La Mutua Anchoateca — Restaurant in Santoña

It was raining the day we arrived in Santona. This place was close to the town center and allowed our Bulldog to come in with. And it was on our list anyways, since it has great online feedback.

It was just around 8pm and the Bar still pretty empty. And it was during Covid-19, but luckily all Bars and Restaurants open for business.

The staff/owner were very friendly, we felt very welcome here. This Bar serves a lot of different kind of Anchovies (Anchoas). From lower priced ones like around 3-4 Euros for a can up to more expensive cans for 5-6 Euros. We ordered a can of "La Machina" for a bit more than 5 bucks, some Manchego cheese and some Chorizo. Two glasses of red wine with that.

Cheese was very nice, Chorizo of very good quality. But the biggest suprise were the anchovies. Yes we knew that Santona is kind of the anchovies capital of Spain. And we thought we had some great anchovies in our lives before (like in "Cetera" in Italy). But these anchoas here are in a different league. Never tasted this greatness before. Smooth and tasty anchovies fillets. In a tin can, preserved in great quality oil. Ordered another can right away. And two more red wines.

The wine here is of really good quality as well. And they got a good number of different wines.

Came back another night. Was as great as the first time. Tried some other anchoas (forgot the name, was a house-specialty). Equally good as the anchoas from "La Machina". We had other anchovies at other Tapas Bars during our stay. But none matched the great quality of the anchoas we had here at this place. The second night we also ordered some Tuna, which was great as well (and a good sized portion of it).

All in all a fantastic place. The best anchoas ever, great wine, friendly staff and owner. Pet-friendly. Fair priced. The whole...

En Santoña, de lo mejor para la degustación de buenas anchoas. Con ocasión de mis visitas al Principado de Asturias, y ya son varias las veces. Pues, me gusta deleitarme con sus paisajes. Sus lugares de interés, que siempre encuentras algo nuevo. Y, en general, el amable trato que te dispensan sus gentes. Cada vez que lo hago, no me pierdo una excursión a Santoña. Desde Oviedo, por ejemplo, apenas son dos horas y algo, de carretera. Y tienes toda la costa y mil lugares, en los que recrear tus sentidos. Cuando llegas, el olor que impregna la entrada es fuerte, incluso de inicio puede resultar desagradable, pero te asombrara lo rápido que se habitúa tu olfato. Es el olor de las fábricas de conservas. Ya en Santoña, es obligado un paseo de reconocimiento de sus calles, sus tiendas…..puerto y demás. Es cierto que con esto de la globalización, encuentras productos de todos lados en todos lados pero, créeme, para mí, el origen marca la diferencia. Tanto para comprar, como para degustar. Y cuando se te haya abierto el apetito, tienes varios lugares donde saciarte. Pero yo, y sin duda alguna, elijo la Mutua Anchoateca. El trato siempre fue amable. Tienen varios productos y una buena carta de vinos. Pero sobre todo tienen una exquisita variedad de anchoas. Te orientan bien y con paciencia, hecho este de agradecer, cuando tanto hay donde elegir. Tienen una variedad de anchoa en conserva que, si no me equivoco, la denominan “sobada”, agüita que cosa más buena. Visítalos, pregunta y prueba, no creo que...

Very cool place, anchovies are excellent and go very well with the recommended cheese and wine. Good prices and helpful service. They don't serve tables so you need to ask at the bar. Maybe not the best place to go with kids (the menu is very focused) but still cool for...