Always a treat to vacation in Key West and Santiago's Bodega is one of our stops each time we're here. In case you've never been there, everything is tapas so be careful how you order. My husband and I usually order 2 cold plates, 2 hot, and sometimes 1 dessert. This time we ordered ceviche and the green beans as our cold selections. For our hot tapas, we ordered the special which was pork belly, a large scallop, and shrimp. Also ordered shrimp and chorizo. Both delicious! And for dessert, do NOT miss the bread pudding! Finally, if the weather's good (And when isn't it good in KW in early April?) try to reserve a table outside. The restaurant is somewhat dark inside. read more

Staff was extremely nice. The tapas were AMAZING. Highly recommend the Bacon and Basil Wrapped Mushrooms. Hands down my favorite item we had that night. read more

Fabulous. Also the service. Everything we ordered was great. Even the house red wine. Would go back in a heartbeat.

The tuna ceviche was not good. Tasted fishy and the chunks are way too big. Everything else was pretty good. The beef short ribs were very good read more

Underwhelming food served by disinterested waiters. Sangria tastes like wine with fruit they threw in moments ago. Tapas are nondescript. The only dish of note was the gazpacho. Don't bother. read more

My favorite restaurant. Saganaki and beef carpaccio are MUST. White sangria is so refreshing. And bread pudding is my favorite dessert. read more

Santiago's Bodega - Tapas Bars Near Me - Key West, Florida

Excellent food!! Tasty, original and very flavorful!! Best spot I've tried in Key West!! The Short Ribs... amazing, the Burrata mozzarella.. the bread pudding... OMG! Even the coffee! read more

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Ordered hot patas of shrimp, chicken, meatball and beef short rips. All Small plates. Good for my appetite. Recommend! read more

Santiago's Bodega - Tapas Bars Near Me - Key West, Florida

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Wow, this is a case where Yelp does not tell a lie. While searching for a place to eat in Key West over 400+ reviews and a 4.5 star rating definitely got my attention. After watching the traditional sunset at Mallory Square we decided to check this place out. After an excruciatingly long bicycle rickshaw ride (it's a big ripoff), we finally ended up on Petronia Street. As popular in the Keys, the restaurant is a converted house. The interior is very nice - kind of rustic and Spanish fitting the tapas theme. We showed up without reservations, and luckily the hostess said the four of us could have a table in the front for an hour and a half. We realized later how lucky we were as there ended up being a huge line of people waiting outside to be seated by the time we left. Ok now the food. OMFG so good!! We ordered 10 tapas for the four of us and food started coming in waves. The best in my opinion were the Lamb Patties, Meatballs, Brussel Sprouts, and dates. Pretty much everything was on point except for the pinchos morunos (spicy pork skewers) which were very dry. What really put this place over the top was the service. After almost every dish the severs came and replenished our plates. The manager was incredibly attentive and our wine glasses and water were never empty. This is probably one of my favorite tapas places I've been to in the US, never mind Key West. I highly recommend checking this place out if you are in Key West and definitely get a reservation!! read more

