Taberna Cachalote - Restaurante en Santander — Restaurant in Santander

Last night, we celebrated my sister’s birthday at Taberna Cachalote that turned out to be a true hidden gem in Santander-Cantabria-Spain. I can’t stop thinking about the experience. From the moment we walked in, the warm welcome and attentive service made us feel like honored guests. Every detail was on point, and the staff went above and beyond to ensure the celebration felt special.

We started with a beautifully plated appetizer of vine-ripened tomatoes layered with creamy mozzarella, finished with a drizzle of fragrant basil oil. Simple, fresh, and full of flavor — a perfect way to begin.

Then came the seafood and beef courses, which completely stole the show. The seafood was incredibly fresh, delicately seasoned, and expertly cooked, pure ‘Cantabria Infinita’ experience every bite reminded us we were in capable culinary hands. The meet, rich and perfectly seared, was melt in my mouth tender, complemented by thoughtful sides that elevated the dish even further.

But the grand finale? The dessert. It was rich, light, sweet, and decadent all at once. Truly the kind of dessert that earns its own round of applause.

What truly made the night exceptional was the service seamless, warm, and attentive without being intrusive. The team even surprised my sister with a personalized birthday touch that made the moment unforgettable.

This wasn’t just dinner. it was an experience. If you’re looking for a place where food, ambiance, and hospitality come together effortlessly, El Cachalote will be the perfect choice in Santander...

So I want to make a Health Hasard awareness to this restaurant. I ordered little grilled squid’s and mussels. Upon eating a squid I found the texture quite interesting, I have never eaten one of these with this texture. After looking on my plate again I had realized I have just eaten a squid with its organs still inside. ORGANS. After that I saw another one of my squids that had its organs inside. I told the staff and they just shrugged it off and said they’re sorry and it won’t happen again. Excuse me? That was so disgusting, then we had to wait for our mussels for like half an hour more and when they came it was disappointing. They gave us a bucket not even plates to eat properly, then upon trying the mussels, shock. Some were hard, some were super muddy soft like again a texture I cannot describe. It was so unusual that it didn’t even feel like a mussel in my mouth more of a diffrent kind of shellfish. Looks deceive here, as good as it may look there’s a bit of horror behind it. I do not recommend this place: Rude staff, unprepared food and terrible waiting times. How do you even remove the spine of the squid and forget to pull out the...

We came late and wanted to eat, unfortunately the kitchen was closed which was fine by us as we were told we could eat Tapas.

Tapas consisted of pointing out what finger food you wanted in a glass box and them heating it in a microwave. Immediately After sitting down three different waiters came with three different bills, all different. After asking to split the bill three times in fluent Spanish they finally allowed us, two more came to our party and we’re met by side looks and hounded by the waiters to pay asap, as they were probably afraid that we were going to leave without paying and eating?

All in all, disorganised, unnecessarily stressful, and a displeasing feeling through constant hounding. I might add that one person paid more for the same dish as another, all because different waiters came with the bill.

If you are unhappy to serve us, and have closed that’s fine, tell us and we will promptly leave and find somewhere else to eat, don’t tell us we can eat here and then treat us as if we insisted on eating and were...