El Mucanijo

After a busy afternoon of taking my traditional brisk stroll of the hilly streets of Vigo, I was very thirsty and needed to give my feet a break. El Mucanijo, with its outdoor terrace seating area, seemed as good a place as any to stop for something to drink. It’s a relatively new addition to the area, having been open for less than a year. The inside of the cafeteria was quite dark and because for once the sun was shining in Vigo, I wanted to sit outside. Based on the aesthetics of the cafeteria and the «Anti-​Crisis» menu posted out front, I was hoping that I’d be able to not get ripped off for water. Glasses of wine priced as little as 1.60 and sandwiches as low as 2.00 seems like something many people in this area would appreciate — the recession hit this area of Galicia very hard and such promotions probably drive a lot of traffic to this cafeteria.
My sparkling water was certainly as «no frills» as El Mucanijo looks — I asked for a slice of lemon and the waiter told me they «don’t do that here». I guess that is the Anti-​Crisis water. And for my free tapa, it was cheap potato chips. Speaking of cheap, unless you’re ordering from the Anti-​Crisis menu, that is what the El Mucanijo experience was NOT. For 1.30 euro for my lemon-​less water and to have the privilege to read Faro de Vigo on the terrace, I now know it’s best to continue to support La Estafeta.