Eating in San Vicente de la Barquera

What to eat in San Vicente de la Barquera

Apart from their numeous rices - with clams, lobster...- and barbecues, every month of July, at the same time the Certamen de la Canción Marinera and the Festival Folk Cantabria Infinita are taking place, the Festival Gastronómico del Mar is celebrated. This is a good occasion to try a variety of dishes from the restaurants of San Vicente de la Barquera. Regarding the sweets, the most typical ones are the pejinas, made of puff pastry and spaghetti squash jam, a recipe created many years ago by the Carmena bakery. You will also find the famous corbatas de Unquera, which come from the neighbor village and are also made of puff pastry and are shaped as a bow tie. If you visit the region after the Holy Week, maybe you will be able to attend to the Folía, a National Touristic Interest party.

Tapas

In La Tapuca you will be able to order homemade tapas and portions. It is one of those places that are nothing special on the outside, but once you go inside you will be delighted by their dishes. Great portions of anchovies and morcilla (blood sausage).

A la carte

Las Redes is a traditional cuisine restaurant that has as their specialty the arroz bomba (rice) with Cantabrian lobster and clams. A quick, welcoming and nice service. In Los Arcos you will be able tom try their grilled razor clams.

In Boga Boga, another typical restaurant that has been working for more than 50 years, winner of numerous awards, the chef Jesús Santovenia offers traditional but modern food. Their rice with lobster de Augusto is very famous. The calf and anchovies with vinegar are also popular.

In the restaurant Maruja, that serves traditional food, a daily menu is serves. Fresh oysters and beans with clams are out favorite dishes from here.

Eating in Potes

What to eat in Potes

When deciding what to eat in Potes. Prepare yourself for a good cocido lebaniego, a typical local dish that, not like the montañés, doesn't have white beans but chickpea, apart from cabbage and hunt meat: chorizo, blood sausage and bacon... with calf or beef jerky stuffed with bread center. Don't forget about the last part of the meal, as this region is famous for the production of artisan liquor, such as the orujo and the tostadillo. Try them all at the Fiesta del Orujo, or if you prefer something lighter, order a tea del puerto. Walk around the village and discover the classic market where you will find delicious embutidos and the famous local meats. If you have the chance, don't leave without visiting the National Park of Picos de Europa, an authentic natural paradise.

Tapas

A la carte

The restaurant Paco Wences in the hotel Valdcoro is another great place. The lebaniego cocido is one of their most famous dishes. Homemade traditional food with a good quality.

If you want to eat a menu, El Refugio is a nice restaurant where many dishes will be offered to you. The Asador Lorente is a great place to eat the steak and sirloin. You will be back for sure!

Eating in Santander

What to eat in Santander

There's also good meat, specially if it is from tudanca cow, a local breed from the Cantabrian mountains. Another dish that became popular a long time ago is the sirloin wirh Tresviso cheese, with D.O.P. Picón-Bejés-Tresviso. Talking about the cheese from Cantabria, don't forget the Quesucos de Liébana, the Queso Nata de Cantabria, both with D.O.P., or the Las Garmillas (a fresh cheese from Burgos). As a dessert, as this region is full of cows, try the leche frita or the rice pudding, flan and natillas. If you'd like some sweets, we recommend the famous Sobaos Pasiegos (with I.G.P.).

Tapas

If you want to eat tapas, Rampalay offers more than 30 varieties of pinchos, all of the delicious. The vermouth and the anchovies in Solorzano; portions, tostas and great ham in Las hijas de Florencio; and great tapas in Casa Lita. This last place has a nice presentation, original food and a great chicken curry pincho.

A la carte

In the center of the city, the Bodeja del Riojano, which started in 1940, has always been a reference place, constantly visited by many artists that left their mark by decoration the wine barrels, turning the restaurant into an authentic contemporary art museum. Traditional food, simple and made with good ingredients. They have a great pastel de cabracho and they also offer some pinchos.

