Santiago’s Bodega

After reading all the positive reviews I had to check it out for myself and it was exactly as everyone said it would be. Very good. Don’t think I would go everyday if I could as someone stated on a previous review, but definitely worth a visit. I wasn’t sold on the saganaki, had a bit of an unusual after taste (and I love cheese) but the meatballs were my absolute favorite. Service is excellent. Ambiance is lovely.

Great staff very nice ambient. We went for happy hour and got one of everything off of the HH menu. Make sure you request for Juan as your waiter, he make the experience above and beyond.

As good as it gets in this price category. Just classy high quality food in a nice but not overly stiff or fancy environment. Great service, attentive but discreet, willing to discuss and show you some of the specialties. They have cozy inside and outside seating. I would always choose outside. It’s in a quiet alley so privacy and peace of mind guaranteed. It is a type of mediterranean tapas/​meze place. We had Rioja wine (very good), bruschettas, prosciutto wrapped muchrooms and saganaki served flambeed with brandy (great!), succulent and herby-​aromatic lamb meatballs. Sorry, I only took pictures of some items as I really was hungry!

This place lives up to the hype.
Service: best service that we experienced in Key West, and really, the best service we’ve received in a while. Our water glasses were always full and we never had to try to flag someone down for service. A+
Food: absolutely delicious. Recommend the avocado & pear salad, potato croquettes & rack of lamb. Food was nicely timed and always the perfect temperature. We ordered a salad (good portioned!) plus four dishes to split and left satisfied.
Drinks: the sangria is delightfully refreshing (not sugary!) & they have a great wine selection. Recommend the Rioja they have available by the glass.
Atmosphere: lively!
Best for: couples or families with teens and up. We brought our 2 year old and they gave us a great seat and were extremely attentive, but it’s really not a place intended for kiddos.
Would definitely return! Thank you for the wonderful meal, service and attentiveness!

great happy hour. Very pet friendly. Love to listen to the roosters. Happy hour food specials are always a good deal. We have not been able to eat the regular menu because the happy hour is so food. Also the saganaki is delicious!

Simply amazing. The location is not in a touristy area which is a nice break and adds to the restaurant’s atmosphere. Get a reservation ahead of time, or risk waiting hours, unless you can sneak a seat at the equally busy bar.
The beef carpaccio with capers, truffle oil is life changing for any foodie.
We were in Key West for a week and had to go back twice, it’s just that good.

My wife and I tried one glass of Sparkling Sangria each other with Yellowfin Tuna Ceviche. Awesome! Wonderful!
I can not forget the taste of the delicious juicy Beef Tenderloin and the wonderful Rack of Fresh Lamp. I have never imagined this kind of taste food which west meets east!!!

Lovely restaurant, really friendly service and surprisingly elegant food! There’s no better place to spend a wonderful afternoon outside the bar, feeling the sunshine of Key West and enjoy the salad and delicious tapas.
I highly recommend the avocado & pear salad and the hot tapas with lamb.

Anniversary jaunt to key west and we didn’t think to make reservations. Oh well. Went here based on reviews and my preference for tapas. No tables, but bar seats. Ooohhhkay. Well the bartender was perfectly attentive without annoying us. Food was served beautifully. The environment was intimate yet open. Delicious carpaccio, potatoes bravada, green beans with lemon vinaigrette. Despite the small plates (tapas) that my husband gave side eye to, we both left full and satisfied. Will return with reservations next time in key west.

Great tapas bar in Key West.
I made a reservation here before a trip to the keys just to have some back up options knowing that the area was going to be at capacity for NYE but after hearing it was the number 2 restaurant on trip advisor I knew we couldn’t miss it.
The service was good and the waitress was clearly tired of drunk tourists but thankfully we had been relatively behaved so you really had to be paying attention to catch the shade she was throwing. After multiple bottles of proseco on the sunset cruise we decided to just let it ride and continue with that. Reasonably priced at $ 10 per glass.
The food was amazing. I was actually a little nauseated at first after before mentioned boat cruise but I quickly perked up when looking through the menu.
From what I remember:
Cold Tapas
Ceviche: really good. Huge chunks of fish which made it different than other ceviches but it was a good different.
Burrata: one of my few rules, if this dish is on the menu it ends up in my belly, this one did not disappoint
Hot Tapas
Short ribs: Asian flavored and delish
Lamb Patties: juicy with a nice cuke salad
Brussels sprouts: I remember ordering them but not eating them
Quesadilla: these were odd. Tolerable. But nothing amazing.
I think at this point I was drunk and full and ready to just go lay down. But first a stop at blue heaven to get a klp to eat in the hotel after I digest.

