Great spot that served earlier than 8:30p (much of the town stays closed until then)... had a bunch…read moreof great appetizers and a super nice / responsive server.

Another wonderful, but quite interesting visit by our Tauck Tour. The town, which dates back to the…read more8th century, is acknowledged as national monument. This historic town center of Santillana del Mar is only open to pedestrians. Our coach bus dropped us just outside of the entrance to the town where we began our short tour. The town has maintained its original character for hundreds of years. Some of the most interesting buildings were the Casa del Águila or the House of the Eagle and the Casa de la Plaza or the House of the Square. Since the weather was not in our favor, we were unable to truly discover many other qualities of the historic town. However we did enjoy a fabulous lunch in their Hotel dining area with once again lots of wine.

When Gayle and I recently visited Santillana Del Mar, we actually stayed at the Parador Gil Blas on…read morethe next street. In addition to the Hotel (a former 16th Century Palace), there's a nice restaurant and a killer outdoor Patio right off the main square (for a relaxing drink). I also visited the Lobby and bought a very cool Altamira Caves print that ranks as one of my best finds.

Nice ambiance with very nice cider dispensers on each tables. The front of the pub even has a cider…read moresampler! We had Fabada and Crema de esparagus. The fabada was packed with the flavor of the smoked ham and chorizo which was very nice. If you're fond of meat fat and oil, you will love it, it was too authentic for us. The crema de esparagus was blend, boring, and all around disappointing. We had the ever-reliable Estrella Galicia which never disappoints. I asked for a sample of cider which was delivered post haste! We found it tart, acidic and super dry! It is made there and to be fair, may be too authentic for us. Go for the ambiance and have fun!

Order a beer or a cider and enjoy one of the most outstanding home made baguettes with original…read morecantabien toppings on the house. Superb ;-)

After walking through this gorgeous village we felt a bit hungry. It was a nice day so we walked…read moreinto the courtyard of this restaurant, where our Bulldog was welcome as well. There are lots of tables outside and quite a lot inside as well. It's a very nice and comfy setting. Ordered two small ciders, a plate of Morcilla, fish with salad and two glasses of white wine. Fish was of a nice size and very fresh. Morcilla (spanish blood sausage) with the peppers on the side was fantastic. Nice texture, well spiced. Great stuff. Prices are very fair, there are also interesting set menus, but we just didn't have that much time that day. But definitely a place to come back when in Santillana Del Mar.

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.