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I absolutely LOVE this place! Santiago's Bodega is a must in Key West. If the day is not too hot, the outside seating is charming and great for people watching. Since it was hot and humid we sat inside. We had reservations, which was great because this place gets packed, and after trying it I completely understand why. Santiago's is a "tapas" place which I love because you get to try a variety of their plates and share (if you want) which is also great for conversation. We started with a pitcher of their red sangria. For around $30 it served about 6 glasses. The sangria is good, not strong, and a perfect combination to every plate we ordered. Plus the server will not let your glass go empty before he's at your table refilling it. Before I get to the amazing food we had, I must commend Santiago's Bodega for their service. It is beyond excellent. The manager is constantly working the floor, greeting each person who walks through their door, and at least once going to each table and group at the bar, making sure everyone is having a good experience. The servers are exactly the same, super friendly, talkative, funny and always keeping an eye on your table in case you need anything else. Chris, our server, was no exception. He was amazing. Our food came out fast, if we had questions they were answered immediately, he would get excited with what we ordered making us feel even better about our choices. Just, hands down, one of the best staff I've ever seen. Now to the food which, believe me, you NEED to try. We started with the Pate. Maybe I should have left this one for the end of my review since it was absolutely delicious, and one I would die to have again, but I will go in order and this, as I said was what we started with. The plate comes with two different types of Pate and it comes with water crackers, crostini, and bread, plus wild mustard on the side. The selection of pate apparently changes per week. We forgot to ask which we were eating this time but can positively say it was heaven, both of them. Neither of us could stop eating it, each was smooth and full of flavor. Now, when you combined both of them and added the wild mustard, it was perfection. We ran out of bred, crackers, etc so we ordered a side of pita bread. Oh My God! This came out warm, and it was so delicious with the rest of the pate... You must order this when you go. We also ordered the Avocado and Pear salad. The creamy parmesan dressing they add to the mixed greens is outstanding, plus they add pine nuts giving it an extra crunch. The combination of flavors and textures is lovely. We had people stop at our table asking which salad was it to order it as well. Salad is a good size, enough to share so, if there's 4 or less in your group you can just order one and leave room to try the other plates in their amazing menu. Next came the Croquettas and the Camembert Wedge. The croquettas are cayenne pepper spiced pan-fried potato patties with ground prosciutto, and provolone cheese. They come two per plate. We cut them in half and each had a piece. The taste is subtle until the heat of the cayenne pepper hits you. It comes with a scallion and sour cream mix on the side to tone down the heat if it gets to spicy for you. To me it was the right amount of heat but had to try the sour cream side and it added another layer of flavor to the bite which I liked. The Camembert Wedge was very comforting. The brie cheese is sprinkled with oregano, and is melted to the point that it's soft enough to spread on the crostini. By itself is tasty but when you add the vegetables to it (red peppers, onions and more) then you have the full experience of the plate. There's about 6 crostinis on the plate so you can enjoy more than one. Sure, we were getting full but we wanted to try more, and since we were sharing between 4 of us, we decided to order two last things... The Puff Pastry and the Pinchos Morunos. The puff pastry is filled with Portobello mushrooms, onions and thyme with a béamaise sauce. These are 3 per plate. Some at our table were a little skeptical about this one but as soon as we tried it, we all agreed it was another winner. We ended with the Pinchos Morunos. This was incredible. Spicy marinated skewers of pork tenderloin with apple-mango chutney. The pork is so tender you can cut it with a fork and so flavorful, with a little kick to it. It has been a long time since I've been to a restaurant where everything was this perfect. Atmosphere is very pleasant, food is exceptional, and service, fantastic. I also found out that night from the manager that they just opened a location in Orlando... I wish them the best of luck. I know that with this winning combination they will have a lot of success. This has, right away, become one of my favorite places. Can't wait to go back! read more

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Exceptional tapas restaurant that I recommend making a reservation to if you are going. From the service to the ambiance, it was near perfect. Quiet setting with dimmed lighting. We tried and loved the following: Brussel Sprouts, Mole Tacos, Short Ribs, Jerked Beef Skewers, Shrimp & Chorizo, Croquettes and sour dough bread. You will go wrong if you decide to order any combo of the above. They are tapas so enough to share for 2. Limited drink list but the food makes up for it. Service was exceptional. Prices were a little on the higher side but you pay for good food. ENJOY! read more

