The woman strolls into Restaurante Gueyu Mar, still in her bikini top, her thongs slapping lightly on the concrete floor as she spies a waiter and makes her way over to him. “Are you still serving lunch?” she asks in Spanish. The waiter shakes his head, a little surprised.
“No.” “Oh,” the woman replies. “Can we just sit down for a drink?” Cudillero has become the calling card of Asturias.
Credit: iStock Those of us who are already sitting down, having just finished a flawless meal of some of the world’s finest seafood, one that will live on in the memory for years to come, smile at the exchange. Sit down for a drink? Do you know how long it takes to get a reservation at Gueyu Mar? I booked this table three months ago, as soon as reservations opened. This is one of Spain’s most in-demand restaurants, a haven for seafood lovers keen to experience the passion and the skill of chef Abel Alvarez, a master of the charcoal grill.
So no, you can’t just pop in for a drink. Though you could be forgiven for thinking so. Gueyu Mar is set in sleepy Playa la Vega, a short strip of holiday homes and old farmhouses on Spain’s northern coast, in the region of Asturias.
Most people come here to swim at the beach, and there’s a steady stream of holidaymakers wandering past the restaurant today clutching buckets and spades, bodyboards, fold-up chairs and the like. Historic Oviedo city sits in an emerald valley. Credit: Getty Images Gueyu Mar sits on a corner by the sand.