My partner and I and a few friends went to Santiago’s Bodega for happy hour, and overall, the specials are pretty good and the food was very tasty.
We came here during the high season this time around, so this restaurant was more packed than during the low season. They have outdoor and indoor seating, but most of the outdoor seating is underneath stairwells and things like that, so eating inside is perfectly fine.
They had a happy hour menu for $ 5 appetizers for skewers and shrimp scampi and empanadas, and a few other dishes. The beef skewers were extremely tender and delicious, and we ordered a second helping. The empanadas were only OK, and I wouldn’t recommend them. We also ordered some regular tacos from the dinner menu, which you can do during happy hour. I’m the type that loves burnt brussels sprouts, but even for me, these were blackened all around. I like most of the dish, except for when you would just get burnt leaves from the bottom of the pan. It’s too burnt for most people, I would say.
The drink specials were half off all their beers and wine, which is pretty good. Their beer list is rather expansive, and I’d say for drinks, it’s one of the best happy hours in Key West.
Overall, I thought the food here was pretty good and the location was somewhat out of the way, a bit removed from the craziness of Duval Street.

My family and I came here a few nights ago with a reservation (which I would recommend during season — we saw multiple groups come in without one and got turned away by the hostess). It was a busy night for a Monday and almost all of the tables were filled. We were excited, as a busy restaurant is a good sign of good food PLUS it was so highly rated.
Well we were wrong. We really only enjoyed 2 dishes:
— the avocado & pear salad — a light refreshing salad that’s great to start with — mixed with yummy avocados and crispy pear
— the beef short ribs — they were so tender and juicy on top of being well flavored
The rest… We thought were too salty for our tastes. Here’s what else we ordered:
— shrimp and chorizo — not really impressed
— saganaki — this was by far the saltiest dish for us — you lost the cheese flavor
— half rack lamb — this was flavored well but it wasn’t amazing either
— spanakopita — meh
I’d also like to note that I ordered a glass of sangria which I felt tasted extremely watered down — I actually asked for another drink instead. The waitress told me that they make their sangria the traditional way so they don’t add other alcohol to it, which I wouldn’t mind, but it tasted like watered down fruit juice (I couldn’t even taste wine).
In conclusion: Maybe we choose the wrong dishes, but we left feeling like it under exceeded our expectations. The service was great — our waitress was attentive and professional but the food was a total let down.

We came here two nights in a row because the lamb was perfect!
The bar was open on both nights so we sat there and had the shrimp (good), lamb (excellent), and the beef tenderloin (yum). The next night we ordered two lamb racks because I didn’t want to share. Overall the service was good and the food was perfectly seasoned/​cooked and it was consistent on both nights.
We also had wine so it came to around 80ish for two people which was fair, especially because this is one of the nicer restaurants in key west.

Waited 15 minutes for an outdoor table which was not so bad. It gave us time to look at the menu and read Unilocal suggestions.
Service was on point. Every minute watching for dirty plates to replace. I had finish eating my salad and poof! My dirty plate was replaced with a new one.
Tapas are fun to eat and to share especially with your significant other. We ordered:
Spicy shrimp bisque: not too spicy. Creamy and delicious
Pear avacado salad: big salad. It was good.
Petite lamb rack: so delicious! Cooked medium. Topped with fresh fragrant thyme
Saganaki: salty cheese that is on fire! Both entertaining and yummy to eat.
Beef tenderloin: juicy steak topped with blue cheese. The blue cheese taste was subtle
Five tapas was very filling. We didn’t have enough room for their desserts. Four tapas would’ve been better and just satisfied.
Highly recommend this place!

Best dinner we had in key west. We loved every second of it. And they take reservations on Unilocal!
Red sangria was super tasty, filled with orange and apple bits, and went perfectly with the tapas cuisine. The pitcher was quite large and lasted us the whole time.
We started with the duck confit salad with craisins and pecans. Wonderfully dressed and super tasty. Next was the yellowfin tuna ceviche. Fantastic! Our second favorite plate. Loads of ripe avocado and mango and covered in a nice zesty lime juice. We then had the famous beef tenderloin and the spicy potatoes. Beef lived up to expectations and was the highlight of our meal. The cheese on top was perfect and helped balance the butter sauce. The potatoes were delicious and pleasantly spicy. We finished with the bacon wrapped dates which were stuffed with goat cheese. As we expected these were like crack, and a nice savory finish.
Our server Juan (I think that was his name) was fantastic and very helpful. He timed our meal really well and didn’t rush us along. The atmosphere was super relaxed and comfortable, and the prices certainly seemed reasonable. No complaints, absolutely loved Santiago’s!

We really enjoyed our first visit to Santiago’s Bodega on Petronia Street, and may return within the week before we leave.
We were greeted upon arrival, again during our meal, and upon leaving. Friendly service.
Six Tapas and 2 red sangrias, including tax and tip, was $ 95. Tapas can be an expensive style of eating in the USA. Here, pricing is reasonable based on quality.
We sat inside. I think I’d prefer outdoor dining next time, if available.
We made reservations online for 6 pm, was confirmed via text messaging, and we were seated on time on a Thursday evening.
Every dish was very good… each dish came out one at a time when ready. Dinner of Tapas is suitable for sharing. Portions are appetizer size with exception of salad; one salad can be shared.
Highly Recommended are: Avocado and Pear Salad, Tenderloin Beef with Blue Cheese Butter, Spicy Lentil Soup with curry and jalapenos (spicy, but not overly hot), and the house Red Sangria with fresh fruit. Also very good were Croquettes of potato with dipping sauce, and boneless Short Ribs with Red Slaw.
Some reviewers have complained about noise and the hard walls. We had no problem.
Tip: If you drive, grab any parking spot within 5 – 7 blocks since area parking is tight. We parked on Virginia Street.
Tip II: Happy Hour is 3 – 6 pm. So order your Sangria before 6 pm for ½ price. Unsure about other drinks.