This was recommended to us by a woman who worked at one of the local shops. Good thing, because there is no way we ever would have found it otherwise. And if we did, it would have been because we were horribly lost in a questionable part of town. Santiago's bills itself as a tapas restaurant, but it's not really tapas, although the interior decor is Spanish-influenced. It's more accurate to call it an upscale cafe that only serves appetizers and salads. It's located deep in Bahama Village, and I mean deep. It's also hidden by the palm trees and foliage surrounding it. It's certainly not a place that the tourists will just happen to find; you have to be looking for it. We both started with a shrimp bisque which was glorious: spicy, shrimpy, and creamy. My chilled asparagus with a lemon tarragon dipping sauce was tasty, but The Gal's pear & avocado salad was simply superb. Oh, and huge. (Again...not really tapas.) Liberally sprinkled with pine nuts, it had a blend of flavors that was melt-in-your-mouth. Neither of us could identify the ingredients in the dressing, but it added some flavor notes that were unique and memorable. Service was fantastic. The only negative? We had a loud-mouthed and trashy 20-something ex-stripper-turned-student from Detroit (we're presuming) who had obviously taken her no-income boyfriend to the Keys. I don't think she was human, because humans have to breathe, and the non-stop diarrhea of words coming from her mouth precluded that. Babe, if you want the world to know everything about your business, they have these things called blogs that you can create. In the meantime, quit trying to inform us all one restaurant at a time. It was kind of amusing, though, to watch the boyfriend squirm as he weighed whether sleeping with this girl was worth the other 99% of the time he had to spend with her. read more

Santiago's Bodega - Even the sign is kind of hidden. - Tapas Bars Near Me - Key West, Florida

I only popped in for a quick afternoon drink. I went with the Red Wine Sangria and found it to be pretty good. I can't speak to the food, but my friends and other locals highly recommend it, so I'd love to come back for lunch or dinner and try their tapas. The bar wasn't busy, so I was pretty much left alone with my drink during lunchtime. It was a good place to unwind. The setting is quite intimate. It would be a great place to bring a date! read more

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Loved everything , lamb was seasoned well and has a nice crust . The pats tad bravas was tasty . We loved the Brussels sprouts as it was not overwhelmingly sweet as others are . The short ribs were melt in your mouth . Parking is somewhat difficult but was worth it . read more

I visited this place a little over a month ago and I think it is definitely worth a review. I was pretty impressed. Excellent service, food was phenomenal and the atmosphere pretty great. Sat at the bar and I think it was a pretty good choice, our bartender was very friendly, I wish I remember her name. If in key west, you should definitely stop by this place. read more

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Excellent! My favorite were the French Onion soup, the beef Carpaccio and the steak with blue cheese, but as most reviews state, everything is good! They just remodeled, the place is very cute and romantic, the service was very attentive and there is plenty of bike parking. Very nice menu and variety offered. They only serve beer and Sangria, I wasn't impressed with the white Sangria I tried, it was lacking body and flavor. Overall a very memorable dining experience, and I look forward to returning on future trips. read more

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Excellent food ! The staff was very well educated ! We didn't have reservation but they seat us very quickly ! About the plates I recommend to try : Dates , croquettes, burrata, mushroom with bacon ! And the ceviche we will come back for more ! read more

We loved the tapas! Tried the shrimp bisque- incredible! We got the shrimp and chorizo, mushroom pastry, beef short ribs and sangria. All top notch. Great, quick service. Highly recommend! read more

Great tapas bar in Key West. I made a reservation here before a trip to the keys just to have some back up options knowing that the area was going to be at capacity for NYE but after hearing it was the number 2 restaurant on trip advisor I knew we couldn't miss it. The service was good and the waitress was clearly tired of drunk tourists but thankfully we had been relatively behaved so you really had to be paying attention to catch the shade she was throwing. After multiple bottles of proseco on the sunset cruise we decided to just let it ride and continue with that. Reasonably priced at $10 per glass. The food was amazing. I was actually a little nauseated at first after before mentioned boat cruise but I quickly perked up when looking through the menu. From what I remember: Cold Tapas Ceviche : really good. Huge chunks of fish which made it different than other ceviches but it was a good different. Burrata : one of my few rules , if this dish is on the menu it ends up in my belly, this one did not disappoint Hot Tapas Short ribs : Asian flavored and delish Lamb Patties : juicy with a nice cuke salad Brussels sprouts : I remember ordering them but not eating them Quesadilla: these were odd. Tolerable. But nothing amazing. I think at this point I was drunk and full and ready to just go lay down. But first a stop at blue heaven to get a klp to eat in the hotel after I digest. read more

