Hands down the best Spanish food I've had out of Spain. In the case of some dishes it's even better than some I've had in Spain. Especially enjoyed the seafood rice (this is not a paella!!) and the tomato salad on specials. I am a sucker for croquetas and these are excellent. Also enjoyed a glass of cava which was not overpriced! Most everyone cooking/serving is Spanish except for a couple of Italians. If you want real Spanish, look no further. Also, unless you have a pea-sized stomach you won't leave here for less than 40 per head. read more

See all

Authentic Spanish, and delicious food, with some extra fusion dishes that you wouldn't traditionally find in Spain (like donuts and crab croquettes). This is not a cheap meal, and will probably run you about £45-50 per person, but you'll get a good variety of food. The layout of this place is not conducive to large groups, so don't come here with more than 3 people. 2 is ideal, and you can do 3, but the seating is all along a long bar, so it's difficult to talk to a larger group (and even more difficult to get a seat to accommodate everyone). GET THESE (I listed them from my favorite to least favorite) Crab Croquettes (2 for £6.50) - They will increase your order to 3 and price it accordingly if you need more per order, because sharing 2 croquettes amongst more than 2 people may be challenging. And these are delicious enough that you won't want to share one. It's cheesy, creamy and has crab inside and then deep-fried. I loved these and would recommend it. Iberian Pork Ribs (£13) - This was the best dish of everything we ordered, and my other 2 dining companions agreed. I was skeptical before we ordered, but the meat was flavorful, tender, and just fell off the bone. I'd highly recommend this dish. Tortilla Classica (£7) - Pretty standard tortilla espanola, but served fresh which I always like vs. the cold tortilla. It was really good and worth an order. Artichokes & Aioli (£7.80) - These were deep fried artichoke hearts with an aioli sauce. They were delicious. Arroz de Mariscos (£14.50) - Paella with seafood done right - tasty, not salty, and the rice was not over-cooked or mushy. I'd recommend; the portion size will feed 2-3 people. Jamon Iberico (£15.80) - This was a last minute addition and it was delicious, and some of the best jamon iberico I've had. A bit on the pricey side, but there's a generous amount of meat. SKIP: Crab on Toast (£8) - I found this to be a little weird and mushy in texture. It was crab mixed with tomato on toast -- I'd personally skip this, it's also hard to share. Donuts & Chocolate Sauce (£7) - I typically love all desserts and I love anything with chocolate but this fell short for me. The donuts were dry and they were soft and fluffy. It was almost too dough-like, and the chocolate sauce on it didn't help the dryness. I'd pass and go find dessert elsewhere 4.5 stars for this place - it's authentic Spanish tapas, but be prepared for a wait. It's not inexpensive, but for the quality of the food and for the variety that you'll eat, I say it's worth it. read more

See all

Oh my godness, this place is a must do in London. Each item we had was amazing: Started with croquetas, stuffed courgette flower, arroz dr mariscos, tortilla de morcilla, and much much more. Everything was delish. The servers/chefs are incredibly friendly and great at recommending!!! read more

Barrafina - Spanish Near Me - London, XGL

Go early and get ready for a queue. But the wait is worth it, plus you can order small bites and drinks while you wait. This place is counter service only, but that just adds to the ambiance in my opinion. The food is simple, the ingredients are fresh and the service is attentive but a bit slow (but still fast by Spanish standards). Standouts for us were the fresh seafood dishes we ordered off the daily chalkboard: the clams, octopus, and prawns. But don't skip the Spanish Tortilla or the Octopus which are favorites on the menu. read more

See all

What I love about Barrafina is that the tapas menu is really different from most of the tapas restaurant in London! The food is great and the vibe from the open kitchen is so cool! My fave dishes were the seafood ones we had: grilled razor clams and arroz de marisco. We also tried as starters the crab balls (very good, you can really taste the crab) the fuet platter was good but nothing special but the Iberco jamon was really good according to my friends (Im usually not a fan of Iberico ham so Im not a good judge on that) Other dishes were: some pork stew with peas and ham! bicadillo de calamar which I really digged. Fried chipirones (a classic, good but nothing special) and the tortilla with morcilla and piquino peppers. Overall all dishes were solid so you can easily order anything and be happy. Wine selection is also not your classic wines which is good if you re into trying out new things. We had the red wine called El Mago and it was superb went really well with all the tapas even the seafood ones They have a specials board too! read more