This has been one of my favorite Key West restaurants since they opened several years ago. Partly because this place always pleases my guests. It’s grown into a larger place, which means a shorter wait for a table. The tapas and wine still never disappoint.
I enjoy restaurants that serve tapas or small plates but in general find them expensive, however Santiago’s Bodega never leaves me feeling cheated.

Tapas, Tapas, Tapas… trust me it does not get much better than this! When my friends told me they had made a reservation here and it was a Tapas style restaurant that they really loved I of course respect their decision but really did not have high hopes as Tapas can tend to annoy me at times. Most tapas places you order and order and keep on ordering because the portions are so small you need more to fill you. Then next thing you know you get your bill and are about to have a heart attack at how much you just spent.
Our friends had made a reservation two months in advance and we were celebrating a special Birthday so he requested a certain table. When we arrived they did not give us that specific table and it was not cool but we chalked it up and sat where they took us. It was a little mishap at the beginning but so very thankful we stayed and from there thing’s just kept getting better and better.
Our waiter was amazing! Very handsome to I might add. This guy did not miss a thing. We started with a pitcher of their delicious Sangria! This place is super busy and the noise level can be quite loud. No worries after several Sangria’s we were becoming just as loud.
The food, not even sure where to begin. We ordered so much food and I hope I can remember it all. In no particular order:
Meatballs, were delicious, great flavor, quite unique.
The amazing pear salad was so fresh… I could have ordered another one easily.
Lamb Chops, the guys loved them, Braised short ribs were excellent, super flavorful, nice sauce glazed over the top of them with just a bit of sweetness. Then oh my the saganaki, was addicting. They bring it right out to the table and set it on fire. Oh we also tried the potatoes which was in a fiery delicious sauce. Then we finished with their famous bread pudding. I was so full I did not even want to take a bite but so glad I did. It came with ice cream and blueberries, super moist and great flavor.
I am sure I missed possibly a few more tapas that we ordered. Bottom line, it was all delicious, every plate just got better and better. WE also had two pitchers of red Sangria which was on the dry side which I prefer.
Service was fabulous, prices are very reasonable especially for the great quality of food. They did not charge us for the Sangria to make up for the mix up with the table reservation which was very nice!
This place is wonderful and I can’t wait to go back and send friends there as well. Fantastic restaurant that is a must if your in the keys!

This gem is tucked away on the far west side of key west. It’s right next door to a run down shack — but don’t let that put you off.
The menu is pretty short, but everything I tried was absolutely delicious. The Asian Short Rib in particular — amazing! Really sweet sticky glaze which contrasted well with the slaw underneath.
I also had the carne tacos which were on the $ 5 specials for happy hour. Some of the best carne tacos I’ve ever had. Also had the Brussels sprouts which were cooked to perfection, and the crab cakes which were light and well flavoured.
Great service. You won’t leave hungry. Definitely would recommend.

This Bodega, if you can call it that since it offers cool, comfortable, and air-​conditioned, comfort on a hot Key West summer day, is stupendously delicious. We arrived without reservations on an early afternoon weekday and had no problem getting a table and being served.
Our waiter was patient and let us take our time through the tapas menu. We enjoyed the mini-​rack-​o-​lamb and other wonderful items. Then, to top it off, we had their incredible bread pudding, in the shape of a blueberry muffin (one of my favorite foods on earth) complete with bourbon sauce. In fact, I’d go back just for that!
We will definitely return!

Delicioso todo lobque pedimos, regresamos al dia siguiente! Short ribs las mejores el tenderloin en su punto, la burrata super. La sangria fue lo unico mas menos, pegadora pero el sabor no era bueno sabia en lugar de a vino a jugo de uva de niños.

Tolles Lokal mit sehr gutem Essen nach spanischer Tapas Manier. Das beste ist, dass es abseits des Touristenstroms ist auch wenn man im Dunkeln denkt wo man dort hingeraten ist.

Ein wirklich schönes Restaurant. Es liegt etwas abseits der Amüsiermeile. Wir hatten vorab reserviert. Das ist wohl unbedingt zu empfehlen. Der Service war super, das Lokal selbst sehr schön. Vor allem nicht so fürchterlich runtergekühlt im Innenraum. Draußen gabs auch Sitzfläche, ebenfalls sehr nett. Das Essen war wirklich gut. Wir hatten sechs verschiedene Tapas zu zweit und ließen eins nach dem anderen
kommen, was auch super funktioniert hat. Man wurde also mal nicht nur schnell abgefertigt. Die Qualität des Essens war tadellos. Der empfohlene Wein ebenfalls.
Das Preis/​Leistungsverhältnis stimmt aus unsrer Sicht.