Santiago's Bodega - Tapas Bars Near Me - Key West, Florida

There is a lot of good food in Key West and I think Santiago's is one of the best things on the island. It is not everyones cup of tea, but I've had not only great food there but it has been consistently good over the 4 years or so that I've been going to it. And that is worth an extra start right there. Many restaurants loose their zeal or energy after a while but so far, based on my meal there this last weekend and compared to past meals, Santiago's still has it. Food is tapas style here, although the salads are not. They are huge, so we always split one. Getting 4 or 5 little bites is so much better to my mind in any case. I want to experience all the interesting ideas the cheff has to offer instead of just getting a slab o meat or some other big entree so this suits me fine. A mixture of cold and hot tapas are available. They aren not exactly "spanish" but a good variety of styles things based on good ingredients. It may sound strange but be sure to try the croquettes. The hidden bitts of prosciutto inside of them will blow your mind. The right balance of creamy, salty and crusty come together in what is usually a pretty boring thing. Other treasures are to be found on the menu as well. The fennel crusted grouper is one to be sure. Santiago's is kind of the back side of the bahamian village, just walk right past blue moon and keep going. It is a very small place so make reservations. The wine selection has some nice things and it is a good place to sit out in the lovely key west evenings and have a good bottle to go along with your tapas. There is typically a special and worth checking out. But the desserts are extra yummy. So yummy I've been trying to recreate them at home. The Crepes with ganache are great, but the apple and pear tart is heavenly. I wish I could go there tonight. read more

Santiago's Bodega is a little piece of tapas heaven in Key West. It's worth finding this cozy spot in Bahama Village, tucked away from the hustle and bustle of Duval Street. Be sure to make a reservation or be prepared to wait. On a Monday night at 6:15 PM the wait was already over an hour for a table or a seat at the bar. Luckily, we had a reservation and were promptly seated. Service fires on all cylinders, from the host stand through the dinner service and beyond. Most of the tapas are small plates, but the salads are a little bigger, so I'd recommend starting with a salad or two to share with the group. Our party of six thoroughly enjoyed both the spinach and the greek salad, with the greek salad's lemon caper vinaigrette edging out the win for best first course. Other highlights of our meal included the hamachi ceviche, the beef tenderloin, the pork skewers, and one of the night's specials, seared scallops. There's something for everyone on the menu, and Santiago's also has a vegetarian and a gluten free menu. It can be hard to share food when you have an allergy, but Santiago's made it easy for me to relax and enjoy an excellent meal. I saved room for dessert, which was a decadent flourless chocolate cake served with wildflower honey and fresh berries. Delicious and worth every calorie. Other items of note - Santiago's is beer and wine only, with excellent wine selections, including a very good red sangria. There's only one small unisex bathroom by the bar area, but the staff keeps it spotlessly clean. read more

Best service, best food, best sangria! Ocho was our server and he was attentive and made the best recommendations. We absolutely loved our food! And we enjoyed the breeze out on the patio surrounded by chickens. This experience lived up to its expectations! read more

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Nothing much more I can add about Santiago's that hasn't already been raved about before. The food is absolutely incredible. Perfectly balanced and portioned, plenty of variety and a nice setting. I like that it's a bit off the beaten path but accessible enough to walk to. I tried to get in on a second night but they were booked solid. Definitely make a reservation. read more

Terrible customer service experience. We had a reservation for two and were late. The host said he had no phone number on file but I was getting confirmation texts for three days. We were treated like castaways when we checked in 14 minutes late. We ended up eating at the bar as no tables were available but the restaurant was 50% empty. Food was great at the bar. Bartender was excellent. Host at checkin was a JOKE! read more

Best restaurant in key west. Carpaccio was unreal. Everything was fantastic. Service was great. Definitely give it a try you won't be disappointed. read more

