Paprica

Paprica, Lugo: The Verdict

If you've eaten at Paprica once and left thinking it was a solid neighbourhood find, go back with a clearer plan. This is Lugo's most considered contemporary kitchen at the €€ price point, holding a Michelin Plate in both 2024 and 2025 — recognition that signals consistent technical intent rather than occasional brilliance. Chef Michael Helfrich has built a menu that moves deliberately from familiar Galician territory into quieter, more personal directions: Japanese inflections here, Canarian mojo there, without abandoning the regional sourcing that gives the cooking its footing. For returning visitors, the structured menus are the right call over the tapas selection — they show you how the kitchen thinks, not just what it can produce.

The Menu's Architecture

Paprica runs two tasting menus alongside a tapas card, and the progression across those menus is where the restaurant earns its Michelin recognition. The kitchen's sourcing philosophy is front-loaded: vegetables come from small organic producers, and meats are drawn from farms operating under animal welfare standards. That's not decoration , it shapes the flavour logic of what arrives at the table. You're eating ingredients that were grown and raised with attention, and dishes like the Canelón de ropa vieja, built with Celtic pork, black chickpeas, and green turnip leading mojo, make that legible on the plate. The ropa vieja filling brings a slow-cooked, shredded depth that reads as deeply Galician; the black chickpeas and the green mojo pull it sideways into something less expected. It's a good example of how Helfrich works: the base is traditional, the detour is precise and deliberate, not showy.

The chicken gyozas with balsamic and black beer represent the cross-cultural reach more directly , a Japanese format filled with Spanish poultry, finished with an acidity-led sauce that grounds the whole thing. Whether that sequence clicks for you depends on how you feel about structural borrowing in cooking. The kitchen handles it without overexplaining, which is the correct instinct. The house hake salpicón, meanwhile, is the most Galician dish on the cited menu , a cold preparation of flaked fish with vegetables and vinaigrette that favours restraint and fresh product quality over technical complexity. It's an honest anchor for a menu that reaches further elsewhere.

If you're returning, the trajectory across the full menu is more interesting than ordering à la carte from the tapas list. The menus allow Helfrich's sequencing to work properly , moving from lighter, more acidic preparations through to the richer, slower-cooked dishes. That arc is what the Michelin Plate acknowledges: not a single exceptional dish, but a coherent point of view sustained across a sitting.

The Setting

Paprica is centrally located in Lugo's old town at Rúa das Nóreas, 10 , within walking distance of the Roman walls that ring the city centre. The restaurant includes a patio-terrace, which, in a city where Lugo's enclosed historic quarter creates a particular sense of enclosure, offers a useful change of register mid-meal. The visual tone of the room is not from the database, so specifics on interior design are not stated here , but the terrace is a known feature, and in warmer months it's worth requesting when you book.

With a Google rating of 4.4 across 765 reviews, the venue has earned consistent approval at scale , not a small sample of enthusiasts but a broad cross-section of diners, which at this price tier suggests reliable execution rather than polarising ambition.

Ratings and Recognition

• Michelin Plate 2024 and 2025 , Confirmed by Michelin, indicating consistent quality in cooking
• Google Rating: 4.4 from 765 reviews
• Price range: €€ , mid-range for Lugo, accessible for the quality of sourcing and technique on offer

Booking and Practical Details

Booking at Paprica is rated as easy. Lugo is not a high-footfall tourist city, and while the restaurant draws local regulars and visitors exploring the Roman walls or the old town, competition for tables is not acute in the way it would be at comparable Michelin-recognised kitchens in Santiago de Compostela or A Coruña. That said, if you want the terrace on a Friday or Saturday evening, book ahead , it's a finite space. Specific hours and phone numbers are not available in the database; check the restaurant's Google listing for current operating times before visiting.

For broader planning in Lugo, see our full Lugo restaurants guide, our Lugo hotels guide, our Lugo bars guide, our Lugo wineries guide, and our Lugo experiences guide.

FAQ: What You Need to Know Before Booking Paprica

• What should a first-timer know about Paprica? Book one of the tasting menus rather than eating tapas only , they give a more complete picture of what the kitchen is doing. Paprica is a contemporary restaurant in Lugo's old town, recognised by the Michelin Guide with a Plate award in both 2024 and 2025, operating at a €€ price point that makes it one of the more accessible Michelin-recognised dining options in Galicia. Lugo itself is an undervisited city relative to Santiago de Compostela, so the restaurant draws a mix of locals and travellers spending time around the Roman walls.

• What should I wear to Paprica? Smart casual is appropriate. Paprica sits at €€ with Michelin Plate recognition , it is not a formal-dress venue, but turning up in beachwear or sports kit would be out of step with the room. For context, this is a step below the dress expectations at €€€€ restaurants like Arzak in San Sebastián or Azurmendi in Larrabetzu, but a step above a casual tapas bar.

• What should I order at Paprica? The Canelón de ropa vieja with Celtic pork, black chickpeas, and green turnip leading mojo is the dish that leading shows what chef Michael Helfrich is doing , traditional Galician structure with considered detours. The house hake salpicón is the cleanest expression of local product. The chicken gyozas with balsamic and black beer show the cross-cultural reach. If you're returning, take the full tasting menu rather than selecting individual dishes , the arc across courses is more interesting than any single plate.

• Is Paprica worth the price? Yes, at €€ for Michelin Plate-level cooking with sourcing from small organic producers and animal-welfare farms, Paprica offers solid value relative to what you'd pay for comparable quality in larger Spanish cities. It is not in the same technical tier as €€€€ restaurants like El Celler de Can Roca in Girona or Quique Dacosta in Dénia, but it's not trying to be. For what it costs, the sourcing discipline and structural intelligence of the menus make a strong case.

• What are alternatives to Paprica in Lugo? Os Cachivaches is the right call if you want a more traditional Galician approach without the contemporary detours. Prebe by Bret operates in a farm-to-table register and is worth considering if sourcing is your primary interest. If you're willing to travel within Spain for a special-occasion meal, Mugaritz in Errenteria or Cocina Hermanos Torres in Barcelona represent the next tier of ambition at a significantly higher price.