Restaurant in Pontevedra, Spain
Michelin-recognised Galician cooking at low spend.
Loaira Xantar earns two consecutive Michelin Plates (2024 and 2025) at the most accessible price tier in Pontevedra, making it an easy yes for food enthusiasts wanting genuine regional Galician cooking in one of the old town's most atmospheric squares. With 1,618 Google reviews averaging 4.4, the consistency is backed by volume. Book it as a sit-down experience — the Praza da Leña setting is central to the proposition.
If you are returning to Pontevedra and already ate your way through the obvious spots, Loaira Xantar holds up on a second visit in a way that matters: it is consistent, affordable, and recognised by Michelin two years running (2024 and 2025 Michelin Plate) without drifting into the price territory that would make you think twice. At the single-euro price tier, this is the kind of regional cooking that rewards a deliberate return rather than a casual drop-in, because you notice the kitchen's discipline more the second time around.
The Michelin Plate is a useful calibration tool here. It does not signal starred ambition, but it does signal that inspectors found the cooking honest and consistently competent. For a food or travel enthusiast exploring Galician cuisine beyond the coastal marisquerías, Loaira Xantar's regional focus gives you something grounded in the interior of the region rather than the reflexive parade of percebes and centolla you will find everywhere else on the Rías Baixas circuit.
The address is Praza da Leña, one of the most visually composed squares in Pontevedra's old town. The plaza is stone-flagged, flanked by traditional porticoed buildings, and compact enough to feel intimate rather than touristy. Eating here puts you inside one of the city's genuinely historic spaces, which matters for the explorer-type diner who wants context alongside the plate. The room itself communicates regional identity through what you see before you even order: the materials, the proportions, the absence of the performative modernism that creeps into too many Galician restaurants chasing a broader audience.
Visually, Pontevedra's old town is among the most intact medieval pedestrian centres in northern Spain, and Praza da Leña sits at its heart. That setting is part of the Loaira Xantar proposition, not incidental to it. You are not eating in a restaurant that happens to be in a nice neighbourhood; the location is doing real work in terms of atmosphere and context.
At the single-euro price tier, Loaira Xantar competes differently from the Pontevedra venues attracting three- and four-euro spend. The question for an informed visitor is not whether this is the most technically sophisticated kitchen in the city (it is not trying to be) but whether it delivers genuine regional cooking at a price that makes the decision easy. With 1,618 Google reviews averaging 4.4, the volume and consistency of positive sentiment suggest this is not a local secret that disappoints on closer inspection — it is a venue that has earned repeat business across a large sample of diners.
For the food enthusiast who has already done the Galician pilgrimage through Arzak in San Sebastián, El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, or Azurmendi in Larrabetzu, Loaira Xantar offers something different in register: it is a place where the cooking is rooted in what this specific part of Galicia produces and eats, not what the international fine-dining conversation demands. That contrast is worth something, particularly when the price makes the risk low.
Regional Galician cooking at this level is not optimally designed for off-premise consumption. The dishes that define this style of kitchen — slow-cooked meats, fish preparations reliant on fresh texture, bread-forward accompaniments , do not travel particularly well. If you are considering takeout from Loaira Xantar as an option, the honest answer is that you will lose something material in the transfer. The setting in Praza da Leña is doing a significant portion of the experiential work, and eating in the room is meaningfully different from eating the same food elsewhere. This is a sit-down proposition. If you need off-premise dining for practical reasons, the lower price point at least means the financial risk of a diminished experience is limited, but the format is not designed for it. Prioritise the table.
For regional cuisine that travels better in concept, you would be looking at formats built around cured products, empanada, or preserved preparations , categories where Galicia genuinely excels as takeout-friendly food. Loaira Xantar's Michelin recognition implies a kitchen focused on plated service rather than portable formats.
See the full comparison below. Within Pontevedra's dining options, Loaira Xantar sits in a distinct position: Michelin-recognised at the lowest price tier, which makes it an easy decision for first-timers and a reliable anchor for a longer Galician itinerary. For a broader picture of where to eat, drink, and stay in the city, see our full Pontevedra restaurants guide, our Pontevedra hotels guide, our Pontevedra bars guide, our Pontevedra wineries guide, and our Pontevedra experiences guide.
