Buckhurst Hill, Spanish Restaurant Guide

“Love this restaurant which we’ve been going to regularly since it opened!” – this large, modern brasserie has established itself over eight years as one of the best bets for a meal in Stratford’s East Village, thanks to its “friendly service” and a selection of dishes majoring in steaks and roasts from the charcoal oven. “First time and the hard surfaces made the restaurant very noisy, but the food is very tasty!”

“Just wonderful” Stoke Newington tapas bar “very popular locally” for its “great sharing plates” and “wide range of Spanish wines, many by the glass”. Scottish seafood is the prime focus for dishes that put a Hispanic twist on Caledonian produce, all courtesy its Glasgow-born founder, ex-music producer Stephen Lironi. Top Tip – “we always eat early to take advantage of the half-price oysters before 7pm”.

This “enjoyable tapas” bar in Crouch End (sibling to Stokie’s Escocesa, see also) is suitably “cramped and authentic”, and for a dozen years has been “a handy spot to have on the doorstep, with a very good Spanish wine list, mostly available by the glass”. ‘Esteban’ was founded by Stephen Lironi, a Glasgow-born music producer, backed here by Spanish duo chef Pablo Rodriguez and manager Naroa Ortega. No complaints about the quality, although “the menu rarely changes”.

This “buzzy and enjoyable location” for “very well-executed Mediterranean small dishes” is the more casual offspring of Sam & Sam Clark’s Moro next door in Exmouth Market – and now has its own spin-off in Hackney Road. The original Spanish/Moorish fusion has taken on additional influences from further afield, including Crete and the Middle East. Top Menu Tip – “good cheese fritters with Cretan honey and Cretan sausage and yoghurt with first rate flatbread”.

Tomos Parry’s phenomenally successful haunt occupies the first floor of a converted Shoreditch pub (over the Smoking Goat, see also), but with its own separate entrance. Somehow, he brilliantly captured the zeitgeist with his Basque-influenced cooking over fire, producing food that’s as “simple” as it is “outstanding”. “Ingredients are carefully sourced, prepared with care and the flavours really come through”. Many reports recommend you “order the turbot!” (‘Brat’ meaning Turbot in Parry’s native Welsh), but it’s a rather large dish if you are just a couple and the rest of the menu is just as worthy of exploration. “The room is casual and buzzy” and tightly packed, but “despite the cosy tables it still feels like you have your own space”. Top Menu Tip – “Basque cheesecake is a highlight: great flavour and so light”.

If you’ve seen José P on telly and want to try one of his restaurants, maybe head south to Bermondsey rather than opt for this more anonymous unit in the City’s Broadgate Circle. By the standards of the Square Mile though, its mix of tapas, sherries and Spanish vino is fab and “always popular”. Top Tip – all day on Mon & Sat, choose three tapas for £20 per person.

This “buzzy and enjoyable location” for “very well-executed Mediterranean small dishes” is the more casual offspring of Sam & Sam Clark’s Moro next door in Exmouth Market – and now has its own spin-off in Hackney Road. The original Spanish/Moorish fusion has taken on additional influences from further afield, including Crete and the Middle East. Top Menu Tip – “good cheese fritters with Cretan honey and Cretan sausage and yoghurt with first rate flatbread”.

“Still great even after all these years” and “still an absolute favourite” – Sam & Sam Clark’s inspired stalwart helped put Exmouth Market on London’s foodie map when it opened in 1997, with its “super-flavoursome” Spanish/North African food from an “ever-changing menu”, all “washed down with wonderful wines” (predominantly Spanish, and also from Portugal and Lebanon) and fine selection of sherries. Fans say there’s “a lovely buzz” too, but the room can be horribly “noisy”… “is it getting worse?”

“A fun way to share and eat for a small group” – you BBQ your own meal at your table at the Hart Bros’ duo of Hispanic haunts in Borough Yards and Coal Drops Yard, which take their inspiration from the Spanish ‘parrilla’ or grill. You can also eat more conventionally in SE1, allowing the chefs to do the work for you, and since it opened in 2022 this has become the more highly rated branch. In N1, there’s the benefit of a large outside terrace “set under cover outside, but with overhead heaters and heated cushions so you don’t feel cold”. You might feel the chill when the bill arrives though, especially at the N1 original (“the menu looked good and the food was fine, but all I could think of was how expensive it was. £8.40 for two mini croquettes just overshadowed how tasty they were”).