El Machi, very complete, with delicious breakfasts and pinchos at the vermouth time, meals, maritime rice, drink times, dinners... It is a maritime tavern with blue and white colors, where everything is always delicious. The fish is the king of the menu.

The region of Puerto Chico is a place where many restaurants are at. The Bar del Puerto is a place where you will find a huge offer of fish and quality seafood. In El Serbal, which won a Michelin star in 2003, makes delicious food based on Cantabrian products, apart from having a broad selection of wine with a luxury wine tasting. El Marucho, very popular and specialized in seafood and La Mulata, a restaurant with many other sea products, are also great options. In Bodega Fuente Dé you will be able to enjoy homemade food at a good price, cocido montañés menus, lebaniego and cheese from the Picos de Europa.

The Cantabrian capital has a good reputation because of its bakeries and ice cream stores, such as Confitería Máximo Gómez and the artisan ice cream store Capri, which keeps producing ice creams with the original recipe of its Italian founder.

Eating in Santilla del Mar

What to eat in Santillana del Mar

First, the cocido montañés, a stew made of white beans - instead of chickpea, used in the cocido madrileño - and the pork byproducts (chorizo, blood sausage and bacon), apart from cabbage and collar greens; or a good fish soup.

In the Summer months, enjoy the marmita de bonito, name with which the Basque marmitako was named in San Vicente de la Barquera. Between the typical Cantabrian fish - hake and monkfish - the rodaballo and maganos (small calamari) with white rice are also delicious. Seafood is another great option. If you prefer meat, try the large steak of tudanca cow, with I.G.P., which is very tasty. If you like cheese try the cheese Nata de Cantabria (with D.O.P.=, apart from Cantabrian cheese from other regions such as the picón de Tresviso and the quesucos de Liébana.

As a dessert, rice pudding, natillas and puff pastry pies of Torrelavega. Every traveler that goes to Santillana should have a glass of milk and some la tableta cake, which started to be offered at the house of a hill cottage close to the Colegiata, Casa Quevedo. There, the owner Maria Luisa encouraged the tourists to make a stop along the way and try the fresh milk and the homemade cake, telling them that if they did so, they would get married soon. Nowadays, this idea has become very popular in the village.

You will also be able to buy the classic Sobaos Pasiegos (with I.G.P.) and the quesadas, a typical sweet made of milk, eggs, sugar, butter and lime. With time, many houses have transformed their low floors into stores, which offer sweets and hill cheese. At the Convento de San Ildefonso, in the outsides of town, the Dominica nuns make pastries and cakes that can be bought close to the convent.

Tapas

Los Blasones has a traditional cuisine and good service. If you want to eat portions in Santillana del Mar, this is the right place. Try the anchovies, the Tresviso cheese and tome tostas.

The Masón de la Santuca offers generous portions and delicious garlic shrimp. Quick service and an amazing gastronomic experience.

A la carte

The Palacio de Mijares serves a traditional cuisine with creative dishes. The dining room is located in the old stable of the palace (16th Century) and it looks amazing. This is also a good place to celebrate weddings and other events. We suggest the tasting menu and the sea bass with vinegar of fruit and mussels.

The Pasaje de los Nobles is a restaurant with a lot of charm and a nice decoration. A varied menu, perfect to order fish such as hake to meat such as lamb. In Casa Miguel the decoration is simpler, but they have a generous menu with great prices.

Eating in Santoña

What to eat in Santoña

If you visit the village in May, you might be able to go to the Feria de la Anchoa y la Conserva de Cantabria. This is a perfect place to taste and buy this treasure, and also to try the canned bonito. The visitors will be able to learn the method of the salazón (salted food). As in any other coastal village from Cantabria, here you will find the marmita de bonito (a stew made of bonito, pepper, onion and tomato), roasted sardines and seasonal fish and seafood that come from the fish market of Santoña, where the verdel (mackerel), specially fished during March and April, is popular.

