Santiago's Bodega, Key West

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I may have mentioned this before on another travel page but during the 3 weeks I spent in Madrid, I developed a severe addiction to tapas; it should therefore come as no surprise that when I read about Santiago's Bodega in Key West, I immediately suggested having lunch there. This Spanish-themed restaurant is located in a section of town called "Bahama Village" - it's only a short walk away from Duval Street, but it still feels slightly off the beaten path and I enjoyed having the opportunity to explore this lower-income neighborhood. When we got to the restaurant, I was slightly overwhelmed with the amazing selection of cold and hot tapas - in the end, we chose 8 items and they were all absolutely delicious, and very well presented. My mother-in-law had never had tapas before but after this great experience, she said she'd surely keep an eye out for more. Apart from my delicious home-made salads, it was the best meal we had during our week in Florida!

Great Tapas! We just stopped in for a quick bite on our way to see the sunset at Mallory Square. We tried the beef tenderloin topped w/ blue cheese and the spinicapita. Both were excellent. I would recommend reservations as it is a very small place and their reputation is getting around. Most people were dressed nice but nobody looked at us funny even though we had on shorts and water shoes.

Favorite Dish: Beef tenderloin topped with blue cheese. They put the tender back in tenderloin. The flavor was amazing!

Santiago's Bodega is a tapas-style restaurant with a huge menu of hot and cold tapas along with white and red sangrias (a must for any tapas bar). The restaurant itself is adorable, and the staff is very friendly and eager to help you with any menu decisions since there are so many choices. The restaurant is located in the depths of Bahama Village, so if you choose to go there after dark, you may want to use a cab, because the area is way off the path of tourist areas, and is not very well lit. Otherwise, they're open for lunch. I chose an early dinner, so I walked there from my hotel on Duval.
My dining partner and I ordered 8 plates to share between the two of us. This proved to be the perfect amount without leaving us over-ful, and also left room for dessert: bread pudding, which was fantastic.
This restaurant is one that I definitely intend to return to (and I can't wait for that). I only hope that they are able to thrive in their location so far from major tourist traffic.

Favorite Dish: The dish that stands out in my memory is the beef tenderloin. The steak was so tender it seemed to melt in my mouth, and the bleu cheese butter that it was served with was the perfect tangy accompaniment.