Just like UNO is the #1 game in Spain, The Best Spanish Restaurants In London (as recommended by us) are exactly as they suggest:
The Best Spanish Restaurants In London…
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Barrafina | Soho, Covent Garden, King’s Cross, London Bridge
Arguably London’s most prodigious, wild, atmospheric, jovial Spanish restaurants. If you want to argue with us. Head chef Antonio Gonzales Milla’s menu of authentic Catalan tapas goes hand-in-hand with the hospitality nous of the Hart Brothers (also behind Quo Vadis and the El Pastor restaurants) in marble-lined, mostly counter dining-only settings.
Details: Covent Garden, Soho, Covent Garden (again), King’s Cross, Borough Yards | Book here
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As the name suggests (provided that you can understand a bit of random Basque), Bar Kroketa specialises in croquetas; those stuffed fried balls that you can never resist ordering as an appetiser whenever you’re at a Spanish restaurant. Well, now they’ve got a dedicated restaurant of their own – a corridor-like, counter-orientated space at the foot of Kingly Court – courtesy of the Tapas Brindisa team. They’ve given the tapas staple headline status through a daily-changing menu of fillings that have (so far) featured jamón; king prawn and prawn head aioli; piquillo peppers and manchego cheese; and even dessert versions like chocolate & salted caramel. If you’re more interested in the other part of the name – the bar part – they do wines, cocktails, sherries, caña (a small glass of a draught beer) vermúts and sidra, which is like a hard Spanish cider.
Details: 21 Beak St, W1F 9RR | The bar area is walk-ins only but they take bookings for the handful of tables they have in the back. Reserve those here.
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José Tapas Bar | London Bridge
If you were to walk down a cobbled and narrow San Sebastián side street and unsuspectingly find a hidden gem of simple, authentic and perfectly executed tapas with a range of local Spanish wines… well, you’d probably be reminded of José Tapas Bar, in London.
Details: 104 Bermondsey Street, SE1 3UB | No reservations
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Chris Terry
Mucho ruido y pocas nueces: “Lots of noise, very few nuts” – Spanish proverb
Luckily, the hype around Sabor’s opening and its founder, former Barrafina chef Nieves Barragan Mohacho, was entirely justified. Set across two floors on the secluded Heddon Street – probably the closest London can get to authentic Spanish back street dining – Sabor offers both tapas, flowing thick and fast over the counter in front of the open kitchen, and larger grill dishes from the asador, served upstairs. It speaks to its quality and authenticity that the place made the list of Michelin Star restaurants in London within a year of opening.
Details: 35-37 Heddon Street, W1B 4BR | Book here
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It’s the first international spot from the team behind Barcelona’s famed tapas restaurant Terraza Martinez, set in an extremely eye-catching space in the re-developed Chelsea Barracks (complete with a terrace for al fresco dining that watches over the Grade II-listed Garrison Chapel next door). Here charcoal-grilled meats and seafood from a josper oven dominate orders, as well as Terraza Martinez’s signature dish: the monkfish & lobster casserole, which is served to you in two stages.
Details: Chelsea Barracks, 1 Garrison Square, SW1W 8BG | Book here
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Boqueria: An upbeat, Michelin-recommended Spanish restaurant, bar and terrace with a fresh, modern menu filled with a combination of traditional and contemporary tapas dishes.
Details: 278 Queenstown Road, Nine Elms, London SW8 4LT | Book here
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Combine NYC’s Lower East Side – the exposed brickwork, the intimate glow emanating from industrial light fittings, the dark wood and the naked concrete – with the warm buzz of large communal tables, sharing plates and the best in seasonal Spanish fare. El resultado: Pizarro.
Details: 194 Bermondsey Street, SE1 3TQ | Book here
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At Capote Y Toros you will: sip manzanillas, amontillados and moscatels (or any of the other 100 sherries on the drinks menu) while listening to Spanish guitar from the singing chef, sampling tapas and watching waiters break into impromptu dance. Enjoy.
Details: 157 Old Brompton Road, SW5 0LJ | Book here
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Tapas Brindisa Battersea | Battersea, South Kensington, London Bridge, Richmond & Soho
Tapas Brindisa Battersea is London’s premier importer of Spanish delicacies and delights for over three decades, many of which you’ll find laid out on the counter to create a variety of para picar dishes. Everything else is rustled up in the open kitchen, and brought to your table – preferably one on the huge outdoor terrace overlooking the Thames.
Details: Battersea Power Station, Unit 25 Circus Road West, SW11 8EZ | Book here
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Morito | Clerkenwell, Hackney
Morito is a pair of laid-back Spanish restaurants in the heart of Exmouth Market and on the fringes of Shoreditch, combining a buzzing atmosphere, personable waitstaff, tapas, cocktails, sherries and an all-Spanish wine and beer menu. Book into the bar below the Hackney restaurant on Tuesdays to enjoy a best-hits set menu alongside live music.
