Harden's says
Chef Quique Dacosta has been heavily awarded by the tyre men for his two restaurants in Spain (Quique Dacosta in Denia and El Poblet in Valencia), and has been heralded with arriving in the UK since late 2017 with backing from the Iberica chain. Originally called InPaella, the main offering of this project, which finally opened in June 2019, is paella, and it will be anything but ordinary.
Harden's survey result
Summary
No-one, it seems, told star Spanish chef Quique Dacosta (whose Alicante restaurants hold three Michelin stars) that you don’t launch an ambitious foodie venue just off the shopping hell of Oxford Street. This impressive-looking four-year-old – complete with a large open kitchen – offers high quality grills, with the speciality being a selection of paella dishes. Feedback remains quite limited (not helped by its location) – neither huge criticism, nor huge praise is present.
Summary
“Good food, but not great value” is a common verdict on this Spanish venture north of Oxford Street – the London outpost of chef Quique Dacosta, whose Alicante restaurant has three Michelin stars. It certainly looks impressive, with an open kitchen dominated by a six-metre woodfired stove, at which choice cuts of meat and fish are grilled alongside a dozen rice dishes cooked in the pan. But while it is praised for its “perfect paella”, it is also often cited as diners’ “most overpriced meal of the year”.
Summary
He has three Michelin stars back in Alicante, but Quique Dacosta’s two-floor two-year-old just north of Oxford Street is a more middle-market affair, with an extensive menu of meat, fish and vegetarian dishes whose most obvious Hispanic features are a large collection of paellas. Feedback was mixed this year, though. Some reporters had wonderful meals, but others found it “just too pricey for what it was… lovely interior, but the dishes fell a bit flat”.
Summary
“A fantastic paella” is the signature dish at Quique Dacosta’s very well-publicised (well, he does have three Michelin stars back in Alicante) two-floor, Spanish yearling, which opened in June 2019: too late to receive a huge volume of survey feedback (so the ratings should be seen as indicative). Such as we have is brimming with enthusiasm all-round, both for results from the extensive menu (not just paella, but skewers, grilled and roasted fish and meats) and for the “really good atmosphere for a restaurant just north of Oxford Street”. The newspaper critics have painted a mostly upbeat, but more mixed, picture.
For 33 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
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64 Eastcastle Street, London, W1W 8NQ
Restaurant details
Arros QD Restaurant Diner Reviews
"Skillfully cooked paellas, cooked over wood fire, imparting a beautiful smokiness. However, both paellas ordered were a tad too salty, perhaps needing to be paired with wine, or served with some lemon. Price was relatively expensive for what was presented, with modest portions, and little topping. Service was cold, lacking a certain friendliness right from the start. Restaurant decor is very nice, with the open kitchen of the paella station on display, however again missing something, perhaps some music would be nice. All in all an ok restaurant, with solid cooking skill on display, let down by the service. It is also generally an expensive restaurant for what is served, I would expect more for the money paid. "
"Paella was good - it's Valencian style so drier than some you may have had before. As others have commented a little light on the protein - we had the prawn and mussels which was very tasty but not super generous on prawns / mussels. Starters were sublime though - next time would come for those - beef cheeks, atlantic squid and pork jowl - pricey for beef / squid but delicious."
Prices
 Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £50.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £5.00 |
 Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Bread | £6.00 |
| Service | 13.50% |
64 Eastcastle Street, London, W1W 8NQ
Opening hours
| Monday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 5 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Tuesday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 5 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Wednesday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 5 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 5 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 5 pm‑11 pm |
| Saturday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 5 pm‑11 pm |
| Sunday | 12:30 pm‑3:30 pm |
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