Santiago's food market is a fascinating, always lively scene, very clean, with masses of fresh produce from the seas and countryside displayed at 300-odd stalls. Saturday is particularly festive, with Galician folk musicians sometimes playing in the surrounding bars. Stock up on tetilla cheese, cured meats, sausage, fruit, empanada (pastry pie) or the terrific home-made, take-away dishes of Cocina María for a picnic.
Bars and restaurants line the street outside, but there are also good options within the market itself, especially Nave 5 Abastos, where chefs in Aisle 5 cook up top-class fresh seafood and fish, filloas (Galician crêpes), Mexican tacos and more, and you sit at long tables or stools to enjoy it. Drinks too, at equally reasonable prices. Also in Nave 5, popular Mariscomanía will, for €5 per person, cook up seafood or meat that you buy elsewhere in the market (though they don't do octopus or fish).
Around the outside of the buildings you'll find stallholders selling the produce of their orchards or veggie gardens.
