Southwark, Spanish Restaurant Guide

This old Southwark pub “is not the smartest venue” but it’s a favourite near the South Bank and Young Vic. The unexpected find of good value, contemporary Spanish tapas is key to its popularity, but its highest rated asset is its “wonderful staff”.

The tapas bar operated by this Spanish food importer greets arrivals at the main entrance to Borough Market – and “on a bustling summer day, sitting outside with a glass of simple red, a table full of tapas on the go, chatting convivially with friends, it’s great – just what one would expect”. The newer branches around town match the quality, and can be a little easier to nab a table. The group is scheduled to open its sixth site in Richmond – the first located in the suburbs – in late 2021 (it will be on the striking riverside site that was formerly Jackson & Rye (RIP) complete with 150 covers and a 60-seat outside terrace).

This “great little tapas bar with simple service” at the edge of Borough Market is “a place where the food speaks for itself” – which may be a good thing, since its “cramped” accommodation inside a Victorian railway arch is “decidedly grotty”. There’s a definite meat bias to the menu, although the “squid with black rice is particularly good”.

This “long-lived favourite” in Waterloo is packed early most evenings before shows at the nearby Young and Old Vic theatres. “Love the atmosphere” and the “fabulous tapas and wines” – although “the menu hasn’t changed since it opened”. Not everything stays the same, though – “now there are good tables outside and you can book”.

Review: “As brilliant as ever… and being able to book is a big bonus!!” – the Hart Bros’ recreations of Barcelona’s Cal Pep are “still going strong”; and with the Drury Lane branch – Barrafina Mariscos – now dedicated to seafood. “Sitting at the bar is just so intimate”: “it’s fun to watch all the prep” and “watching the chefs at work simply makes you want to order more of the superb tapas”. “This is the food that made lockdown so hard. The food you can’t cook yourself… the courgette flower a crispy, yet unctuously delicious, dirty cheesy and honey- dripping delight, and the oh so, so, so oozingly fabulous tortilla with prawns and peppers”. And “the people watching is fabulous” too. One warning flag though. The ratings slipped a fraction this year, alongside the odd comment that “while it’s very good on a good day, consistency can be an issue”; or that “what once seemed almost impossibly daring now feels more familiar and comfy”. Still, for most folks, it’s plain “terrific”. Top Tip – at all branches, not just Mariscos, “the fish is fantastic”.

The Fitzrovia charcuterie bar and restaurant arrived in Borough in September 2022 serving its blend of Spanish and Italian small plates.