In 2014 the I Quincena Gastronómica del Verdel de Santoña was inaugurated. If you have doubts about what to eat in Santoña, we recommend the snails a la santoñesa, the chicharro al horno, the classic mordejones (small mussels), and the pastel de cabracho. Walk through its streets and taste the delicious roasted sardines pinchos and the grilled bonito. Don't lose the opportunity to visit the Natural Park of the Marismas de Santoña, Victoria and Joyel.

Tapas

La Esquina de Tasca is another bar where you should eat tapas in Santoña. Peppers stuffed with cod and cheese, a stew of shrimp and elver, eggs with chorizo... The portions are generous.

A la carte

In the As de Guía, at the center of the village, a traditional cuisine with modern touches is served. It is specialized in rice and scrambled eggs. Seasonal food and avant-garde creations. One of their best dishes if the rice with lobster.

The restaurant of the hotel Juan de la Cosa, in the Berria beach, has its own seafood gardens. Many dining rooms are available, and it is specialized in hosting big events. This isn't the best restaurant of our list.

In the restaurant La Tortuga you will find fish and meat. Cocido montañés, cod, beans with clams... A lot of variety.

Eating in Laredo

What to eat in Laredo

You can also enjoy other typical dishes such as the verdel meatballs (made of a local fish, one of the 48 types of mackerel that exist here), monkfish with green sauce and the respingos, a stew made with the tender leaves of the turnip, served with choricero pepper, bacon and chorizo, all cooked with garlic and onion (this is also served as a tapa). Come to Laredo during one of their culinary celebrations and try the specialties during the Ruta de la Tapa Imperial. Another occasion to get to know the local traditions if the Batalla de las Flores, declared a Touristic Interest National Party.

Tapas

The bar El Túnel is a charming place with good portions. Scrambled eggs with imitation elver, croquetas, bonito... A beautiful place to enjoy an intimate meal. El ciego is the second best option for a tapeo, with choices such as the tuna carpaccio, cod tempura and torreznos. Our favorite tapa is the cod with caramelized onion. You will not regret coming to this restaurant.

A la carte

The La Marina Company, with local clients on the week days, serves great rice, seasonal fish and delicious desserts. An excellent black rice and pretty decoration, apart from modern recipes.

Casa Felipe has traditional food and great service. Their salads and fresh products are amazing.

The restaurant Real Club Náutico of Laredo offers a good traditional food, and is a great place to celebrate weddings and other celebrations. The restaurants of the hotels El Ancla and Risco are some other options you could try if you want to eat in Laredo.

Eating in Ampuero

What to eat in Ampuero

Another famous product is the cheese Las Garmillas, which is similar to the Burgos cheese, but is eaten as a dessert with honey and nuts or in a salad with anchovies. If you want to know more about the Cantabrian gastronomy, don't hesitate to try the fish calderetas and the great cocido montañés. If you visit Ampuero during the first two weeks of September, you could go to the traditional Encierros during the Virgen Niña celebration, a great occasion to celebrate and enjoy the food of Ampuero.

Tapas

If you want to eat pinchos in Ampuero you should go to the Cervecería Polinesia. A quick and quality service with a great variety of pinchos. On the other hand, the bar La cueva also offers good pinchos. Their specilty is the mushroom stuffed with cheese, served in a toast with ham. If you also order the local beer, you'll feel delighted.

A la carte

Between the different restaurants where you can eat in Ampuero, Solana is a great one. 5km away, in front of the Santuario de la Virgen bien aventurada, the chef Ignacio Solana, who owns a Michelin star, offers a cuisine that is the fusion between traditions and modernity. No dinners are served. The cold egg with truffle and the red salmon tartar are some great dishes you can enjoy here.

Another restaurant is La Pinta, one of the places where the Jornadas de la Angula, in February, are celebrated. The pisto, meatballs and the hill cocido will make you fall in love. They have parking. Los Tilos is a restaurant where you can drink a glass of wine while you enjoy a salad or delicious fish. The have a daily menu.

