Located in the "old town" section of Santander, there is no shortage of quality competition on this block. The restaurants here each have a splendid reputation for their fare.
What sets La Lola apart then, is friendliness to newcomers.
My wife and I are clearly not from Santander. (Folks can recognize we're from the States even from behind!) That said, a casual stroll along this street starting around 8pm showed us where people were welcome to start their evening a bit early, and where customers were not welcome before 9. We had already been "shooed away" from several restaurants when we came across La Lola. One of the waiters was outside, chatting amicably. He said they wouldn't start serving until 9, but would be glad to provide us with a place to sit and some nice refreshments...
Right around nine, he came to our table and escorted us inside to the dining area. (By then, the outside patio was full to overflowing - while in the nearby restaurants, people were just starting to show up.) From that moment on, we were made to feel like they were there only for us. The food was terrific. We started with a house salad with tuna, then my steak was grilled to perfection - it was juicy and tender, with just the right amount of grilled onions. My wife's meatballs were little masterpieces of flavor... absolutely delicious!
For dessert, my wife gobbled up the chocolate mousse (delicious!) and I had the house specialty, homemade cheesecake. Wow! Really, WOW!
A nice touch after dessert - I'd asked for a "Cuban" coffee, explaining that I wanted it strong enough to stand a spoon in. He decided to go one better, and add a shot of Cuban rum to it. Well done!
We felt cared for, we were very well fed, and really - if we were staying longer, would come back to this place again and again. It's how they made us FEEL that mattered. read more