Absolutely love Santiago's!!! Our favorite Key West restaurant!! Have ALL good things to say about this tremendous local restaurant. Food, atmosphere and staff are primo!!!! Thank you Santiago's!!! read more

OMG. Once again, Santiago's Bodega was great. The white sangria was wonderful. We had someone with a gluten allergy so we were happy to see that they had a gluten-free menu. read more

Was very unhappy with the service here. I mean I made a reservation, the host made us wait for a table that was already empty almost 15 minutes. It was my husband 30th birthday. I notified the restaurant ahead of time. Nothing was said or done to make him feel special. I asked for outdoor seating which I had to argue to be accommodated with. I would totally recommend anywhere else I went to in key west just not here and certainly not for a special occasion. So disappointed. Also the meatballs are flat out terrible- don't order them. Not sure how this place got so many good reviews with such bad attitudes. read more

You cancel 10 mins before our seating? Really? Many other tables were being seated and served when we arrived. Utterly unacceptable after having a confirmed reservation for many weeks. Really bad form, Lori Flemming 7049539780 read more

Best meal ever in Key West!!! The service is always spot on and the atmosphere is great as well. We always go here more than once when visiting key west!!! read more

Seems to have gone downhill a bit. I gave it 5 stars in 2018 but tonight the food was uneven. On the plus side, the sangria, spinach salad, charcuterie, dates, and petite rack of lamb were excellent. On the minus side, the ceviche was not tasty at all, the fish was cut into very large chunks with some unedible bits, and the avocado pieces were hard and not ripe. It really wasn't even a civiche. Also the patatas bravas had some odd flavors that didn't work well. The setting is nice but we battled numerous flies at our outdoor table with a couple settling in my glass of sangria. Service was pleasant and attentive. But compared to our last visit, we were disappointed. We are dropping Santiago's Bodega from our Key West "must visit" restaurant list. read more

A magical experience! They serve tapas portions so don't expect huge portion sizes. They do however have plenty of options and they were all phenomenal! We had short ribs, brussel sprouts, ceviche, crisp green beans, and french onion soup. We were all over the map with our picks but each one was solid and on point! We loved our waitress and the host was an extremely courteous young man! Highly recommend! read more

Do yourself a favor. Venture a bit off duval and you will find a gem that is no longer such a hidden secret. Been coming to Santiago's for years. The reviews are real. The atmosphere is cozy and the food is amazing. Order a few plates at a time and do not rush yourself through your experience. And just as all the servers will tell you, the ceviche and the beef tenderloin will be the stars of the night. Another personal favorite is the saganaki. So deliciously perfectly cheesy and salty and Olive oily yes plssssssssssss. Delishhhhhh. Key West has become such a great eating town. Beer and wine only, but good selection. read more

I don't write too many Yelp reviews and most are positive, tonight is an exception. I have enjoyed Santiago's Bodega numerous times on visits to Key West. Sadly the hostess and guy who works the front door are rude and completely unprofessional, as experienced on our visit for dinner on Tuesday 2/16/21. On a more positive note, our waiter and women who served our tapas provided warm and attentive service. However, these two clowns and their juvenile behavior, playing games with our reservation and requested outside seating arrangements are a complete determent to this restaurant. I am canceling my next reservation and alerting friends to this experience and if not corrected the good food and other solid staff will remain negatively overshadowed. read more

What happened Wednesday nite at Santiago's? Our go to KW tapas spot really let us down. I don't know if because of the new restaurant that they opened on Fort Lauderdale. It felt like the chef and the good weight staff left and went to Fort Lauderdale. Last night you could tell the vibe was off in the first 10 minutes. Food was definitely substandard, as in raw Lamb chops, they had a very well-done exterior but raw inside. I regrettably informed the waiter., he removed plate and returned minutes later with a well done inside and really crispy exterior. As the meal dragged on mediocre plate after mediocre plate with the fifth tapas arriving some 40 minutes after ordering. Sad read more

