Lucky for anyone who loves a good glass of wine and pintxos (and who doesn't?!), Santander has a…read morevery lively pintxos bar scene. Around 8pm, people start to trickle into the bars to have a glass of wine before dinner. Bodega Cigaleña is one of the most memorable of the pintxos bar - first and foremost, the sign at the door declares it is a "museo del vino". As soon as you enter, you very much feel that you are walking through someone's wine collection. Vintages of Rioja that go back as far as the 1920s decorate the shelves and the slate gives the feeling that you are in a cellar. The decor and the way that the bar zig-zags (it is not one long bar) gives the impression of coziness, privacy as you snag your own little nook, and a non-pretentious atmosphere to enjoy wine. Old people and young people alike choose to hang out here. As for the selection of wine, there is tons of it! Each denominación de origen (Spain's terminology for wine appellations) that surrounds Cantabria was well-represented and whether you wanted a red, white, or rose, there were plenty of choices priced under 3 euro. Silly me, I set a goal of wanting to taste every wine on the list; in reality, I tasted three on my two visits here. The bartender seems to have the power to read minds and always knew when me or one of the other clients was ready to try something new. And then there are the pintxos, which are of just of good a quality as the wine served. The tortilla was perfect and made the "Galician way" - just a little bit raw and softer in the middle. After a glass of wine on an empty stomach, the tortilla was all the more satisfying (and prevented me from becoming very drunk). The anchovy pintxo is just three anchovies served over a slice of bread; not overly impressive, but I think that the lack of flavor and texture of the bread was probably to blame. Bodega Cigaleña was definitely one of the most memorable "food and wine" portions of the trip to Santander. The wine, the food, the service - everything is of very high quality.

They have a selection of inexpensive, high quality wine and a selection of expensive high quality…read morewine. The place is small, bit as it is not as popular anymore, there was no issue finding room. It is not a place I would suggest for finding sates, but it is a nice place for wine and snacks.

If you are in Santander, La Radio definitely should be a place on your to-do list. Since a lot of…read morelocals hang out here, you know that the food and cocktails will be top notch. The taverna has an amazing selection of tapas for a decent price. If you get only one thing, you should go with the rabas (fried clam strips) because they are out of this world. Overall the service is pretty nice and efficient. If the place is crowded, you might have to be a little outspoken to get the attention of a waiter or a bartender.

An authentic Spanish local place to eat and particulary to have 'raciones' (plates of food to…read moreshare). I would recommend especially their 'rabas' (fried squid). This one is a typical delicacy from the region and difficult to get good ones and well cooked. Not only these ones are great but also extremely good value. You get an enormous plate to share for just 10 euros (normally these are quite expensive, this is the only place I know where they are so good and at such good value) I would also suggest to try something that you probably have never tried - pigs' ears. I know, it may not sound so apetising, but they are actually delicious! You can see what they are on the 3rd pic I posted. They are served with a spicy red sauce that compliments it perfectly. As you can see, it is another big plate. Another good point is that while you are having a drink or having some 'raciones' you can also eat the food that is served on the counters (for free :). You can get a glass of seafood cream (delicious!), crisps, bread with potato and mayo based salad and tuna on it (you can also see this on the pictures), etc. You actually can have lunch with all these things that are served. The atmosphere is from a typical local place, where the locals meet regularly. However, anyone can fit here, and it is a friendly and casual place to meet with friends for a drink or to eat, or just go on your own and sample some of their food. In any case, whether you are going with people or on your own, this should be a place in your list if you want to 'taste' the real thing ;)

As good as it gets for raw oysters within a 3-mile radius! Coming from Boston, we have oysters ALL…read morethe time but these delicious bivalves made my heart flutter. We shared a few of every variation of oyster they had that day: Cantabra, Gillardeau, Hihna and Tia Maraa. If you're lucky enough to have the Gillardeau available the day you're there, order these. They're meaty, sweet and just perrrrrfect. The local Cantabra ones were quite a surprise. They were unique in that they were super salty in a different way but if you're like me, you need to order at least 1 as it would be a total shame not to try the local version when you're there. The Hihna and Tia Maraa varieties came in as a close second to the Gillardeau - Large, sweet and slightly briny. Highly recommended! Now for the dark horse - The smoked cod (bacalao ahumado) was amazing and NOT to be missed. These flavorful pieces of heaven were accompanied with a mustard and a horseradish cream sauce with a bottle of red pepper flakes. The combo of the sauces, pepper and the cod was divine and elevated it to the next echelon. We wished we still had room to order another smoked fish and at this point regretted that we stuffed ourselves with so many pinchos before ending up here ha! Overall, worth the trip and worth the splurge!

Great place to get a small taste of Santander…read more I came here on the way to another restaurant to get some oysters and a couple of drinks. Well . . . we really came here to get drinks on the way to the other restaurant, but the oysters were a great addition. This place is not as crowded as some of the other places on Calle Pena, which worked well for us because the service was very prompt. Also, this makes the dining experience quite nice, quiet get together. Plus, the waiters/bartenders were really chatty and friendly. As someone from the states, I was really surprised to see that La Mar carried Tabasco sauce as a condiment for the oysters. I do not think that I saw a single bottle of Tabasco at any other point during my trip. The oysters were super cheap and super fresh. Also, the bar carries Tanqueray Rangpur, which is my FAVORITE gin and I was ecstatic to see it because I cannot find it anyway in the NYC.

Wow! Insane. Best food in Spain we have had. How can food be this good?? The cured salmon plate…read moreis maybe one of the most original and interesting dishes I have had in years.