We've spent two weeks in Spain and this was one of our better meals. It is traditional spanish food…read morebut the ingredients were fresh an quality was high. Also as an American in Spain where the locals attitude can at times be unfriendly we found our waitress to be particularly friendly and hospitable. Notable dishes were the stuffed peppers, salad with goat cheese, croquettes, grilled hake (no verde sauce) and sirlion with foie. They also accommodated ourkids with the macaronni dish from the menu del dia while we ordered from the al a carte menu

El Castillo is located in the heart of Santillana del Mar and just a few doors down from the…read moreParador Gil Blas. The restaurant can be broken up into 3 parts. First there's the barrel tables outside for the smokers and locals only conversation. Just inside is the Bar for drinks and tapas and beyond that is a sit-down dining area. El Castillo is refreshingly unpretentious and even a bit charming blunt service-wise at times. The food was also very good, was served generously, and was a very good value for the money. Gayle and I had the "Menu de Dia" for 14 Euros, which got us 2 Courses, Dessert, Bread and a Bottle of Wine to Share. The Stew and Roasted Lamb were particularly tasty.

The first night here we had a good dinner and went back a couple nights later. It had just turned 8…read moreso the waiter told us we could not eat outside unless we ordered more expensive meals. No problem though he was curt. Half the tables were empty. My wife ordered the salmon and tomato salad. The waiter said they were out, so she ordered an anchovy and tomato salad which ended up a mayonnaise potato salad with a couple anchovies on top, horrible. A couple minutes later the table behind us got the salad she requested. Said it wasn't his fault they just got more. The guy was an A. Walked away with an upset stomach. Service was horrible and at those prices they should be bending over backwards.

The food was insane good. Only had a salad and tomato and anchovies pincho with cheese and the…read moreflavor was out of this world. Bottle of great Cava and dinner only $40 Euro. Wow.

One of the best tapas place that me and my friend stopped by during our 5 days northern Spain road…read moretrip. We tried 4 different tapas and they were all very good. Lots of variety to choose from as well. The waiting staff was very attentive and were willing to try to speak some English for us travelers.