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Eating in Castro Urdiales

What to eat in Castro Urdiales

It is common to eat the marmita de bonito or the marmitako during the Summer days (since the end of the XIX century many Basques had their second house in Castro), a stew made of bonito, pepper, onion and potatoes. This dish is so traditional that every August 15th, the Fiesta de la Marmita is celebrated in Castro. During this day, around 300 teams occupy the land from the Ayuntamiento to the Rompeolas and prepare their marmitas, which compete against each other. Those who don't belong to any team can also enjoy the marmitas in any restaurant of Castro Urdiales.

Another typical dish, apart from the different marmita varieties - octopus, lobster...- are the chipirones (squid) and the jibiones (cuttlefish) in its ink with white rice, and meatballs from palometa y paparda. Don't miss the chance to get a can of bonito or anchovies, as the small canned food industry is still present in this village. If you come during the Summer, the first Friday of July the traditional El Coso Blanco celebrations take place - and they are considered a National Touristic Interest. In San Andrés, in November 30th, the tradition of cooking snails and cod still happens nowadays.

Tapas

The Taberna Peñascal will allow you to taste some pinchos and hamburguers. Another place to eat pinchos in Castro Urdiales if Ostende Pinchos, where you can order them from the counter or enjoy in them in the terrace.

A la carte

In La Arboleda you will find fish, seafood and meat of a great quality. They don't have a menu, as their products are fresh and each day they have a different specialty. The spider crab, turbot and sea bass are the most famous dishes.

Good grilled food and seafood in La Goleta. the menu sometimes includes grilled fish. They also have a special menu with exquisite products. The fish soup is really tasty.

With higher prices, we also recommend the restaurant El Puerto, where you will also enjoy some great views. Anchovies ventresca, grilled shrimp and turbot are amazing options.

If you like ordering from a menu, the restaurant Bajamar offers traditional Cantabrian dishes at a good price. The waiters are very welcoming and you can also get gluten free products, such as bread. We recommend the sardines.

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Eating in Comillas

What to eat in Comillas

Also typical from here: the sea urchin (raw or with cheese), the rabas de rejo (octopus), the calamari, the hake, monkfish, sea bass, mackerel and the red sea scorpion fish (they prepare a delicious pudding with it), apart from the grilled sardines and the anchovies (fried or coated). Don't forget about the Cantabrian seafood: lobster and crab. Remember that Comillas is close to the Natural Park of Oyambre, where you will find many beautiful beaches and cliffs.

Tapas

The Bar Guadalupe will give you good vibes as soon as you walk into it. With a nice decoration, they offer tasty tapas and portions. In the Taberna del Muelle you will enjoy some good sea views while you order the a la carte portions. La Perla Negra is a maritime bar where you can eat tapas and pinchos. The calamari is delicious.

The Cafetería Campíos, in the Corro Campíos, is the traditional meeting point between tourists and locals. The portions are very generous and the local has a nice style.

A la carte

The Marisquería Adolfo is famous for their rice with cod. Our travelers' community claims this is one of their favorite place in Comillas.

The restaurant La Rabia, close to the tidal river with the same name, is a classic place where homemade traditional food is made. It is simple, but has a nice terrace where you can enjoy a coffee or a some starters. The best part if the amazing view.

3 km away, in Ruiloba, you will find El Remedio, a restaurant located in a beautiful place where a chapel (that has the name) is found. Their cuisine is great.

Eating in Barcena Mayor

What to eat in Barcena Mayor

If you want to know what to eat in Barcena Mayor - the only inhabited place in the Natural Park Saja Besaya and one of the oldest of the Cantabrian community, we recommend you to start with tapas and portions of the incredible embutidos (sausages) and hunt patês - deer, roe deer and wild boar - as the park is integrated in the Natural Reserve of Caza de Saja, the biggest hunting reserve of Spain.

