I'm on a mission - to find Spain's best churros, even if it kills me (or causes lots of deep-fried…read moredough to coagulate in my arteries). I think I've struck gold (deep-fried, crispy gold, that is!) at Bonilla. When I've stayed out a wee bit too late and am physically and mentally dragging, I'll stop by for some churros y chocolate. The churros, freshly made in the morning, are crispy with a perfectly fried exterior, and covered in an ample amount of sugar. The interior is slightly chewy and absorbs lots of chocolate - no soggy, undercooked churros here! Galicia has some of the richest, best hot chocolate that I have tasted in Spain thus far. The chocolate at Bonilla is smooth, creamy, and rich. It was much lighter and milkier than I prefer, but of the perfect viscosity for dipping the churros. Because Bonilla is very close to Plaza Principe, the prices are a little steep (2.50 for the chocolate and 4 small churros for 1 euro). It's money well-spent, so no complaining from me. The cafe solo is also perfect for days when I don't feel the need to overindulge (e.g., my jeans are getting tight).

In all of the years that I have been drinking cafe solo in Galicia (at least five now), I never…read moreremembered Semola being in the neighborhood. If it's a relatively new addition, it's definitely one of my new favorite bakeries and places to have coffee in all of Vigo! Although Semola is first-and-foremost a bakery, there is also the option of ordering coffee (for take-away; there is only one small table at the front of the bakery [1]) or a coffee with bizcocho or croissant combination "special" for approximately 2 euro. Not only does this happen to be an incredible deal for the quality of what you receive, but I realized how incredibly fast I was no longer fitting into my new jeans from Blanco. The coffee used is Illy brand, so the espresso is very smooth and has no sharp aftertaste. The big slice of bizcocho is moist, rich, and heavenly. Every day, there are two different flavors of this diet-sabotaging bizcocho to choose from; my all-time favorite is the chocolate (they do not skimp on the cocoa powder!), but the apple and lemon are also very good. I try to rationalize the health benefits of the chocolate bizcocho, which I could eat all day, every day, because chocolate contains antioxidants and the Galicians make the cake with olive oil, not butter, so it must be healthy, right?! And having eaten a lot of empanadillas while in Vigo, Semola makes some of the best in this "downtown" area of Vigo. The pastry crust is light and flaky and the filling is pretty much ALL tuna without being greasy. It's none of this "I'm going to fill the empanadilla up with air" (which happens more often than not) or having gross, not to mention messy, orange grease dripping everywhere while you're trying to enjoy your empanada on the go (which is why I like them, they're so easy to take along for a day at the beach). The woman who works at Semola (I imagine she must be the owner) is there every single morning and remembers all of her customers' orders, down to which kind of sugar they like in their coffee (or the fact that I love the chocolate bizcocho). She's the best, and so is Semola! [1] When I first visited Galicia, NO ONE sold coffee to take-away. The past few years, this seems to be an offering many cafeteria and bakery owners proudly tout. Do I sense Anglo-American influences or are Galicians in a hurry all of a sudden?

It's my third week in Spain and I've found myself busting out Cirque du Soleil moves in order to…read moreget my skinny jeans up past my thighs. A friend in NY asked, "Dana, you walk 6km a day uphill, shouldn't you be losing weight?" I guess I've omitted a minor detail - my Spanish diet. The morning empanadilla at Tuypan went from a one-time event to a habit firmly ingrained in my morning hike to campus. Every morning, smell of baked goods wafting from the open door beckons me to be impulsive and indulge in all sorts of Galician specialties that go straight to the thighs. The empandillas have become a part of my morning routine. Whether I'm craving tuna, bacalao, or cerdo, the filling is consistently savory and delicious and the crust of the empanadilla is slightly crispy and fluffy, without being overly doughy and gummy. The bacalao is my favorite, with tuna placing a close second. Best of all, this substantial (e.g., substantially fattening) breakfast is only ONE euro! You can bet that I'll update this review once I digest this empanada and get the tortilla bocadillo on pan gallego for lunch.

