Restaurant in Santander, Spain
OAD-ranked wine bodega, easy to book.
Bodega Cigalena is a wine-forward Spanish bodega in central Santander with three consecutive years on the Opinionated About Dining Casual Europe list (ranked #31–#70, 2023–2025). Easy to book, reliable by Google reviews (4.3 from 1,700+), and best approached as a wine-led lunch or dinner. A strong choice for returning visitors willing to engage properly with the cellar.
Getting a table here is easier than its reputation suggests — booking difficulty is rated easy — but that does not mean you should be casual about it. Bodega Cigalena has held a place on the Opinionated About Dining Casual Europe list for three consecutive years, climbing from #70 in 2025 back through #34 in 2024 and #31 in 2023. For a Spanish bodega in Santander, that is a sustained endorsement worth taking seriously. If you are returning after a first visit, the short answer is: yes, go back, and this time pay closer attention to the wine list.
Bodega Cigalena sits at C. Daoiz y Velarde, 19 in central Santander, and the name tells you what you are walking into: a bodega, with the visual grammar that implies. Think bottles on shelves, a room arranged around the logic of wine storage and casual hospitality rather than fine-dining theatre. The setting is part of the draw for a returning visitor. Where a first visit might be spent taking in the atmosphere, a second is the right moment to engage with what the wine program actually offers alongside the Spanish cooking overseen by chef Andrés Conde.
The OAD recognition , particularly the consistency across three years , signals a kitchen that is not coasting. For context on what that benchmark means within Spanish dining, consider where Bodega Cigalena sits relative to the country's more celebrated addresses: the tasting-menu ambition of El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, the Basque precision of Arzak in San Sebastián, or the technical intensity of DiverXO in Madrid. Bodega Cigalena operates in an entirely different register , casual, accessible, wine-forward , but the OAD nod puts it in serious company for what it is trying to do.
The editorial angle that matters most here is the wine list. A bodega format only works if the cellar delivers, and three years of OAD recognition for a casual venue in a mid-sized northern Spanish city suggests this one does. Cantabria is not a wine production region in the way that Rioja or Ribera del Duero are, which means a wine list worth returning for here is almost certainly a curated selection that reaches beyond the immediate geography. For a guest who has already been once, the move on a return visit is to approach the wine list as the primary event and let the food follow it, rather than the other way around. Ask what is open by the glass, and be willing to follow a recommendation rather than defaulting to a safe choice.
Spain produces some of the most interesting drinking in Europe at mid-range price points , Galician whites, Basque txakoli, older Riojas at reasonable markups , and a venue with this profile and this track record is the right place to explore that range. It is a different proposition from the Spanish wine experience you would get at, say, Aponiente in El Puerto de Santa María or Azurmendi in Larrabetzu, where the wine list is subordinate to a high-concept tasting menu. Here, wine and food feel like co-equals.
Bodega Cigalena is closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Service runs lunch (1:30–3:30 pm) and dinner (8:30–11 pm) Thursday through Sunday, with Monday also open for both services. The Spanish lunch format , a proper sit-down meal in the early afternoon , is well suited to this kind of venue, and for a returning visitor lunch is worth considering seriously. The pace is different from dinner, the light through a bodega room in the early afternoon reads differently, and the same kitchen is running both services. Booking is rated easy, so same-week reservations should be achievable, but do not leave it to the day of if you have a specific date in mind. The venue has a 4.3 rating from over 1,700 Google reviews, which for a casual restaurant suggests consistent execution rather than occasional brilliance.
For practical reference: the address is C. Daoiz y Velarde, 19, 39003 Santander. No phone or website is listed in the Pearl database, so your leading approach is to search directly or book via a third-party reservation platform.
Quick reference: Bodega Cigalena, Santander , OAD Casual Europe listed 2023–2025, lunch and dinner Thu–Mon, easy to book, wine-forward Spanish, 4.3/5 from 1,700+ reviews.
See the full peer comparison below.
| Venue | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Bodega Cigalena | — | |
| El Serbal | €€€ | — |
| Cañadío | €€ | — |
| La Bombi | €€€ | — |
| Casona del Judío | €€€€ | — |
| Agua Salada | €€ | — |
What to weigh when choosing between Bodega Cigalena and alternatives.
Come for the wine list first, the food second. Bodega Cigalena has ranked in Opinionated About Dining's Top 70 Casual Europe list for three consecutive years (2023–2025), which signals consistent quality in a format that is relaxed rather than formal. The bodega setting on C. Daoiz y Velarde sets expectations clearly: this is a wine-led neighbourhood restaurant, not a tasting-menu destination.
Booking difficulty is rated easy, so a few days' notice is usually sufficient outside peak summer weekends in Santander. That said, the restaurant is closed Tuesday and Wednesday, which concentrates demand across five service days. Book ahead for Friday or Saturday dinner to be safe.
Lunch (1:30–3:30 pm) is the more Spanish way to eat here and typically the format a bodega like this is built around. Dinner (8:30–11 pm) suits visitors on a tighter schedule or those who prefer a quieter room. Neither sitting has a clear quality edge based on available data, so choose by your own rhythm.
Bar seating is common in Spanish bodegas of this type and would be consistent with the format, but the venue data does not confirm counter or bar dining specifically at Bodega Cigalena. Contact them directly before arriving if bar seating is your preference.
For a step up in formality and price, El Serbal is Santander's most decorated dining room. Cañadío is a strong all-rounder for traditional Cantabrian cooking with a broader following. La Bombi suits a more classic, old-school lunch crowd. Bodega Cigalena's specific value is the wine-focused bodega format backed by three years of OAD recognition — none of the direct alternatives replicate that combination.
Yes, with the right expectations. Three consecutive OAD Casual Europe rankings give it credibility for a celebratory meal, and the bodega format makes it feel considered without the pressure of a fine-dining room. It works well for a birthday dinner or a wine-focused occasion for two; for large groups or a very formal event, El Serbal or Casona del Judío would be a better fit.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
