Santiago's Bodega - 2 Stars

My first visit

Hidden on Virginia Drive here in Orlando, Santiago's Bodega is a neat place. The staff is welcoming and friendly. The original Santiago's Bodega is located in Key West, but they opened one up here July 3rd, 2013.

Being a Tapas style restaurant makes it a neat experience! You can try many different things. I enjoy food, so tapas style restaurants are some of my favorites to visit.

I first visited on July 24th (three weeks after they opened). I went on a Wednesday night. I was surprised to find it was busy on a Wednesday night, but I can see why. The restaurant has a different type of atmosphere and with it being kind of hidden, it makes it a neat place to sit and eat at or just hang with friends or family while enjoying a nice meal. It can also be a nice place for a date. My friend and I were next to two big birthday get togethers, so it was pretty loud where we were, however, we still had a nice time.

Seasoned Grouper

Food, food, food...time to share the delicious food I got to enjoy! Well, to start we ordered a bottle of wine. You've got to have wine when enjoying a nice meal of course. The wine was good. We got a bottle of Riesling (my favorite type of wine), and it wasn't too sweet, just right for me. My friend is more of a red wine drinker, so he didn't like it as much as me. After that we decided to try a few things. Many things on the menu sounded really good so it was hard to decide. We eventually decided to get the Lamb Patties, Croquettas, and Seasoned Grouper. I do have to say we made some good choices. My favorite of the 3 was the Grouper. They are filets encrusted with coriander, fennel seed, and lemon pepper. I am a lover of grouper and wanted to try it to see if they made it well. I was very pleased! So light and tender, it was mouthwatering good. Next I would say the Croquettas are second on my list. They were absolutely delicious! Cayenne spiced pan fried patties of potatoes with prosciutto and provolone cheese (also includes scallion cream) equals yum in my book. Who isn't a fan of potato patties with cheese...then put in some prosciutto, scrumptious is all I can say. Third would be the Lamb Patties. They were good, but I'm not a fan of lamb so that is why I made it third. But if you like lamb, they are tasty (my friend said they were his favorite) and very tender.

Croquettas and Lamb Patties

After we finished eating, I was actually still hungry, which gave me a good excuse to try some dessert. The waitress recommended their bread pudding because they are known for it...so I got it. Well, after her recommending it and then reading the description on the menu, I was sold. Who wouldn't want to eat fresh baked croissants drizzled with a caramel bourbon glaze with English custard ice cream and fresh berries? Seriously, just reading that description made my mouth water. Oh, and I think I ate it all too...no joke. My friend may have had 2 bites, but I took over and he didn't get another bite. It was exquisitely delicious...seriously it's probably one of the best bread puddings I have had! If you go, don't forget to try the bread pudding.

Bread Pudding...delicious!

There are a few things I hope they will fix. First, the staff was very nice, however, they were confused as to where to bring the food apparently that night. We got our first tapas meal and then had to wait probably about 20-30 minutes for the next. During that time we probably had about 4 different visits with the wrong food...it got kind of funny after the second time. We looked at the guy and said we will take it (this did not happen the second time I went). The second thing I hope they would change is their Sangria. I love sangria and have never had a bad experience with it, but I do not like theirs. A couple of my friends were surprised that I thought it wasn't good because they liked theirs when they went. It tastes like a cinnamon candle, I know weird, but I couldn't drink it. I was disappointed...I know everyone makes their drinks different but it was not good. The second time I went, I tried their sangria again to see if it had gotten better. It still tasted weird. The waitress was nice and brought me out a glass without the cinnamon in it. All I could taste was syrup. I won't get their sangria again.

Will I go back...I may try it again one day to see if the food has gotten better. The second time I went, I had great service, but the food has changed. I wasn't as happy with the food. They had a good soup (it was a chowder) and the cheese and fruit plate were good, but the croquettas weren't as good as the first time and the mahi wasn't on the menu anymore.

It really is a neat place and I love the atmosphere, but it isn't on my list of places to go back to. The staff is very nice and their bathrooms are really clean. Those are important. My recommendation is for you to try it for yourself. I have friends who like it and go, but I have not been back due to my not so good experiences. I hope to one day try the one in Key West to compare. Sometimes the original just cannot be copied.

Visit their website for further information: http://www.santiagosbodega.com/orlando/