Favorite KW restaurant!! We had lunch as soon as we arrived, and took our family back for our last dinner. Very unique dishes and great quality. Don't miss out on this treasure!!! Monica was a great server. We loved the Spring salad. Huge portion and made us realize we didn't need too much more to follow. We had Beef tenderloin and the empanadas special. Yum!!! Sparkling sangria was very refreshing with lunch and the bread pudding was a nice finish!!! Back for dinner!! Trio of hummus and avocado pear salad. The four of us continued to be impressed with salad portion. Also enjoyed Camembert wedge, Brussel sprouts, and Short ribs. Highly recommend! Great atmosphere, great staff, and delicious food!!! read more

Santiago's Bodega - Spring salad, yum!! - Tapas Bars Near Me - Key West, Florida

After 5 days in Key West and its many wonderful restaurants, I was turned on to stopping by Santiago's on our last night for tapas. Wow! I only wish I would have gone here on my first night so I could have returned for four more nights. The avocado pear salad was the best my wife had ever had. The waiter even gave us the recipe upon hearing how much we enjoyed it. The Brussel Sprouts are a must....flavorful and tangy, a lovely little char on it...mmmmmm. The petite lamb rack was unbelievable. It had a terrific salty sear to the flesh and was pink and tender inside. Next was the scallops and gnocchi in marinara and boy could you tell the gnocchi was fresh and hand made. Scallops were tender and perfectly cooked. My favorite item though was the beef tenderloin with blue cheese butter. It actually made my wife's eyes roll back in her head...even if just for a moment, it's a reaction I have not been able to recreate since...not for a lack of trying. The stuffed dates were good...not amazing, but still very good. And the saganaki was theatrical and very good with the fresh pita. Everyone in K.W. must know about this place because they were turning customers away on a Sunday night that didn't think to make reservations. If you only had one restaurant to visit on your last day on earth, this would not disappoint. And no, I'm not being dramatic....its that good. Priced right as well, attentive staff and nice eclectic atmosphere. Off the beaten path...why are you still reading this? Make a reservation now! read more

Had my Christmas dinner here this year~ Ordered 7 dishes! The yellowfin tuna ceviche was quite refreshing! Very big chunks of tuna, however well marinated with chunky fruits and avocado made very intriguing appetizer! The beef short rib was braised with sort of asian sweet and sour sauce, very heavily flavored, and beef was tender! Easily fell off the bone! Pork skewer: meat was quite funny and sweet sauce made of apple and raisins went pretty well with the slightly charred pork! The puff pasty with a filling of mushroom as cheese was tasty by itself already, the sauce was unnecessary. The spicy shrimp bisque was extremely creamy! But the very big failure for this soup was the chunky doughy things in the bottom of the bisque. They didn't taste like croutons, but more like coagulated flour.. Shocked by their performance on soup! The lamb patties was pretty heavy, better with the salad to cut through the greasiness! The grouper was very creative to have fennel seed crust, it's adding both flavor and texture to the dish! Very good! Another failure is their red Sangria, waiter said its the best, however tasted diluted. In general, good service, thus I tipped very generously, also because it's Christmas. Please fix the soup and sangria.:-) read more

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What a phenomenal restaurant. Our waiter Ivan was incredibly knowledgeable and super personable. He recommended we order two tapas per person for our party of 4 but that was too tough of a decision as everything sounded so good so , we ordered 12! It was all so delicious. The burrata, filet , short ribs, and saganaki were our favorites but again , everything was truly delicious. I'll be recommending this restaurant to everyone I know traveling to Key West. We can't wait to return ! Thanks for a truly delicious dinner. read more

This is our go-to restaurant when we have visitors. The menu is diverse enough to take care of pretty much everyone's food restrictions and preferences (they even have gluten-free and vegan menus), and every one of the dozens of dishes they offer is delicious. I am a big fan of their white sangria, which is delicious. Although reservations are pretty much always necessary because the place it so popular, if you show up during happy hour you don't need one, and have the added benefit of discounted drinks and a special happy hour menu. read more