This place is a great place for breakfast in Vigo! Not only is the atmosphere super cute, but they…read morehave a huge menu for breakfast food, which is pretty atypical for a European country, especially Spain. They had quite a few options for people who can't eat gluten as well, like yogurt with muesli and gluten free bread with multiple spread options. I ordered the yogurt, gluten free bread with hummus and olive spread, café con leche, and a fresh squeezed juice with pineapple, strawberry, apple, lemon, and celery. Everything was delicious and the staff was very nice and understanding of my restrictions!

Delicious zumos. We ordered the "bosque rojo" & it was AMAZING! The locale is super cute with great…read moreproducts for sale. Drinks are a little on the pricy side but ingredients are fresh and freshly squeezed.

After a night of revelry in Vigo, I needed to look like I got more than 3 hours of sleep before…read moreheading back to the house of my family. [1] Thank goodness Beny Lavandeira is within walking distance to many of the bars AND one of the central bus stops in Vigo because it made getting caffeinated a relatively easy task. There are only four tables in this bakery (it is more of a place where people stop by to buy their bread and cakes, rather than drink coffee and stay a while), but there was no shortage of people hanging out, reading the paper, and sipping coffee. I was fortunate enough to snag a table and ordered a café solo. As I skimmed the front page of Faro de Vigo, the employee asked me if all I wanted was a café solo. To my left, a couple was enjoying a croissant with their coffee. To my right, grandparents with their grandchild were dipping very typical Galician cookies in a café con leche. And in front of me, in the baked goods case, a very fresh-looking bizcocho [2] caught my eye. "Alright," I said. "A small slice of the bizcocho, please." "Small" must be a relative concept because two bites later, I was not only extremely full but it looked as though I had hardly eaten this spongy, moist cake. The employee noticed that I had surrendered and wrapped the rest of the cake for me to take home. For two euros, I had a great cup of coffee and a larger slice of bizcocho than I anticipated. The next time there's a foam party in Vigo, you'll know where to find me between the hours of 10 and 11am... [1] After-parties generally begin around 5 or 6am in Vigo and can go until 1pm or so. [2] A simple sponge cake. It's amazing how a few basic ingredients, when combined, can taste so good!

My host family is appalled by 1) the amount of coffee I drink and 2) how horrible my Spanish can…read moreget if I don't have enough coffee. Tu Pana Tu Cafe is there for me when the afternoon grogginess and pangs of headaches arrive. In addition to a wide range of coffees, the shop also offers a number of teas and specialty tea drinks. This also appears to be the neighborhood spot to purchase a fresh loaf of bread for the day - many patrons come and go throughout the day to purchase una barra gallega. (This bread is like heaven on earth.) My cafe solo is always excellent - it is smooth and robust, without any bitterness or odd aftertaste. When I have my coffee to stay, instead of receiving the customary complimentary dried-out cookie, I receive a miniature pastry. These pastries are decadent, to say the least. My favorite (so far) has been the "elephant ear" - the flaky pastry drenched in a coating of honey. Each cafe solo constitutes the most utilitarian 1.05 euro I have ever spent.

This place was amazing! It was clean and a nice spot to hang out. All the drinks they had to offer…read morewas unique, I loved the moccachino dark chocolate. They had gluten free crackers to go along with your coffee. I highly recommend this place. The service was slow because their was only one girl working there. They should think of hiring more people.

The decor was nice. The instrumental music playing on the speakers was loud. Unfortunately we were…read moresitting in a blind spot and were not attended to by the staff, so after 5+ minutes of waiting we ordered at the counter. The couple next to us, who came in as we sat back down were attended to quickly and received their order before us. The almost 5 euro glass consisting of a mix of fruit juices - which I assumed, for that price, would be fresh - tasted like it was from concentrate, poured from a supermarket carton. And the tostada (toasted bread with toppings) was merely okay but nothing to write home about. My friend ordered a supergreen smoothie which she said was overly acidic. Maybe when their menu isn't limited, I'll try again, and order something different.

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...