Clerkenwell, Spanish Restaurant Guide

“Have loved it forever!” – “After all these years Sam and Sam Clark’s vanguard player in the 1990s British restaurant revolution still punches well up to its weight” (and scored much more consistently again this year, with one or two diners noting a “marked improvement” after a soggy couple of years). “Still packed, still pushing out creative Spanish/Moorish food, still surprisingly good value, and still in a minimalist space that’s fundamentally 1990s”; it’s a “heartwarming delight” for its big and ultra-loyal fan club. Other plusses include “excellent Spanish wine list and relaxed-but-efficient service”. The “only issue is the noise level, which can make it difficult to hear your companion, even on a small table”.

The “lovely Moorish/Spanish sharing food” at the little sister of Sam & Sam Clark’s Moro next door in Exmouth Market – and also its spin-off in Hackney Road – makes them “a go-to place when you don’t know where to go”: “an all-round crowd-pleaser, good for meat and non-meat- eaters alike”.

This “buzzy but very noisy” Hispanic quartet (in Marylebone, Farringdon, Victoria and Canary Wharf) offers a “good range of tapas” and “interesting wines by the glass and the bottle”. They still have plenty of admirers as a “reliable” option, even if they “no longer provide the novelty or the high standards they once did”.