Annua sea bass and peas
We have already talked about the best restaurants in Santander, its nine essential appetizers and its bars. But there is life beyond. Much more. ready to eat you Cantabria ?
AMPUERO
Solana Restaurant (La Bien Aparecida, 11 tel. 942 67 67 18) €€€
Another of the deserved stars of the Cantabrian firmament, next to the sanctuary of La Bien Aparecida.
Robustness and succulence harmonized with delicacies that are becoming more prominent every day are the main characteristics that emanate from the creations of Ignatius Solano, a very young chef who has taken over the family business after refurbishing the premises, adding a well-dressed attached dining room run by his sister Inma, passionate sommelier and sufficiently prepared for the ceremony.
High cuisine that honors the location, in one of the places of worship of the Cantabrians. Coffee with gift landscape.
Their croquettes have been elevated in MadridFusión 2017 as the best in the world.
Monkfish, chickpea juice, sweet potato and purple potato in Solana
MAPLE
the new mill (Monseñor neighborhood, 18 tel. 942 57 50 55) €€€€
A history of Cantabria with many memories for the mature gourmets.
Within these walls one of the most exciting gastronomic movements in the country was forged, thanks to the disappeared Victor Merino, hotelier who put Cantabrian cuisine on everyone's lips.
The people of El Serbal Santander, managers of the business –for this reason we only comment on one of them in this guide–, have maintained the superbly decorated , its remarkable cuisine with a pleasant global sensation that is more than relevant, the professional service and letting longing settle in the environment. Melancholy never hurts.
Large cellar, chapel with a champagne branding space and paintings and sculptures by Cantabrian artists.
Hake skewer from Nuevo Molino
HOZNAYO
The bike (La Plaza, 12 tel. 942 52 45 38, 636 29 69 70) €€
Roadside restaurant that deserves a detour. Modern cuisine, fusions and very cool aesthetics.
Despite the tangle of highways and motorways that scar the Peninsula and that have left the panorama of the 'eat on the road' , you can still find places that well worth a short break.
This one with such a peculiar name, on the main road of the town of Hoznayo, next to Solares, is one of those newly minted finds that offer a good claim of attractions, among them the open kitchen where a seductive staff wanders in all the senses. Mixture of culinary cultures combined with good Cantabrian and Basque recipes.
Magnificent terrace-dining room, bejeweled by hydrangeas, lavenders and other lively flowers.
A Cantabrian road restaurant that you have to try
LAREDO
Square (Comandante Villar, 7 tel. 942 61 19 42) €€
Very gourmet bar and restaurant in downtown Laredo. Safe direction of the Cantabrian east.
the square responds to the continuous challenges of the hotel industry with the unwavering philosophy of its chef and owner: put an extraordinary product on the crockery, officiated with meaning and with a brief recipe book but that remains on the menu due to the number of followers it gathers.
Alfonso Lopez he is a character packed with contagious enthusiasm, a one-man band who does everything and who must be trusted as soon as he proclaims that something excellent has come to the kitchen, whether it is seafood or meat. Don't hesitate and put yourself in your hands with closed eyes.
He sweeps away his octopus carpaccio and his carabineros toasted rice. If there is a table on the porch, go for it!
NOJA
sambal (El Arenal, s/n tel. 942 63 15 31) €€€
On the Noja golf course, cuisine with a lot of personality, run by Javier Ruiz , chef who will give what to talk about.
This seasonal restaurant is to take note. Illustrious chefs, gourmets and critics have passed through its tables in search of the fabulous crab of Noja in its habitat , dish devised by Ruiz that many have signed as one of the best seafood in our country for its excellence, approach and perfect method of cooking without touching any liquid.
The curious thing is that his tasting menus, at ridiculously low prices, are also something important and that hardly anyone talks about.
The chef is an expert in the world of algae. Noja is a paradise.
Sambal Octopus
ORUÑA DE PIELAGOS
The hostel (El Puente neighborhood, 13 tel. 942 57 58 98) €€
Gustavo Perez , a great Cantabrian chef, it seems that he has found his place here, after several adventures.
Whoever tells this has closely followed the trajectory of this chef , a crack for his sense of culinary sensitivity and the display of good sense that he applies in his creations; but also a professional who has had a hard time finding refuge from him.
This beautiful Cantabrian house with bay windows and wooden eaves and wrought iron in windows and balconies is destined to occupy a space in the guides for its magnificent cuisine.
Away from other more avant-garde attempts, Pérez has focused on a lofty and refined tradition.
The farm has an appetizing shaded garden for unhurried after-meals.
Torrijas from El Hostal
BRANCHES OF VICTORY
ronquillo (Menéndez Pelayo, 2 tel. 942 64 60 55) €€€
Although not much is lavished in the media, it is one of the most recommended signature restaurants
The alternative to the mythical restaurant Ason River of this Cantabrian municipality, already closed, is this other one that occupies the old and popular Fonda Hyacinth , which is now called ronquillo , in homage to the founder's nickname and which, after two generations of hoteliers, can boast of once again returning to the culinary map.
