Gijón's food is grounded in the Asturian tradition: fabada asturiana (a stew of large white beans, blood sausage, cured pork, and chorizo that is filling to the point of requiring an afternoon off), fresh fish and shellfish from the Cantabrian coast, and cabrales — the powerful blue cheese from the Picos de Europa that arrives at the table smelling aggressive and tasting more so. The fish market supply means that the seafood restaurants around the Cimadevilla harbour serve fish that was in the sea that morning, and the quality shows.
The cider — sidra — is the drink of Asturias and the social act of the sidería is as much a ritual as a beverage choice. Asturian cider is naturally cloudy, slightly tannic, and low in fizz; it must be poured from height (the "escanciar" pour) by the waiter holding the bottle above their head and the glass at hip height, which aerates it and activates the flavour. Each pour — a culete — is about a finger's worth of liquid drunk in one go; the glass is not refilled but repoured with the next round. The sidrería circuit in Cimadevilla is the obvious starting point; the bars generally serve fixed sidería menus of cheese, charcuterie, and grilled fish alongside the cider.