How to choose where to eat in Cantabria

Tourism in Cantabria continues to rise as more Spaniards and international visitors choose the region for its natural landscapes and exceptional cuisine. With this increased demand over the last decade, the hospitality sector has been able to flourish, solidifying the region as a top destination for lovers of gastronomy.

According to a study published in 2016, Cantabria was at the time home to 2922 bars, 1288 restaurants, and 355 cafés. Although the total number of establishments has fluctuated over the last decade, the distribution remains consistent: Approximately ⅓ of all bars and restaurants in Cantabria are located in the capital, Santander.

But with so many options to choose from, what’s the best way to find the right restaurant for you?

This list of international, national and local guides gives diners different ways of finding most of the restaurants of note in Cantabria. Each guide uses a different set of criteria to determine what establishments make the cut, ranging from expert judges to customer feedback.

The Michelin guide

The Michelin guide is a world renowned publication that creates a curated restaurant selection by country. The guide is separated into different categories: Michelin Stars and Green Stars, Bib Gourmand, and Selected Restaurants. 

Michelin Stars

The Michelin guide awards 1, 2, or 3 Stars to restaurants that offer the best dining experiences. According to the Michelin website, Michelin Stars are awarded only on the basis of the quality of the cuisine served by a restaurant at a given time. They do not take into account the service, the tableware or the atmosphere at a restaurant; these aspects are documented by inspectors but are not part of the decision to award a restaurant a Star.

Michelin stars are awarded annually, based on the anonymous and independent dining experiences of inspection teams, and they are re-evaluated each year.

Five criteria are applied when assessing a restaurant:

• The quality of the ingredients used
• The mastery of cooking and culinary techniques
• The harmony of flavours
• The personality of the cuisine as expressed through the dishes
• And consistency, both across the entire menu and between visits.

Based on these criteria, the selected restaurants receive 1,2, or 3 stars, which mean:

The Michelin guide is a highly regarded publication in Spain. As of 2024, 272 restaurants in Spain hold either 1, 2 or 3 Michelin stars. In Cantabria, as of 2024, five restaurants hold seven Michelin Stars:

List of Michelin Star restaurants in Cantabria:

• Cenador de Amos: 3 Michelin Stars
• Casona del Judio: 1 Michelin Star 
• El Serbal: 1 Michelin Star
• La Bicicleta: 1 Michelin Star
• Solana: 1 Michelin Star

Green Stars

In addition to the Star system, the Michelin guide also offers a Green Star. These annual awards, introduced in 2020, highlight sustainable practices within restaurants, championing those who meet certain ethical and environmental standards, work with sustainable producers and suppliers, or reduce or eliminate waste from their way of working, all while continuing to offer a superb dining experience.

In Cantabria, as of 2024, two restaurants hold Green Stars. This brings the total number of Stars and Green Stars in Cantabria to 9.

List of Michelin Green Star restaurants in Cantabria:

• Casona del Judio: 1 Green Star
• Cenador de Amos: 1 Green star

Bib gourmand & Selected Restaurants

The Bib Gourmand awards are a separate category within the Michelin guide. Restaurants are awarded the Bib Gourmand label as a recognition of their high-quality food offering at reasonable prices. This category usually includes interesting but more casual dining options.

The selected restaurants category appears as a filter on the website and acts as a “ones to watch” list, highlighting venues that have stood out to inspectors but didn’t quite meet the requirements for Stars or Bib Gourmand for this year. It often includes new openings that may evolve to earn an accolade in future awards seasons.

List of Bib Gourmand restaurants in Cantabria:

1. Cadelo
2. Pan de Cuco
3. Prada a Tope
4. Hosteria Calvo
5. Agua Salada
6. Del Oso
7. Umma
8. La Cartería

Selected Restaurants

1. Laia
2. La Bombi
3. Ronquillo
4. La Hermosa de Alba
5. El Remedio
6. Las Redes
7. Asador Aranda
8. La Mulata
9. Augusto
10. Bodega Cigaleña
11. Daría
12. La Yerbita
13. El Nuevo Molino
14. Cañadío
15. Sotavento
16. Ibidem
17. Bodega del Riojano

Guía Repsol

The Guía Repsol was started in 1979 to provide dining options for road travel in Spain and Portugal. Over time it has evolved to become one of the leading restaurant guides on the Iberian peninsula, with annual award ceremonies to introduce the new rankings.

