4.7/5 (534 reviews), bar and dining room, booking recommended for weekends, car or taxi access from central Ferrol.
Your main options at a similar or higher price point are A Gabeira (€€€, traditional cuisine) and O Camiño do Inglés (€€€, modern cuisine). BaceLo matches Modesto on price at €€ but takes a contemporary approach rather than a product-led one. If your priority is the leading local shellfish at the lowest price, Modesto is the stronger choice. If you want more creative cooking or are willing to spend more for a formal occasion, A Gabeira or O Camiño do Inglés are worth considering.
Yes, particularly for a seafood-centred celebration. The first-floor dining room is designed for occasion dining: comfortable, quiet enough for conversation, and occasion-appropriate without requiring full formal dress. The Michelin Plate (2025) and 40-plus years of operation give it the credibility to hold up a celebration dinner. At €€ pricing, it is also a more accessible special-occasion option than the €€€ alternatives in Ferrol.
Yes. The ground-floor bar is the practical choice for solo diners , you can eat at the bar without booking a table in the dining room. The atmosphere at the bar is informal and the food quality is consistent with what the kitchen produces upstairs. Solo diners who prefer a proper table should still be able to book the dining room, though availability is easier to confirm in advance.
Yes. The bar at the entrance operates as a dining space in its own right, not just a holding area. It is the right format for a more casual meal, a quick plate of shellfish, or a drink before or after dinner. The bar is on the ground floor; the full dining room is on the first floor. If you want the full occasion experience, book upstairs. If you want flexibility and no reservation, the bar is a genuine option.
The kitchen centres on Galician shellfish: langoustines, prawns, lobster, scallops, and razor clams. These are the dishes the restaurant has built its reputation on over 40 years, and the Michelin Plate confirms they are prepared to a consistent standard. Order whatever is freshest , on the Galician coast, seasonal availability drives quality more than any fixed recommendation. The kitchen's strength is in its sourcing and preparation of these core ingredients, so stay close to them rather than venturing into non-seafood options.
The dining room format suggests it can handle small-to-medium groups comfortably, but specific capacity figures and private dining options are not confirmed in available data. For groups of six or more, calling ahead to confirm arrangement options is the practical step. The bar area provides additional informal space for pre-dinner drinks if your group is waiting for a table. Large groups wanting a guaranteed private setup should confirm directly before booking.
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Modesto | €€ | Easy | — |
| O Camiño do Inglés | €€€ | Unknown | — |
| BaceLo | €€ | Unknown | — |
| A Gabeira | €€€ | Unknown | — |
What to weigh when choosing between Modesto and alternatives.
O Camiño do Inglés is the cleaner choice if you want a more polished dining room and a slightly more contemporary approach to Galician cooking. BaceLo works better for a casual meal with a broader menu. A Gabeira suits those who want harbour-side atmosphere alongside their seafood. Modesto wins on raw ingredient quality and longevity — 40-plus years in business — at €€ pricing that none of its peers clearly undercut for equivalent shellfish.
Yes, with the right expectations. Modesto holds a Michelin Plate (2025) and has been running for over 40 years, which gives it genuine occasion-dinner credibility at €€ pricing. The first-floor dining room is classic and contemporary rather than formal, so if you want white-tablecloth ceremony, book elsewhere. If the occasion is about serious Galician shellfish — langoustines, lobster, scallops — without a tasting-menu format or price tag, Modesto delivers.
The ground-floor bar makes Modesto a practical solo option — you can eat informally without committing to a full dining-room meal. A plate of razor clams and a glass of Albariño at the bar is a low-pressure way to eat well. Solo diners who want a full sit-down dinner are also fine in the upstairs dining room, though the bar removes any awkwardness around table-for-one dynamics.
Yes. The ground-floor bar is a functioning eating option, not just a holding area for diners waiting for a table. It suits anyone who wants an informal plate of seafood without a full dining-room commitment. If you are short on time or travelling solo, the bar is the right call.
The Michelin recognition and the restaurant's own description point clearly to the shellfish: langoustines, prawns, lobster, scallops, and razor clams are the core of what Modesto does. Stick to those rather than treating it as a broad seafood kitchen. Specific dishes and current menu pricing are not confirmed in available records, so check directly with the restaurant for what is in season.
The first-floor dining room has enough capacity to handle small groups comfortably. For larger parties or celebrations, it is worth calling ahead to confirm table availability and any group-specific arrangements — booking difficulty is generally rated easy, but a group booking on a Friday or Saturday evening is a different matter from a mid-week table for two.
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