Restaurant in Santander, Spain
Bib Gourmand value, bold cross-cultural cooking.
Agua Salada holds the Michelin Bib Gourmand for 2024 and 2025 — a reliable signal that this €€ restaurant in central Santander delivers contemporary cooking worth a detour at a fair price. Chef Walkyria Fagundes integrates Asian and Latin American flavours into a traditionally rooted kitchen, and the half-plates format makes it one of the more flexible and food-forward options in the city.
Yes — and for most visitors to Santander, it deserves a place near the leading of the list. Agua Salada holds the Michelin Bib Gourmand for 2024 and 2025, meaning Michelin's inspectors consider it a restaurant delivering food worth a special trip at a moderate price. At the €€ price point, that recognition is meaningful: you are getting contemporary cooking with real ambition without the €€€€ outlay of Casona del Judío.
The kitchen, led by chef Walkyria Fagundes, works in a register that is technically contemporary but anchored in traditional technique — then pushed outward with Asian and Latin American influence. Confirmed dishes from Michelin's own record include salmon marinated with wasabi and orange, grilled aubergines with a homemade poblano mole, and yaki udon noodles. That is not fusion for novelty's sake; it is a kitchen that has decided which outside flavours are worth integrating and executes them alongside European foundations. For the food-focused traveller who wants more than Cantabrian classics done safely, this is the right room.
The dining room itself is French bistro in character , bare marble tables, green and white palette, an old open bar, candles that tip the atmosphere toward the romantic without being theatrical about it. The space is described in Michelin's notes as modest and friendly, with no luxurious frills. If you are looking for a formal occasion room, El Serbal at €€€ will feel more ceremonial. Agua Salada is the choice when the food is the point and the room should stay out of the way.
One practical detail worth knowing: the kitchen offers half-plates throughout the menu. That means you can build a broader tasting experience without committing to a fixed tasting menu, which gives solo diners and couples more flexibility than a prix-fixe format would. It also makes this a better fit for exploratory eaters who want to cover ground across the menu rather than commit to large portion sizes.
With a Google rating of 4.7 across more than 1,000 reviews, the public consensus tracks closely with Michelin's assessment. That kind of volume at that score suggests consistent kitchen performance rather than a single great visit inflating the average.
The address is C. San Simón, 2 in the 39003 postcode , a street-corner location in central Santander. Booking is rated as easy, which means you are unlikely to face the multi-week lead times common at Michelin-starred venues. If you are planning a trip to the region and want context on where to stay, eat, and drink, see our full Santander restaurants guide, our Santander hotels guide, and our Santander bars guide.
For broader context on Spain's contemporary dining tier, Agua Salada sits in an interesting position. The country's highest-achieving kitchens , Arzak in San Sebastián, El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, Azurmendi in Larrabetzu, Quique Dacosta in Dénia, Martin Berasategui in Lasarte-Oria, and Cocina Hermanos Torres in Barcelona , operate at two and three Michelin stars and require significant advance planning and budget. Agua Salada is the answer for the same type of curious, food-first traveller who does not want to build their entire itinerary around a single booking or a four-figure dinner. Internationally, the model is comparable in spirit to restaurants like Jungsik in Seoul or César in New York City , contemporary technique at an accessible price with a kitchen that has a clear point of view.
If Cantabrian seafood is a priority, Bar del Puerto is worth adding to the same trip. For grilled meat in the region, Asador Lechazo Aranda covers that ground. And Bodega Cigalena is a sensible alternative if you want a more traditional Spanish format. See also our Santander wineries guide and our Santander experiences guide for planning the rest of your visit.
| Detail | Agua Salada | El Serbal | Casona del Judío |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price range | €€ | €€€ | €€€€ |
| Cuisine | Contemporary (Asian/LatAm influence) | Modern Cuisine | Modern Cuisine |
| Michelin recognition | Bib Gourmand 2024–2025 | Check current listings | Check current listings |
| Booking difficulty | Easy | Moderate | Plan ahead |
| Leading for | Value-focused food explorers | Formal dining, special occasions | High-end splurge |
See the comparison section below.