If regional cuisine at accessible price points interests you in other European contexts, the comparison extends interestingly to venues like Trattoria al Cacciatore - La Subida in Cormons or Thaller - Gasthaus in Sankt Veit am Vogau, both of which operate in a similar mode: Michelin-recognised, region-rooted, and priced for repeat visits rather than once-in-a-decade splurges.
Group bookings are likely manageable given the accessible price point and old-town location, but seat count and private dining options are not confirmed in our data. At the single-euro price tier, large group dinners here are financially low-risk compared to options like D'Berto at four euros per head. Contact the venue directly before planning a group visit, particularly for parties larger than six.
No dress code is specified, but the Praza da Leña setting in Pontevedra's historic old town suggests smart casual is the right read. Michelin Plate recognition at a single-euro price point means this is not a formal-occasion restaurant , you will not feel underdressed in neat daywear, and you will not need to dress for a starred room. Check what else you have planned in the old town and dress accordingly.
Regional Galician cuisine is typically anchored in meat and seafood, with bread and starch-heavy accompaniments. Vegetarian and vegan options exist in Galician cooking but are not the focus of the tradition. Specific dietary accommodation details are not in our database , if restrictions are a deciding factor, call or email ahead. For a fusion-format kitchen that may have broader flexibility, La Ultramar is worth considering as an alternative.
Your leading alternative at the same price tier is Trasmallo, a contemporary kitchen also at single-euro pricing. If you want to step up in spend for a more serious seafood experience, D'Berto is the marisquería benchmark at four euros per head. For contemporary cooking at a mid-range price, Eirado at three euros is the Pontevedra option that bridges the gap. Savoy Restobar and La Ultramar round out the options if you want something lighter or more casual.
Tasting menu details are not confirmed in our database, so we cannot verify whether a set tasting format is offered. What the Michelin Plate recognition in 2024 and 2025 does confirm is that the kitchen is producing food at a quality level above the casual end of the one-euro tier. At this price point, a tasting format would represent strong value if available , but verify the current menu format before booking on that assumption. The Google rating of 4.4 across more than 1,600 reviews suggests the kitchen delivers reliably regardless of format.
| Venue | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Loaira Xantar | € | — |
| Eirado | €€€ | — |
| D ’Berto | €€€€ | — |
| Trasmallo | € | — |
| La Ultramar | € | — |
| Savoy Restobar | — |
A quick look at how Loaira Xantar measures up.
Praza da Leña is a compact historic square, and venues at this address tend to have modest floor plans — call ahead if you are bringing more than six people. At the single-euro price tier, Loaira Xantar is a practical choice for a group lunch without a bill that requires negotiation, but confirmation of table configuration before arrival is sensible. No group booking policy is documented in available records.
Loaira Xantar holds a Michelin Plate but sits at the lowest price tier (€), which signals a casual rather than formal register. Pontevedra's old town dining scene broadly skews relaxed, and nothing about this venue's positioning suggests a dress code. Come as you would for a neighbourhood lunch in a Spanish plaza — tidy but comfortable.
No dietary accommodation policy is documented for Loaira Xantar. Regional Galician cooking centres on seafood, pork, and produce-driven preparations, so protein-heavy menus are the norm at this type of kitchen. If you have significant restrictions, check the venue's official channels before booking — the address is Praza da Leña, 1, Pontevedra.
D'Berto is the area's reference point for serious Galician seafood at a higher price point. Trasmallo and La Ultramar both offer accessible old-town dining closer to Loaira Xantar's price range. If you want Michelin recognition at a higher spend, Eirado is the comparison to make. Loaira Xantar's specific position — Michelin Plate at the lowest price tier — is not directly replicated by the others.
No tasting menu is confirmed in available records for Loaira Xantar. At the single-euro price tier, a structured tasting format would be unusual for this type of Galician kitchen. The Michelin Plate recognition (2024 and 2025) signals consistent quality in the regional cuisine format rather than a destination omakase-style experience — manage expectations accordingly.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
