A guide to Santander restaurants and bars, plus my favorite coffee shop. We recently spent two weeks in Santander, Spain, visiting my husband's family, and we loved the food scene in this small coastal city in Cantabria.
What to Know about Santander Restaurants
Lunch is an event in Santander, and many restaurants offer a three-course, prix fixe menu of the day. Lunchtime is 2 pm. Restaurants close up around 3:30 and don't open up for dinner until 8 pm. It is best to make a reservation as popular restaurants fill up. Locals don't go to dinner until 9. My in-laws laughed at us for going to dinner at 8 pm.
Download Google Translate. Santander gets a fraction of the English speaking tourists that visit cities like Barcelona and Madrid. Menu were in Spanish and I can't recall being offered an English menu. My knowledge of Spanish food words is good, but the fancier the restaurant, the more advanced the vocabulary becomes. It's handy to have Google Translate's app ready on your phone. I will say that servers we all very kind, helpful, and happy to answer questions - and fluent in English.
In general, we found that dining at restaurants was far more affordable than it is at home in Chicago. Even meals at top restaurants were about $100 for two, when we often spend $200 when we go to restaurants in Chicago.
Read More about Santander
My Guide to Things to Do in Santander
My Guide to Northern Spanish Foods to Try in Santander
Santander Restaurants
We just scratched the surface with restaurants during our visit, but I wanted to highlight our favorites. The Michelin Guide is always a prime resource for finding the best restaurants when traveling, and 12 Santander restaurants are included in the Michelin Guide.
Cadelo
Cadelo was the absolute highlight of dining experiences in Santander. While you need a reservation for dinner, we were able to walk in at lunchtime. The menu includes creative takes on classic cuisine with global influences. The Korean Wonton Lasagna made with layers of crispy wonton, beef with a tomato-based sauce, and a creamy goat cheese bechamel is outstanding.
Other highlights included the very best croquetas we tried in Spain (trust me, we tried many), and this paella with thai chicken.
As someone who dines out very often, and who lives in one of the best food cities in America, Cadelo was incredibly impressive.
Cadelo is a Michelin Bib Gourmand Award winner, which recognizes exceptional food at a reasonable price.
Umma
My in-laws suggested this restaurant since it their date night go-to. We had an 8:30 pm reservation which Charles's mother said was too early and that the restaurant would be empty. It was. The fact it was absolutely pouring rain might have contributed. I liked the laid back intimate vibe of the space. It was casual and comfortable - the ideal spot for Charles and I to enjoy a quiet dinner while his parents stayed home with our four-year-old.
At both Umma and Cadelo, I loved how top tier meals were presented in unpretentious spaces. Standout dishes at Umma were a wonderful cauliflower skewer, tartar, and a braised beef.
Umma is also a Michelin Bib Gourmand Award winner.
Gran Hotel Sardinero
An upscale elegant hotel across from Sardinero I beach that like many of the restaurants in Santander, offers a three-course prixe-fix menu.
The menu highlights traditional Cantabrian foods such as Cocido Montañés, a hearty bean stew with chunks of pork and sausage. This is a meal you must-try in Santander.
Another classic Cantabrian dish on the menu is milhojas, a version of a thousand layer cake made with thin layers of puff pastry and pastry cream.
Mercado del Este
This large market in the city center serves prepared foods, it's an ideal place to try pinchos, small bites of food usually held together with a skewer and served on a piece of bread.
I love how the pinchos are so beautifully displayed. This market is open seven days a week from 8 am until 11:30 pm. This is unusual since most restaurants and businesses close for a siesta each afternoon and many markets are closed on Sundays.
Santander Bars
Santander’s streets are lined with bars and cafes. We took advantage of the fact Charles’s parents were available to watch Gwen and enjoyed some nights out.
Little Bobby
An exceptionally cool speakeasy offering elevated and creative cocktails. The theme is Chicago in the 1920s. The baby carriage is a nod to the famous scene in the gangster film The Untouchables.
To gain entry, enter the doors to the library entryway, scan the QR code and you will be presented with a question. You might need to refresh the page in order for the multiple choice answers to appear. Once you select the correct answer, the bookcase will open and reveal the bar.
The space is so fun and the cocktail menu is inventive and unique. I had a gin cocktail that came in the coolest monkey glass.
Little Bobby is just a few blocks from both Umma and Cadelo.
Spirit St
We loved this neighborhood with lots of car-free side streets filled with bars and cafes with outdoor seating. Spirit Street stood out since they produce their own spirits, and there was a lively crowd enjoying pre-dinner drinks.
King's Pub
A popular cocktail bar with a very large menu with classic cocktails, trendy drinks, and mocktails. We had Spanish Gin and Tonics - it was hot during our visit and this became our go-to drink.
Cortes
According to my mother-in-law, this is more of a spot to order wine, but my husband and I had delightful Spanish Gin and Tonics here. Plus, and order of croquetas. Out of all the bars we went to, this was the most lively.
1941
Charles's cousin recommended this cocktail bar. Named after the fire that took place in Santander in 1941, this is a small bar with a large outdoor seating area.
Santander Coffee Shops
Santander's streets are lined with coffee shops and cafes. We spent hours sitting at coffee shops chatting with family.
Kafeteros
A specialty coffee shop on the second floor of the Mercado de la Esperanza that served the most delicious Nutella Iced Latte. I am an iced latted drinker, and this was a rare spot that served true iced coffees. At other restaurants, I was served a hot latte with a cup of ice.
Ice Cream
Bico de Xeado
This artisanal ice cream shop is part of a Spanish chain. We liked how they have a selection of classic flavors plus more unique options like rice pudding and blue cheese.