Brothers David and Cecilia Perez (kitchen and living room) have designed a space without fuss of any kind or impressive staging, which is appreciated from time to time, to feed with foundation, with passion and with wisdom.
The chef proposes a magnificent “milky way” in sauces and desserts with luxury butter.
RUILOBA
The remedy (Ermita de El Remedio, s/n tel. 942 10 78 13) €€€€
Suggestive restaurant perched on a hill next to the hermitage of the same name and facing the ocean.
This site will attract many faithful and not precisely because of the hermitage where it is located.
It is the place where the young couple of chefs Samuel Fernandez and Caterina Santucci to recreate the traveler with a kitchen of clean and harmonic products and very intelligent when it comes to providing precise details to each dish and making them memorable.
The Italian roots of the lady and her husband's resume They guarantee a fusion of sensations that catches anyone. Serene and warm atmosphere, in tune with the stillness that emanates from the place.
Chef Santucci is a great pastry chef . Check it out with the broken chocolate cake!
SAN MAMÉS DE MERUELO
the heathers (Ctra. Beranga Noja, km 5 Los Brezales tel. 942 63 75 57) €€€
There are people who still don't believe that they can try El Bulli dishes here. ¡ It's a gas station!
Place where appearances deceive since it looks like one more of those service station places specialized in the handy menu of the day.
But the disconcerting and wonderful thing comes when Ruben Abascal , a young chef from the area, exposes the diner to a summary catalog of what avant-garde cuisine has been in recent years, from the most impressive creations of the giants of the kitchen to the galactic tools that completely changed the way they are prepared . All in a tasting menu of about €45. Amazing.
The tasting menu is offered only during the weekend or on request.
SAINT VINCENT OF THE BARQUERA
Annua (Paseo de la Barquera, s/n tel. 942 71 50 50) €€€€
Award after award confirm the level of a restaurant that takes risks with its avant-garde cuisine.
When it was awarded to Óscar Calleja the title of Revelation Chef in MadridFusión a few years ago, those of us on the jury who bet on him knew that something important could happen in San Vicente de la Barquera in the future.
Time has proved us right and the Annua has established itself as a place to navigate the sophistication and references that have marked the culinary avant-garde.
All with elegance that, according to the great Honoré de Balzac, "It is the science of not doing anything the same as others while appearing to do it the same way."
It is based on an oyster farm and next to a spectacular natural shellfish nursery.
SUESA
Symphony (Cantarilla, 30 tel. 942 50 41 56) €€€
There are places that for a single dish deserve the getaway, like the hake on this site, more gourmet every day.
A good way to remember the great journalist and gastronome Manuel Martin Ferrand is taking a stroll through this magnificent house of Cantabrian food , a place he was passionate about, and corroborate how right he was when he said that the best fried hake in the country was served here.
It is really superb and it is presented in a whole loin of the fish, 'chopped' without losing its shape and with two free shells.
Another pilgrimage dish to this bucolic municipality very close to Somo and Pedreña is the red bean stew, without sacraments.
The boat that crosses the bay of Santander from Somo is ideal for approaching the capital.
VILLACARRIEDO
The pools (La Pesquera, 26 tel. 942 59 02 14) €€
One of the most interesting addresses in the north of the peninsula. Feten product, thorough cuisine and gourmet owner.
There are many travelers who come to Villacarriedo to enjoy its palatial and Indian houses.
Faced with this display of mansions, our recommendation goes in other directions, because in Las Piscinas, a modest tavern belonging to the municipal sports complex, appearances are deceiving.
To say that its rustic dining room with an alpine setting is visited daily by posh chefs, renowned fine snouts and suppliers of all kinds who have built their prestige in the quality of the genre they distribute , almost everything is said.
Militant oenopaths will enjoy the recommendations of the boss, an expert.
Eggs with foie gras and potatoes from Las Piscinas
VILLAVERDE OF PONTOONS
amos gazebo _(Plaza del Sol, s/n tel. 942 50 82 43) _ €€€€€
Total luxury gastronomy in a farm that wins attractions year after year.
Jesús Sánchez and his wife Mirian They have been preaching for a long time Gazebo that Cantabria It is much more than that traditional sea and mountain cuisine that attracts so much tourism.
His restaurant is by far the indisputable gourmet reference of autonomy , but also a varied space to please the body and spirit with the appropriate refinement.
Evolutionary cuisine of great technique with deep-rooted flavors, high school dining room service, sumptuous cellar, dedication to artisan suppliers, own bakery...
Their courses in the Cooking Classroom are worth it.
€ Less than €10
€€ Up to €20
€€€ Up to €50
€€€€ More than 50 €
*You can find the 2018 Gastronomic and Wine Guide in a digital version for your devices, at Manzana , Zinium Y google play .