“Counter seats are the best” at the Hart Bros’ “magical slice of Spain” – a “joyful” and thriving homage to Barcelona’s famous Cal Pep, which since its 2007 launch has steadily appeared near the top of our annual diners’ poll as one of London’s most popular restaurant groups. Its branches have multiplied, but – to a miraculous extent – the formula has stayed the same. “At the bar, it’s fun to watch the talented staff who were clearly enjoying their jobs, meticulously preparing the outstanding dishes”: “brilliant small plates, with plenty of choice” and “packed with authentic flavours” (“particularly strong on fish and seafood”); plus “an excellent range of sherries” and wines. But, while it’s maintained “impressive consistency over many years”, it can feel “like a bar experience at restaurant prices” nowadays, and its ratings drifted south of their usual peaks this year. There’s also the odd tale of caution in reports: “I’ve been almost every year since it opened. It’s still great fun and pretty good, but the last three visits have fallen below the super-high quality of the past”. Top Menu Tips – “love the Croquetes; the Cos salad with anchovy and crispy pancetta; and perfectly unctuous Tortilla”.

“High-quality” Hispanic dishes, all delivered in “a fine setting” – across two floors of the former Lloyds Bank HQ near the Bank of England – help create an “amazing atmosphere” at this “bustling restaurant”: not just one of the most attractive dining options in the City but also one of London’s better Spanish restaurants. It’s occasionally let down by “rather glacial and not very attentive service”.

“Everyone wanted to give the ambience a 6/5!” Few London eateries have as much drama as Peter Sanchez-Iglesias’s double-height Mexican venue, atop King’s Cross’s so-hip Standard Hotel, where huge floor-to-ceiling windows provide dramatic vistas of London… and that’s just from the toilets! You access via a red, pill-shaped lift creeping up the outside of the building to a gob-smacking view of the top of St Pancras Station opposite. Surprisingly, it doesn’t inspire quite as many positive ratings as one might expect, perhaps because it’s far-from-cheap. That said, its combination of tacos, Latino seafood and steaks (most of it grilled), all of them washed down with mezcal cocktails, was well rated this year. Top Tip – “visit before 6.30 pm Tue-Fri for the ‘Menu del Dia’ at £30 per person”.

This quintet of tapas bars from the well-known Iberian food importer attracts most attention for its locations – in particular its “lively and popular” original bar at the entrance to Borough Market; and most recent addition: a “lovely riverside spot overlooking the Thames at Richmond”. Despite its renown – and some praise for its “small plates but big flavours” – ratings are held down by prices many reporters consider “high” for what’s widely seen as “pretty standard tapas fare”.

“Just about edges Barrafina” – José Pizarro’s tiny tapas bar is a mainstay of Bermondsey Street, and is renowned for his “excellent tapas, with old favourite dishes joined by an array of changing specials” – “no wonder there’s always a queue”. “It’s cramped, but always relaxed and friendly”. José was honoured by King Felipe VI this year with The Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic (loosely equivalent to a knighthood) for his contribution to popularising Spanish cuisine outside Spain… and it all began here! Top Menu Tips – “smoked sardine salad with frisé is delicious, as is fried goat’s cheese with honey”.

“More formal than older sibling José up the road, but still relaxed and good fun” – José P’s “splendid” and “buzzing” Bermondsey restaurant provides “wonderful Spanish flavours” from a menu focused on tapas and sharing dishes; alongside “a wine list which encourages you to explore lesser known Spanish varieties”. “José Pizarro himself often eats here: what more endorsement do you need?!”. One issue – it’s a “noisy” room so a “great place for a rowdy lunch with friends” but it “could be a touch quieter”. Top Menu Tips – “the jamon was as good as you’d expect”; “suckling leg of lamb, which was succulent and truly memorable”; “the croquetas and the fideua are cracking bursts of umami punch”.