Sidrería Casa Miguel

Portions beside the collegiate church

Casa Miguel is a cider house at number 2 calle del Río, the street that runs down to the collegiate church, with its fountain and drinking trough. It is the place to eat portions to share, without ceremony, in the middle of the walk through the town. The house boasts a long record in hospitality and describes its cooking as traditional with a modern touch. It has two large dining rooms, a terrace where the menu is served outdoors and a porch with tables outside.

What to order

The website does not publish a written menu, but shows in photos what comes out of its kitchen: baby squid, black rice, fillet steak, chops, cured meat boards, a chorizo combination, burgers and sandwiches. It is cooking designed to share in the middle of the table, with natural Cantabrian cider, which is what gives the house its name.

Ask about the dishes of the day and the prices when you sit down: they are not published online.

When to go

The hours are not published on its website: call 942 818 964 or write to [email protected] if you are going at a set time or with a group. The website itself links to a live Santillana webcam, useful for checking the weather before deciding between terrace and dining room.

Getting there

Santillana's old town is pedestrianised: leave the car in one of the car parks at the entrance and walk down the main street to calle del Río; from Plaza de Ramón Pelayo it is a few minutes. If you arrive by bus, the La Cantábrica lines link Santillana with Santander and Torrelavega.

What to combine

Eating here fits after the visit to the collegiate church and its cloister, which is at the end of the same street. In the afternoon you can carry on to the Altamira Museum and the Neocave, or go down to Santa Justa beach. If you prefer a dining room with a set menu of the day, the Hotel Altamira restaurant is on calle del Cantón, and for a cocido montañés on the square, there is the one at the Parador Gil Blas.