My quest continues: global domination in the form of Yelping every cafe and espresso bar in the…read morePontevedra province. After losing miserably to the son of my host family at Call of Duty, I had to treat the winner to a coffee. We descended upon Muffins Café, due to its proximity to the ATSA bus stop (God only knows how many of those buses we've missed) and its inviting outdoor patio. The cafe itself is very modern and trendy, even by the standards of my very modern and trendy Spanish friends. The decor is sleek (I think the bar stools are from Ikea) and the photos and paintings that adorn the wall are international in both feel and scope. Despite the departure from the traditional cafeteria ambiance, Muffins Café does not come off as pretentious. I received an average café solo. The consistency was a little thin for my liking, although the coffee did not lack in flavor. It was also strange to receive a gominola (gummy candy) with coffee, but I suppose there's a first for everything. For those that prefer tea, Muffins offers a selection of tea much larger than all of the cafeterias in the area (and probably all of Pontevedra combined). After a caffeine break, it was time to head to a local bar to play some futbolin and do something about my losing streak...

Laura A. recommended that I visit Valor in Salamanca, but unfortunately I did not have time (or…read morecapacity in my stomach) while I was there. Thankfully, I had one more opportunity to try Valor's chocolate a la taza (the hot drinking chocolate) because there is a location in Vigo not far from Rua Principe, where all of the shops are. The chocolate is marvelous; so rich, thick, and slightly bitter. It was such an incredible indulgence! There is also the option to order a cup of chocolate with churros, but I decided not to because churros never sit well in my stomach. So why only three stars for a five-star cup of chocolate, do you ask? Well, the woman working there was so rude to the point that I just wanted to get up and leave. She took forever to come out of the kitchen to greet me at the bar and was really obnoxious about saying she didn't understand me - trying to bring me a large instead of the smaller size (and the two words sound nothing alike) - and running off as I was correcting her. She also kind of just threw the cheque at me. Basically, she acted like I was hugely inconveniencing her the entire time I was there. I loved my first cup of Valor chocolate, I just wish the experience could have been more pleasant. There's still Bonilla, which is about a 5 minute walk away, which also has very good chocolate.

Para mi gusto, el mejor chocolate a la taza, auténtico chocolate derretido, una delicia para el…read morepaladar. Los churros, que en realidad son porras, están bastante grasientos pero se comen con felicidad. Es caro respecto a lo que suele costar de media un chocolate con churros en España pero la calidad es sublime. Carta amplia en la que destacan mousses, helados, crepes, batidos, bombones... Un paraiso para Los chocoadictos!

Thank god this restaurant was open late and walking distance from the hotel we stayed at. After our…read moreflight got cancelled, we were just irritated and hungry and this spot did it for us. Ivan, our server was amazing. He attended to all of our needs and just had a great vibe. The cabbage soup was complimentary and I loved it. It was perfect for a rainy day. The bacalao with fries is a huge portion. The steak and fries- also huge and I loved the yummy fat on it. The salad came plain so we just seasoned it ourselves with balsamic, vinegar and salt. We left feeling satisfied! Thank you Ivan for your service.

Even the most disciplined will find it hard to resist the temptation of the following at O Chusco:…read moretarta Santiago, café solo, and magdalenas [1]. For the birthday of the father of my host family (who IS like a father to me), we decided to throw a surprise party. We went to O Chusco to purchase a cake fit for the occasion. We settled on a very typical Galician cake - it resembles a tart more than a typical American layer/birthday cake. Although the cake is normally topped with nata, we asked our server if she could also drizzle chocolate on top. She was very glad to and even provided us with a candle when we mentioned the cake was for a birthday celebration. The cake was a huge success! Everyone loved the fluffy, spongy, slightly sweet interior and the contrast of the sweet creamy nata and bittersweet chocolate topping. For me, it was interesting to taste the nuances in flavors and I was surprised that the cake was not as rich as I imagined it would be (in a good way, because we all went for second helpings!). I have also stopped to drink coffee at O Chusco, as the location is very close to an office where I have had many job interviews. Both the café con leche and the café solo are strong, smooth, and robust (and also fairly priced!). The cup of coffee always comes with a little extra "something" - churros, small cookies, or a small slice of cake. After sampling coffee at a few of the panaderias in the area, O Chusco pulls the best shots of espresso. [1] Magdalenas are like muffins, except they are not as sugary, cloying, and sweet as a normal muffin.