Santiago Restaurant and Bar

My good friend Miguel absolutely loves Santiago’s Tapas Restaurant and Bar. He may have immigrated from overseas, but he hasn’t lost his passion for all things Spanish. In fact he is so enamored of Santiago’s that you can barely get him off the topic if you make the mistake of making a passing comment about anything to do with Spanish or Tapas. If my memory serves me right this is the kind of thing Miguel can be heard saying in one of his many ‘Santiago’ spiels (excuse badly written Spanglish):
1) «Their knowledgo of de Espanol vino and matchin ga it to le menu isa increíblemente»
2)“Uno waiter isa very aspassionado about vino”.
3)“They keepa da vibe fresco with different attractions every-​a night — BYO night isa bueno; they haffa Espanolo guitarre night; and aya paella night!“
And you know what, my friend Miguel has totally won me over with his persistence and passion. Santiago’s is truly a great tapas restaurant. It also has a distinguished ambiance which is both intimate and relaxed. And, in my view, morsel by morsel and pound for pound it is better tasting and better value than MoVida. Although I have to say — Santiago’s is still on the expensive side even for a quality tapas restaurant.

Let me start by saying Santiago is amongst my favourite restaurants in Melbourne.
With some of the tastiest tapas around, Sangria by the jug and the most delicious tapas outside Spain on Tuesday and Saturday nights, it’s hard to beat. If I’m really honest, the only thing that stops Santiago scoring a full five stars is the price. Other tapas venues, such as Dig A Pony or Anada manage an equally competitive tapas menu for a fraction less, so I’m not sure what makes Santiago so pricey.
At any rate, no one does paella quite like Santiago, so it’s worth a trip regardless.
In winter, try and get a table upstairs by the open fire. The space is great for parties where you can be as boisterous as you like. On those warm summer evenings get a spot outdoors and enjoy the rare heat!
My personal menu favourites (other than the paella, again — it’s fab) are the patatas bravas and fried goats cheese with honey. YUM.