Santiago Restaurant, Bar and Deli
Santiago is a recently opened Tapas Restaurant, Bar and Delicatessen that promises an authentic Spanish experience. It can be found on George Street and sits proudly amongst many of Buxton’s fashionable ‘Restro Bars’ nestled behind the Crescent.
We visited early on a Friday night within their first week of opening and the atmosphere was as warming as the delicious mojo picon sauce that accompanies their Patatas Bravas. The waiting staff were delightfully keen, though in these early days seemed to be operating on Spanish Time. We had to wait patiently for quite a while before eventually having to ask our waitress if we could perhaps order some drinks and peruse the menu. However, it was worth the wait for the pint of refreshing Estrella Galicia I had ordered (which comes from an independent family-owned brewery in Galicia, an autonomous community in Spain’s northwest) you certainly won’t find this on draught in many bars or restaurants in the UK.
In contrast, our food soon arrived after ordering, in the familiar “small plates” style, that is, at the kitchen’s convenience. If I had to choose a word to characterise the first offerings, it would certainly be authentic. First up was Arthur’s choice from the excellent niños menu (battered cod bites) soon followed by our first tapa; Tortilla (a slow-cooked and typically Spanish onion and potato omelette served with allioli). Before long our table was full of tasty delights including; Pulpo Feira (grilled octopus with saffron mash), Albondingas caseras (pork and beef meatballs in a rich tomato sauce with smoked paprika), Patas Bravas (fried potatoes tossed in paprika and sea salt, mojo picon sauce and allioli), Gambas al ajillo (sauteed prawns in oil infused with garlic and chilli) and a beautifully presented Plato Iberico tentacion (four years aged acorn-fed Iberico ham, hand-carved from the deli) that was accompanied with picos (breadsticks) banderillas (a traditional Basque bar snack) apricot and Membrillo (quince paste).
The only dish we didn’t collectively enjoy very much was the Pan con alioli o tomato (fresh bread with allioli and grated tomato). This is always a favourite of mine whenever I visit Spain, so I was keen for the others to try it, but the garlic was very strong and overpowering, numbing the palate. Thankfully this was one of the last dishes to arrive so it didn’t impair the wonderful tastes of all the other dishes that we ate.
Overall, Santiago still has a few (very minor) kinks to iron out, (though please consider that we did visit within the first week of its opening)) but the authentic Spanish experience that the restaurant promises comes from such an honest and uncynical place that it leaves you feeling rather wholesome too. We really enjoyed our visit, the welcome was amazing and the food absolutely delicious. We would highly recommend Santiago to anyone and can’t wait to visit once again ourselves to try more dishes from their extensive menu.
Review Summary
To find out more please visit https://santiagorestaurants.co.uk/ or telephone 01298 384577
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