Details: 32 Exmouth Market, EC1R 4QE | Book Exmouth Market | 195 Hackney Road, London E2 8JL | Book Hackney
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Parrillan | King’s Cross, London Bridge
Siblings and neighbours to (two of) the Barrafina restaurants, the terraces at Parrillan King’s Cross and Parrillan Borough Yards are Spanish restaurants with a difference. Because alongside the shady al fresco seating, fine sherries and cocktails by the jug-load, they also have a chef who knows exactly, without even a whisper of discussion, how you like your food cooked – you. Thanks to your personal table top grill (or parrillan), it’s all in your hands…
Details: Coal Drops Yard, Bagley Walk, N1C 4AB | 4 Dirty Lane, London, SE1 9PA | Book here
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Moro | Clerkenwell
Moro is Morito’s big brother, neighbour, and London’s original (and still best) British / North-African / Spanish restaurant with post-industrial decor…
Details: 34-36 Exmouth Market, EC1R 4QE | Book here
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Ember Yard is the 4th restaurant for Ben Tish and Simon Mullins, boasting an open plan kitchen with a custom-built charcoal grill; ensuring that the whole menu is in line with traditional Basque grilling and smoking techniques. Including the cocktails.
Details: 60-61 Berwick Street, W1F 88X | Book here
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Donostia | Marylebone
Donostia is all about authenticity. In both the food (thanks to head chef Tomasz Baranski), and in the drinks list. Because alongside the carefully sourced wine list is the local Basque cider speciality, which requires an unusual pouring method (from above head height) in order to increase “aeration”. Wear something splash-proof.
Details: 10 Seymour Place, W1H 7ND | Book here
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Tranga | Newington Green
Formerly Trangallán, Tranga may have lost some letters but it’s kept all of its romantic, sherry-drenched charm. By day, tables spill out onto the street outside, and by night, flickering candles illuminate the array of antique furniture and bric-a-brac scattered around the restaurant. The food here is Galician in origin, with Celtic influences (sounds like an odd combo, but it’s a centuries-old connection). Expect hearty stews, fragrant seafood dishes and the traditional Tarta de Santiago, an almond tart dreamt up during medieval pilgrimages.
Details: 61 Newington Green, N16 9PX | Book here
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Speaking of Celtic influences, Maresco, one of the best restaurants in Central London, comes from the team behind Stoke Newington’s Escocesa, a paragon of Spanish-Scottish dining (and till now, probably the only place specialising in Spanish-Scottish dining). Buzzy counter seating combines with inventive dishes like oysters with green gazpacho and Highland venison with grape mustard… and a very lengthy drinks list.
Details: 45 Berwick St, London W1F 8SF | Book here
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Laxeiro | Hackney
Laxeiro has sat on Columbia Road for 40 years, and it shows; in the warm welcome, the comfortable interiors and the assured home-style cooking inspired by owner Isabel’s childhood in rural Galicia. Slow-cooked Ibérico pork cheeks; charred octopus scattered with salt and paprika; mouthwatering chickpeas sautéed with spinach and peppers – there’s enough here for everyone to feel like they managed to sneak their favourite dish into the order. Add in a jug of sangria and a table outside in summer, and you can really re-Lax…
Details: 93 Columbia Road, London E2 7RG | Book here
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Arros QD | Fitzrovia
While you might think holding three Michelin stars and regularly ranking on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list might make you big-headed, Quique Dacosta is still a rice guy. And he’s out to prove it with his restaurant, Arros QD, in Fitzrovia that focuses entirely on the art of paella. Each one is cooked the traditional way in a giant, flat pan set over a wood-fired grill, then brought directly to your table to share. Variations range from the authentic Valencian original (rabbit, chicken, and garrafo bean) to the experimental (smoked eel with white sesame) – and they’re all truly delicious.
Details: 64 Eastcastle Street, Fitzrovia, W1W 8NQ | Book here
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A cosy, neighbourhood gem, Miss Tapas serves some of the most authentic Spanish dishes in London thanks to the top-shelf produce the owners import themselves. Feast on tortilla, pan con tomate and chorizo with quail eggs, before heading to their next door bar El Segundo for sherries and barrel-aged negronis.
Details: 46 Choumert Road, SE15 4SE | Book here
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Salt Yard | Fitzrovia
Salt Yard is an award-winning Spanish restaurant & bar where you can 1) Enjoy a full spread of tapas, 2) Enjoy a glass of red wine, a coffee and a perfect martini with a handful of Marcona almonds, or 3) Enjoy it all.
Details: 54 Goodge Street, W1T 4NA | Book here
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