Smart casual is appropriate. The room is French bistro in style , relaxed but put-together. Michelin's own description flags it as modest and friendly with no luxurious frills, so there is no pressure toward formal dress. A good rule for €€ Bib Gourmand restaurants in Spanish cities: dress as you would for a nice dinner with friends, not a business meeting.
Yes, more so than most restaurants in this category. The half-plates format throughout the menu means a solo diner can sample widely without over-ordering. The old open bar is also a natural anchor for a single seat. At €€ in Santander, this is one of the more practical solo options compared to the more formal €€€–€€€€ rooms like Casona del Judío.
Order across the half-plates format rather than treating it like a conventional three-course dinner. The kitchen's strength is in combining Asian and Latin American influences with a contemporary European base , wasabi and orange with salmon, poblano mole with aubergines , so come willing to move across different flavour registers. Two Michelin Bib Gourmands running confirm the kitchen is consistent, not a one-visit wonder. Booking is easy, so you do not need to plan weeks in advance, but checking availability early in a trip is still sensible.
It works for a low-key celebration or a romantic dinner , candlelit, intimate, and with food that has genuine ambition behind it. If you need a grander room with full-service ceremony, El Serbal at €€€ or Casona del Judío at €€€€ will feel more occasion-scaled. Agua Salada is the right call when the meal is the celebration and the setting just needs to feel warm rather than impressive.
At the same €€ price point, Bodega Cigalena offers a more traditional Spanish direction if you want fewer global influences. For Cantabrian seafood specifically, Bar del Puerto is the more focused choice. Step up to €€€ and El Serbal gives you a more formal modern cuisine experience. At the leading of the city's range, Casona del Judío at €€€€ is the splurge option. See our full Santander restaurants guide for a broader view.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agua Salada | A modest, friendly and authentic restaurant with no luxurious frills but plenty of charm. Its simple façade on the street corner conceals a welcoming dining room decorated in French bistro style and dominated by shades of green and white, with an old open-view bar, bare marble tables and other intimate and attractive details, such as the bright candles which add a romantic touch. The traditionally inspired contemporary cuisine (with the option of half-plates throughout) is not lacking in boldness thanks to the addition of exotic flavours, mainly Asian but also from Central and South America (salmon marinated with wasabi and orange, grilled aubergines with a homemade “poblano mole”, Yaki udon noodles etc).; Michelin Bib Gourmand (2025); Michelin Bib Gourmand (2024) | €€ | — |
| El Serbal | Michelin 1 Star | €€€ | — |
| Cañadío | €€ | — | |
| La Bombi | €€€ | — | |
| Casona del Judío | Michelin 1 Star | €€€€ | — |
| Bodega Cigalena | — |
A quick look at how Agua Salada measures up.
Dress casually but neatly. Agua Salada is described as modest and friendly with no luxurious frills — a French bistro-style dining room with bare marble tables. There is no indication of a formal dress code, so clean everyday clothes fit the room. Overdressing would feel out of place here.
Yes. The old open-view bar and intimate setting make it a natural fit for solo diners. The half-plate option available throughout the menu is particularly useful if you want to work through several dishes without overcommitting. A Bib Gourmand at €€ pricing also means the bill stays manageable when dining alone.
The menu blends traditionally inspired contemporary cooking with bold exotic influences — think Asian and Latin American flavours applied to local ingredients. Michelin awarded it the Bib Gourmand in both 2024 and 2025, meaning the kitchen consistently delivers above its price point. Half-plates are available throughout, so ordering widely is the right strategy on a first visit.
It works for a low-key celebration rather than a formal one. The candlelit room has a romantic edge, and back-to-back Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition gives the meal credibility — but the modest, unfussy setting and €€ pricing mean it reads as a relaxed treat rather than a grand event. For a milestone dinner requiring a grander room, Casona del Judío is the more obvious call in the Santander area.
Cañadío is the go-to for classic Cantabrian cooking with a stronger local-institution feel. El Serbal steps up in formality and price if you want a more structured tasting experience. For straightforward, well-priced traditional food in a no-fuss environment, La Bombi and Bodega Cigalena are both reliable. Agua Salada sits in its own lane for anyone who wants Michelin-recognised value plus cross-cultural cooking rather than purely regional cuisine.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