Try the cocido montañés, which if made of white beans instead of chickpeas and served with cabbage and pork byproducts: chorizo, blood sausage, bacon... another option is the red beans stew with deer. Something very typical from the Cantabrian villages is leaving the pot on your table, so you can serve yourself. As a second dish, the tudanca cow or trout from the surrounding rivers. For the dessert, the Nata de Cantabria cheese with D.O.P., which is delicious when eaten with quince. Another product you can buy here is the honey del brezo.

Tapas

The front of the building of the restaurant La Franca will make you fall in love with just one look: it is a charming rural house made of stone. apart from offering a menu and dishes a la carte, their portions are the perfect excuse to share a culinary experience with your couple, friends and family. The croquetas and wild boar crepes are a must. Homemade quality food. Don't forget to try their pan de hogaza.

In Ruente (13 km away) we suggest the restaurant Casa Nacho, perfecto to eat a delicious cod tortilla in Barcena Mayor.

A la carte

Many restaurants have appeared in Barcena Mayor, a lot of them with great prices. Rio Argoza is more than 30 years old, and it is located close to the bridge of the Argoza river, at the end of the village. It currently has a Winter and a Summer dining room, both in the exterior of the building. On Winter we recommend their cocido montañés and for the Summer their hunt pâtes and a great deer steak.

El Puente, more than 20 yeas old, has a crystal terrace with views to the river, a dining room with a fire place and an exterior terrace for the Summer. Cocido montañés and red beans with chorizo are a good option as a main dish. You will also enjoy their tarta de sobaos.

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Eating in Cabezon de la Sal

What to eat in Cabezon de la Sal

If you want to eat in Cabezon de la Sal, you will find many Cantabrian traditional dishes made with great ingredients. The Saturday market is famous in the whole region, and many farmers and ranchers participate in them. The cocido montañés is popular, made with white beans and chorizo, blood sausage and cabbage- It is very juicy.

Between the meats, we recommend the tudanca cow steak (this is a local Cantabrian breed that lives in semi-freedom, eating natural grass, what translates into a better quality meat). Due to its proximity to the Hunt Reserve of the Natural Park Saja-Besaya, many hunt dishes, such as beans with quail or deer, are offered.

Apart from the fish you can find in any Cantabrian village, the menus from Cabezon offer salmon and trout from the Saja river. The traditional desserts we recommend are the sheep cheese, the homemade cuajada, the leche frita and rice pudding. The palucos de Cabezón are really popular, and they are made with eggs, sugar, honey and coconut and have a cake texture. In Cabezon de la Sal, the first city council of Cantabria to demand the autonomy, each second Sunday of August the Day of Cantabria is celebrated. This is a great opportunity to discover the traditions of the town.

Tapas

In order to eat tapas, croquetas and even hamburguers are great in a place called Hasta el Amanecer, a small restaurant with a great service and a huge wine selection. They will serve you a pincho along with your drink.

The Albacería de la Sal serves smaller quantities, but they are very innovative. you have to order a calamari tapa here, as well as embutidos (sausage) and a cheese platter.

A la carte

In Ruente (7km away from Cabezon de la Sal) you will find Casa Nacho González with great quality but high prices. Their meats are great and they also have a daily menu.

El Remedio is located in Ruiloba (10km away), close to the chapel that has the same name, in a high place with amazing views to the sea and the village of Comillas. Excellent food, good service and great prices. One of their best dishes is the monkfish.

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Eating in Alto Campoo

What to eat in Alto Campoo

The gastronomy of the village of Alto Campoo and its surroundings has some strong flavored recipes and products, such as the hunt meats (specially wild boar, roe deer and deer), the roasted lechazo and the famous calf chuletones, apart from some other traditional dishes such as the cocido campurriano. This last recipe, one of the most valued when eating in Alto Campoo, is a dish composed by white beans, cabbage, bacon, blood sausage and another pork byproducts.