The Repsol “Soles”

The guide awards three levels of distinction to restaurants. Its classification is similar to the international Michelin guide Stars system, using “Soles” (Suns) as their taxonomy of choice and ranking from 1 to 3 along the same criteria: One means it’s worth a stop if it’s on your journey, two means is worth a detour, and 3 means it’s worth a trip in and of itself.

The complete list of establishments in Cantabria with the Repsol seal of approval in 2024 includes the 12 restaurants with 18 Soles between them, 22 recommended restaurants, and 46 restaurants with Soletes.

List of restaurants in Cantabria with “Soles”:

• Cenador de Amos: 3 Soles
• Casona del Judio: 2 Soles
• Solana: 2 Soles
• El Nuevo Molino: 2 Soles
• Cañadío: 2 Soles
• La Bicicleta: 1 Sol
• El Serbal: 1 Sol
• Bodega del Riojano: 1 Sol
• La Cartería de Cartes: 1 Sol
• Emma Gastro: 1 Sol
• Ronquillo: 1 Sol
• Pico Velasco (New in 2024): 1 Sol

Recommended & Soletes

The guide also provides a “recommended” category, which sits below the 1 Sol level and indicates that said restaurants are fairly interesting, as well as a separate “Soletes” guide, which lists alternative or less formal establishments like cafeterias, ice cream shops, bars and casual beachfront “chiringuitos”, providing recommendations at all levels and for every wallet.

Recommended

1. Agua Salada  – Santander
2. Asador El Puerto – Castro Urdiales
3. Bodega Cigaleña – Santander
4. Daría – Santander
5. Del Oso – Cosgaya
6. Del Puerto – Santander
7. Deluz – Santander
8. El Baruco de Anero – Ribamontán al Monte
9. El Hostal del Pericote – Piélagos
10. El Ojo del Ábrego – Liérganes
11. El Remedio – Ruiloba
12. El Restaurante de Pilar – Santoña
13. Fuentebro – Fontibre
14. Garbo – Santander
15. Ibidem – Arnuero
16. La Bombi – Santander
17. Laila – Santa Cruz de Bezana
18. Las Piscinas  – Villacarriedo
19. Las Redes – San Vicente de la Barquera
20. La Torre by Marañon – Ribamontán al Mar
21. Pan de Cuco – Ribamontán al Mar
22. Posada del Mar – Santander

Soletes

1. Hostal Remoña – Espinama
2. Casa LaMadrid – Cabezon de Liebana
3. Casa Cayo – Potes
4. Casa Lucas – Los Tojos
5. Mirador de Peña Colsa – Los Tojos
6. La Asturiana – Unquera
7. Casa Canal – Unquera
8. Helados Lopez – Corvera de Toranzo
9. Ruda – Villacarriedo
10. Magnolia Castro – Castro Urdiales
11. Taberna Bar Solana – Ampuero
12. Romy – Bádames
13. La Chata – Isla
14. Mesón Posada Término – Hoznayo
15. Casa Navarro –  Liérganes
16. Casa Enrique – Solares
17. Tienda de Pedro Garcia – Solares
18. La Yerbita – Penagos
19. Mores – Vargas
20. Ciclo – Ruente
21. Casa Segis – Cabezón de la Sal
22. Abacería de la Sal – Cabezón de la Sal
23. Casa Cofiño – Caviedes
24. Boga Boga – San Vicente de la Barquera
25. El Pescador – San Vicente de la Barquera
26. La Ostrería San Vicente – San Vicente de la Barquera
27. El Rayo Verde – San Vicente de la Barquera
28. Bodega Miradorio – Ruiloba
29. El Refugio de Tanos – Torrelavega
30. Bar Torrelavega – Torrelavega
31. El Pasaje de los Nobles – Santillana del Mar
32. La Chilanga – Suances
33. La Dársena – Suances
34. Avril en la Ria – Mogro
35. Burdo Restobar – Liencres
36. La Tucho – Corbán Santander
37. El Desfiladero – Santander
38. Las Terrazas de Carmen – Santander
39. Amarella Cafe & Bistro – Santander
40. Monerris – Santander
41. La Hermosa de Alba – Tetuán Santander
42. Conde Luna – Cueto Santander
43. Chiringuito el Puntal Tricio – Santander
44. Asador el Tronky – Pedreña
45. Enuno – Somo

