Arcade, at the inner head of the Ría de Vigo, is one of Spain's most celebrated oyster-producing areas. The village has been farming oysters and mussels in the ría's rich, tide-churned waters for generations, and the annual oyster festival (held every February, one of the oldest in Spain) draws visitors from across Galicia and Portugal.
Numerous small restaurants along the waterfront serve fresh oysters by the dozen, accompanied by Galician white wine (Albariño is the obvious choice). Prices are notably lower than in Vigo. The setting — with the ría's inner bay and its mussel platforms visible from the tables — gives the experience an authenticity that the tourist restaurants in the city lack. This is where the people who actually grow the shellfish eat them.