The mushrooms that grow around the ski resort are also a frequent ingredient of the campurriana gastronomy, specially during the Fall, when they compose many regional stews and work as the base to other recipes such as the revueltos (scrambled eggs). Many villages close to the resort have a strong cheese and beekeeping tradition, reason why they make great products such as the honey. The presence of the dujos, bee hives that are produced with the empty trunks of the oaks, is also very interesting. Regarding the desserts, the rosquillas del Ebro and the pantorrillas are very popular in alto Campoo, its surroundings and regions such as Reinosa.

Tapas

In the hotel La Corza Blanca in Brañavieja (2km away) you will find a cafeteria where you can eat a bocadillo or get something to share.

A la carte

It is hard to find good restaurants in Alto Campoo and its surroundings. In Brañavieja (2km away) we can find the hotel La Corza Blanca. Its restaurant offers a daily menu and a complete Campurriana traditional menu, perfect to finish a ski journey with. We recommend the soups so you can warm up after the snow.

Another good option in Alto Campoo is to drive to the restaurant Fuentebro, in Fontibre (20 kms away). This place changes its menu according to the seasonal products, offering a variety of dishes with a strong regional taste. It is also a welcoming local, surrounded by the beauty of the landscapes. Grilled octopus, cocido, meatballs...

Inside of the sky resort you will find a place to eat something fast: El Chivo, a perfect cafeteria to forget about the cold weather for a while.

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Eating in Fuente De

What to eat in Fuente De

The waters of the Deva river are a continuous source of trout, which is the main fish of the region. On the other hand, eating in Fuente De is a synonym of traditional dishes, such as the classic cocido lebaniego, the roasted lechazo and the famous local cheese. Between the last ones, the better ones are the picón de Teviso, smoked from Áliva and the one from Pido.

Regarding the desserts, this region offers all kinds od artisan sweets made with local products, such as milk and honey. To finish, you should try the mountain tea and the orujo, made in the region.

Tapas

In the restaurant of the Hostal Remoña in Espinama (less than 4km away) you can share an artichokes with ham portions. A nice place.

A la carte

Close to that one, in the hotel Rebeco a classic menu is served. This is another great option of a restaurant in Fuente De.

Less than 4km away from this region there's Espinama, a region where it is easy to find great restaurants such as Vicente Campo, a classic place that has had career and continues to make incredible food. Excellent meats and desserts. It is very well valued for our traveler's community.

The menu of the restaurant Remoña is another attractive option where the local meats, regional specialties and homemade desserts are served. In the same region, you can also go to Máximo, which offers big dinnig rooms where you can enjoy the regional gastronomy. They also have a daily menu, cafeteria and a parking. Their cocido lebaniego is amazing.

Eating in Noja

What to eat in Noja

Apart from the crab, the bonito, sardine and anchovy are some other protagonists on the Noja's tables. As we said before, the meat here also has a great quality, specially the red and grilled ones. If you like sweets, you will find many temptations here as Noja produces many artisan specialties (made in the Santa María de la Merced convent): the Noja perlas and the apple sweet are some of them.

Tapas

The Cafetería Las Palmeras makes huge bocadillos and delicious hamburgers. It is perfect if you are looking for a fast meal and if you love to eat your food with a lot of different sauces. At the Bar Socaire we recommend you to order a mojito while you eat their famous rabas de la huerta.

A la carte

Another option if the restaurant Azafrán, where the dishes have sophisticated aesthetics without loosing any quality of the products. Octopus, anchovies, clam, sirloin, large steak... are some of the delights you will find here. The dishes are decorated in a very modern style.

In order to get to know Noja's gastronomy in every single way, the restaurant Sambal serves a modern cuisine where the tasting menu is recommended if you want to try the best and most surprising food. Small dishes but good quality. If you want to surprise someone, take them to this restaurant.

Finally, if you are looking for something different in Noja we suggest El Cine. While you enjoy different shows, this thematic place offers perfect dishes such as the clam stuffed with potato.