Restaurante Marie Miner — Restaurant in Santiago de Compostela

This time I came to the heart of Santiago for dinner, as I had only been here before for breakfast. I have to highlight how friendly and attentive the staff were—constantly making sure everything was just right to ensure a pleasant experience.

We started with artichokes and the classic calamari sandwich. The presentation was beautifully done, really inviting you to eat with your eyes first. I was happy to see a sandwich full of calamari. The batter was tasty and crispy, and overall the dish was well balanced. That said, I did find the calamari just right.

The artichokes were served with a generous amount of garnish—not just for decoration—and every bite was packed with flavor. The texture of the artichokes was spot on, and the combination with ham and the crispy elements worked beautifully. As a big fan of mozzarella and burrata-type cheeses, I would personally swap out the cheese used here for something like semi-melted Ulloa or Arzúa, which I think would complement better with the rest of the dish without overpowering it.

We then moved on to the beef cheeks and cod. The cheeks were perfectly tender—as they should be—and honestly, didn’t even need half the sauce they came with. They could stand on their own. The cod was well-seasoned, paired with an interesting garnish of squid and beans. The sauce quantity was fine here, but I’d improve the quality of the fish itself. It was cooked correctly, but the texture made it harder to chew than expected… probably lack of freshness… I was hoping for something a bit more delicate.

The peaceful garden setting in the heart of Santiago alone makes it worth coming for dinner. However, overall, I think I still prefer their...

Absolutely atrocious, avoid at all costs. A truly miserable experience. The tuna tartar was fumed purple. Guacamole? What’s that? Nowhere to be found. The grilled vegetables and pineapple platter was a wet, messy embarrassment. (Note to kitchen: eggplant does not grill well, and leeks have no business on a vegetable platter after being obliterated into mush.) And the signature scallop “boat” had 8 dried, wrinkled, overcooked scallops, delivered cold and with crusty, dried ham specks that served absolutely no culinary purpose. A fantastical, sad joke for a well known food city like Santiago. Maybe it was the fact that, on a Monday night, the entire dining room was being handled by two people, one of whom was the bartender. And the downstairs kitchen looked like it was manned by Uber drivers. I will add this: After I shared my impressions with the staff, they shrugged and walked away with complete indifference. Not even an attempt to remedy the sour mood. Wow!!! I’m so disheartened this was our last meal here, so all I can do is send this intergalactic warning. Hear this: this is the mining ship Nostromo, Sergeant Ripley reporting: stay away!

The “owner” can complain all he/she wants about my review, and insinuate I’m just a foreign traveler. No, I have reviewed restaurants all over the world and I know what I’m talking about. This was a bad restaurant, run by amateurs and owned by a clown. My review stands: You can do much better than this overpriced, pretentious road house. I will defend my review at any time, any place. It’s not about where I’m from. Accept reality, your restaurant is just...

One word to describe the whole experience: Poetry.

From the moment we sat down at Marie Miner in Santiago de Compostela, we knew we were in for something special. Our evening began with a warm welcome from our amazing waitress, Rita, who not only guided us through the menu with genuine enthusiasm but was also incredibly warm and friendly with our toddler — making us feel right at home. She offered us fresh bread accompanied by tomate rayado with basil oil — simply exquisite — and a unique lamb butter that set the tone for the night.

We started with two classic Galician delights: Pulpo a la feira and perfectly crisp jamón ibérico croquetas. For mains, we chose the Lomo de Bacalao a la brasa and the Pulpo a la brasa. The cod’s sauce and texture were fit for the gods, while the octopus was paired with a velvety sweet potato (boniato) purée that was nothing short of magnificent.

Dessert was a journey back home — a donut torrija with pistachio ice cream whose flavor instantly reminded us of the Guatemalan Torreja, filling us with nostalgia. As if that wasn’t enough, Rita surprised us with an off-menu white chocolate and pistachio cake — perhaps my personal favorite recommendation of the entire meal.

All of this was beautifully paired with a fruity glass of Albariño, which tied every flavor together.

An evening of warmth, creativity, and flavors that linger long after the last bite — truly,...