Shoreditch, Spanish Restaurant Guide

2019 Review: “A bit pricey but worth the splurge”, say fans of this “relaxed” Basque pintxos bar and charcoal grill in Shoreditch, who praise the “fantastic, beautifully cooked” dishes (the speciality is Galician Txuleton beef). No matter the quality, others just can’t get their head around the bill here: “it would have been a fine meal, but we were sold a steak that was really overpriced by a factor of 2x”.

On the site of Red Rooster (RIP) within the The Curtain Hotel (RIP), comes this 120-seat August 2021 newcomer within the newly opened Mondrian Shoreditch, decked out in rural Spanish style (and including a ‘Spanish Courtyard’ seating 20). Whether the name chef, Andalusian Dani Garcia, will spend much time here we don’t know, but he already has Bibos in Madrid, Marbella, Cádiz and Doha, so maybe not. Some of his signature dishes will be on the menu (for example, oxtail ravioli) alongside international hotel staples.

“You can’t knock a place that does good morcilla” – and for “great food that won’t break the bank”, the “consistently high standards” at this small Hispanic group win it a small but enthusiastic following. The Bankside branch closed since our last edition, leaving the King’s Cross original, plus Shoreditch and Monument.

“Superb, unadorned cooking”, cooked on an open wood fire – “the quality of meat and fish is magnificent” not least the “truly memorable turbot” (for which the place is named) – continues to inspire adulatory reviews for Tomos Parry’s “unassuming but cool first-floor dining room”, above Shoreditch’s Smoking Goat. “If you want dark and moody, with glowing lights in the background and a roaring fire in the corner of the room, this is the place! You get pared down surroundings offset by outstanding food”. “I could easily just eat the bread as a meal: this place is really that good!” See also Brat at Climpson's Arch.

Viewed in its own terms, José Pizarro’s outpost in Broadgate Circle offers fair value for the City: “despite not being a huge fan of tapas, I decided to give it a go and was not disappointed – the dishes were really good”. But, for such a prominent Hispanic chef, “the ambience is very ‘chainy’” and “it’s hard to believe it’s from the same stable as the Bermondsey restaurant, given the amazing reviews the other place gets”.