TheFork

TheFork is an international restaurant booking and review system that offers a ranking of restaurants based on customer feedback. It was created in 2007 and is now Europe’s leading restaurant booking platform. It works by aggregating data about restaurants to rank them based on a series of criteria:

• Whether the restaurant can be booked through TheFork’s platform
• The average restaurant score given by TheFork users who have dined there in the last 12 months
• The number of opinions shared on the platform about that establishment
• The restaurant’s reliability, based on negative feedback or complaints
• Any special deals or events they host
• Availability to book in the next few days 

Users can also filter by different requirements like location or price to find tailored rankings that suit their needs. The platform gives useful information like average spend per head and whether the restaurant accepts American Express. Depending on the geographical area included in your search filter, TheFork also has an “in demand” category, where users can see which restaurants have received high ratings in recent months or have been saved as favourites by a large number of users.

List of TheFork restaurants in Cantabria:

1. El Jardín del Balneario de Puente Viesgo
2. Palacio de Arce
3. El Nuevo Molino
4. La Bicicleta
5. Luciano
6. La Isla Food & Drinks
7. Ylis Asiatico
8. Trastámara
9. Mesón San Cipriano
10. Le Horreo
11. Santander Veinte
12. La Mano de Fatima
13. La Atalaya de Mayte
14. Restaurante Parador de Santillana Gil Blas
15. Llanda
16. Daria
17. La Voladora
18. El Serbal
19. La Cagigona
20. La Vinoteca
21. La Cartería
22. Hibisco
23. Casona del Judío
24. Querida Mar
25. Street Foodies Orígenes
26. New Papanao
27. Gastro Espacio
28. Muerde la Pasta Bahía Real
29. La Tienduca
30. Mesón Ibio
31. Ronquillo
32. Resto Bar La Ronda
33. Querida Margarita
34. Taberna La Luna
35. Los Elefantes
36. La Esquina Burger
37. Asador Itxaski
38. New Anievas
39. Palacio Guevara
40. El Remedio
41. Restaurante Parador de Limpias
42. Arte entre Paladares
43. Mamasana
44. La Torre by Marañón (Galizano)
45. Marea Alta- Hotel Silken Rio
46. Las Encinas de Somo
47. Damai surf bar
48. Somavilla
49. Melly
50. El Puntal- Hotel Real Santander
51. Solar de HIlario
52. Solana
53. Restobar Las Peñas
54. Enoteca El Canton
55. Pico Velasco
56. El Muelle del Barrio Pesquero
57. La Brasa
58. La Portada Bar Asador de Javier
59. Hostería de Adarzo
60. El Cocinero
61. La Flor de Miranda

Diario Montañés 2023 restaurant guide:

The Diario Montañés is the leading newspaper in Cantabria. Its gastronomy section, Cantabria en la Mesa (Cantabria on the table) has acted as an engine in the region since its inception, supporting the hospitality and agriculture sectors by sharing information and promoting their work through events, tastings, festivals and more.

Since 2007 they’ve been compiling a restaurant directory, available online and in print, and updated annually. It includes a wealth of information, with photos and videos of 1300 restaurants, bars, cafes and hotels featured on the list. This guide was created to capture the variety and potential in Cantabrian hospitality. Although the directory is only in Spanish, it contains a description of each restaurant’s cuisine, contact details, and average spend per head. It provides a very comprehensive overview of the offering in the area.

Comer en Santander

Comer en Santander is a quarterly publication that provides a guide to the best, but not always best known, restaurants in Santander. It offers a curated selection based on the quality of cooking around the city. The aim of this publication is to provide both traditional and unusual options to diners and to cater to a wide range of tastes and price points. The guide is split into categories like location, cuisine, and themes like local specialties. Although the print version and downloadable PDF are only available in Spanish, the website is updated quarterly and can be viewed in english.

Cantabria en la mesa – Diario Montañés: 

Cantabria en la mesa is an online segment and weekly print supplement of the Diario Montañés newspaper. It shares the most up to date food-related news and events in the region, including restaurant recommendations, seasonal recipes and food festivals. If you’re in Cantabria on a Saturday, it’s worth picking up a copy to browse the editor’s recommendations. You can also subscribe to the newspaper and receive weekly Cantabria en la Mesa emails summarising the most notable news and events of the week.