Dartford, 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!”

Bright, modern haunt – complete with big floor-to-ceiling windows and an outside terrace – that’s long anchored Peckham’s emergence as a food scene. Billing itself as ‘Your friendly neighbourhood wine bar’, the vino is the highpoint here, but the grub’s a cut-above and good value.

José P’s “busy, bustling, authentic Spanish restaurant” in his Bermondsey heartland (opposite his original tapas bar) wins consistent praise for “top-notch Hispanic cuisine (a nice mix of small and large sharing plates”), with “knowledgeable staff” on hand to “make you feel very special”. “A great place for a rowdy lunch with friends or a more intimate get-together with a partner”, it has “a wine list which encourages you to explore lesser-known Spanish varieties”. Top Menu Tip – “amazing jamon croquetas!”

“Despite the queues, it’s worth the squeeze to get some anchovies, goats’ cheese and honey and pretty much anything else on the blackboard” at legendary Spanish restaurateur, José Pizarro’s most popular destination on Bermondsey Street: an “outstanding and consistent performer” with “sublime food and some cracking wines”. The only negative – “you just have to get over how many they can cram into this tiny outlet!”

2024 Review: Well predating the gentrification of Columbia Road, this “small, local Spanish restaurant” (est 1982) is worth remembering when browsing for blooms and designer flower pots. It probably won’t re-frame your understanding of Hispanic cuisine, but “prices are reasonable” and the “team are friendly and fun” (albeit sometimes under pressure at busy times).

From its King’s Cross roots, this tapas chain mushroomed in size in 2025 with its takeover of the former Iberica group, acquiring the latter’s good-looking sites in the process. Reports are slightly uneven, but its early days and the balance is notably positive, especially about the “buzzy” vibe in all locations.

“It’s a little crowded and cramped but the food is phenomenal” at Tomos Parry’s “lively, totally welcoming and unstuffy” operation – the clever conversion of the first floor of a Shoreditch pub (over the Smoking Goat) with its own separate entrance. When it opened in 2018, Tomos helped lead the vogue for cooking over fire in the capital and the “fabulous” results here remain “worthy of applause for their creativity, presentation, taste and good value”. “Passionate staff add to the atmosphere as does the open grill and it’s an absolute must-do, especially for a group of foodie friends looking for a fun night”. “From the bread through to the superbly done fish and vegetable-based dishes and a memorable wine list, it’s memorable all round, every time”. Top Menu Tip – “exquisite Turbot” (for which the venue is named… in Welsh!).

“This ever-friendly cafe sibling of next door Moro is a wonderful place to eat great tapas” – “especially sitting outside in Exmouth market”. Husband-and-wife team Sam & Sam Clark’s 15-year-old spin-off provides “superb tasty food at very reasonable prices” in a “casual but professional” environment, encompassing “interesting plates” of Spanish and North African-inspired food that is “not pretentious but delivers great enjoyment”. There’s a second branch in Hackney Road.

José P’s City “professionally run” outpost in Broadgate Circle becomes “buzzy with the after-work crowd” and it makes “a good midweek date night spot for solid tapas”. Those searching the passionate Iberian cuisine and approach that’s won Sr. P the Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic (Spain’s equivalent of a knighthood) should probably head down to his other ventures in SE1 though.

From its King’s Cross roots, this tapas chain mushroomed in size in 2025 with its takeover of the former Iberica group, acquiring the latter’s good-looking sites in the process. Reports are slightly uneven, but its early days and the balance is notably positive, especially about the “buzzy” vibe in all locations.

2024 Review: Star chef Dani Garcia opened his first UK venture in Shoreditch’s Mondrian Hotel a couple of years ago, to mixed reviews. This up-and-down sentiment continues in feedback to date – some reporters think the Spanish cuisine – paellas, roast and grilled fish and meat, tapas – is “very good” (but encountered “an empty room on a Sunday lunch”); other well-travelled types thought it “underwhelming compared to the wonders of his native Andalusian restaurants”.

2022 Review: 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”.

“Enjoyed sitting at the bar in Borough Kitchen…”; “a great place near the South Kensington Museums…”; “a great site on the banks of the Thames in Richmond” – it’s often the handy situation, “casual atmosphere” and affordable prices of this Hispanic group that generates interest amongst diners. “The food is of a reasonable standard”, but considering they are run by the UK’s premier Spanish food importers, performance is notably “chain like”, with “nothing spectacular” food-wise and “average service” often the end-product.

“Excellent, authentic Spanish food and wine” ensure this expansive operation across two floors of the former Lloyds Bank HQ near the Bank of England appeals to diners from beyond the City’s confines (even if it is also clearly “catering to corporate card-holders”). Its spacious and tastefully decorated premises are unusually hospitable and stylish for somewhere in the heart of the Square Mile. Top Menu Tips – “the croquettas and monkfish are especially good”.

“Inventive and excellent regional Spanish dishes” win praise for this 40-cover restaurant, wine bar and wine shop in Brockley, which also hosts regular tastings of Iberian vintages.

“For consistently authentic tapas” and all “reasonably priced”, this stalwart address can’t be beaten in these parts, having had a fine line in “lovely” tostadas, tortillas and the like since 1991 – and having shut briefly earlier in 2025 to revamp the kitchen. “It’s always packed” (and thus too “noisy” for some).

Tasca, a pop-up in Bethnal Green wine spot Cav, is a March 2025 arrival from chef Josh Dallaway and sommelier Sinead Murdoch. A culinary tribute to the dining cultures of Portugal and Spain (sample dishes: Jambon Beurre Gilda, Pork & Prawn Cachorrinho, Bikini sandwich), it also features a list of low-intervention wines predominantly founded or made by women. Its debut was too late for feedback in our annual diners’ poll, but in his March 2025 review, The Standard’s David Ellis hailed the “cool” vibe; “warm, unceremonious” service; “beautiful food and fair prices”.

“José Pizzarro’s third and newest eaterie in his Bermondsey Street empire” opened in mid 2025, decked out in warm hues with a counter as well as conventional seating and is open all-day from breakfast. Most reports say “it’s a calm yet informal space that seems to work well as a reliable place for some light bites” of “interesting” Spanish food. Caveats? It can be “very loud” and the odd fan feels “it doesn’t quite seem to know what it is: not quite a restaurant and not quite a tapas bar”. Top Menu Tips – “gorgeous Iberica pork and ham, delicious veggie and cheesy starters and great Spanish wines on offer. The blood orange Negroni is a killer cocktail to start the evening off!”

Open from late August 2025 off Shoreditch High Street, in the new Montacute Yards development, this sibling to the smash-hit Sabor from superstar Spanish chef Nieves Barragan is likely to become one of the key openings of 2025. Legado means ‘legacy’ in Spanish, so one imagines both she and her accomplished partners, JKS Restaurants, are setting themselves a fairly high standard. Its menus will explore regional cooking from throughout Spain, from Cadiz and Jerez in the south to Galicia on the northwest coast, with stews from Asturias and whole-animal cookery from Castilla y Leon.