See all

London's answer to Barcelona's best tapas bars. From the atmosphere, to the service and the food, except nothing but perfection. So sure, you might have to wait to get to perch on one of the red leather bar stools, but trust me when I say it's well worth it. Plus crab croquetas and a glass of crisp white wine make the wait feel much shorter! http://cakeandwhisky.com/2016/04/04/barrafina-adelaide-street read more

See all

What a great place. Terrific food and great staff. Love Spanish food and this little place in London didn't disappoint. Barrafina deserves every good review it gets. Food was prepared with great care, Ezequiel prepared every dish with care and an attention to detail that was wonderful to watch. The Iberian Ham was terrific as were the grilled pork ribs and Milhojas. Though very busy, Kelsey took the time to make sure I understood the menu and explained the various dishes going by. Fabulous to watch the orchestration. All the smells and tastes of Barcelona. Great food, prepared with care. Can't ask for anything more. Ok.... I closed the place. The staff went from cooking to cleaning. Top to bottom. Very impressive. read more

Love the counter top seating. Love the convivial and communal atmosphere. Love the bustling open kitchen and the fragrances of the tapas dishes being prepared fresh in front of you. This is a fantastic place for a lunch or dinner with one or two friends. any more than that and you're unlikely to find seating together or get a stiff neck trying to speak to each other. The extensive and varied menu is arranged by category (meat, seafood, vegetarian, fried, breads, cold cuts etc) which works really well. Delicious pan de tomate - toasted bread rubbed with garlic, very fruity extra virgin olive oil and tomatoes. Perfectly crunchy, fragrant and fresh. Arroz Negro - cuttlefish and squid ink paella cooked perfectly slightly al dente, with two juicy crispy king prawns on top. The paella was sufficiently moist without being runny or saucy. Cod fritters - how special can fried cod be? They certainly made it yummy by stuffing them full of meat that was juicy somehow with garnished with slivers of peppers for a little kick. Tortilla - perfectly formed, firm on the outside, soft and gooey on the inside with onions, egg and potentially a white white reduction. Delicious. Love this place and will be back regularly. read more

See all

Although there was an ordering snaffu and my food took longer than expected, the food and show behind the bar were worth the wait. I had the stuffed courgette flower and the Tapa de Entrecot Gallego. The sweet honey flavor of the flower played well with the tang of the cream cheese, the steak was well seasoned, and the potatoes perfectly crisp yet tender. I recommend going alone, people think it's lonely but you get sat more quickly, make friends at the bar, and get food faster -- which sounds more lonely now? read more

See all

Stumbled upon this place at 9 PM on a weekday and was pleased that it was half empty. I think we've all been intimidated by the popularity of the older branch in SOHO that I couldn't believe I finally get to try Barrafina, at the much less crowded Charing Cross branch. Shared 5 dishes with two other girls, we were all beyond full when we finished. Everything was delicious and I remember myself fiercely protested when our server attempted to take away an almost empty place - there's still some sauce at the bottom! Our server was patient and friendly. It'd have been a 5 star experience if not for the glitch when we settle the bill - we were charged for 2 bottles of sparkling wine instead of two glasses! I believe it's an honest mistake but we'd have paid £15 more each if my friend didn't catch it read more

See all

If you want to beat the queues, this is a great branch of Barrafina to come to. We arrived on Saturday at 11:55 AM and we were the third table to be seated. They very kindly placed us in a corner table so that our two-year-old could run around when she was done eating without escaping the restaurant, leaving my husband and I to enjoy the dishes in peace. The menu is different to the other branches. Yesterday we had the pork ribs that the server had recommended it was smoky and full of flavour. Crab croquetas were full of crab and creamy goodness, and the seafood rice infused with so much rich seafood flavour. Very friendly staff and great service! read more

Barrafina - Spanish Near Me - London, XGL

See all

I was lucky to be seated right away on a slower afternoon. The seafood is so fresh!! and Freshness is the key to great seafood dishes. The catalan cream is also not disappointing. Overall a very pleasant experience! read more

Barrafina - Spanish Near Me - London, XGL

See all

5 of 5 selections we experienced, were all phenomenal! The Monkfish, my favorite. The squid, another favorite. Even with the pork being the least favorite, it was still great. Don't ask me the names, let the staff guide you in the selections. read more

Managed to get a seat before a play last weekend, and was once again impressed by everything I ordered - the standout being an amazing winter salmorejo and scallop in the half-shell. Can't wait to find an excuse to go again! read more

Barrafina - Scallop in half-shell, amazing - Spanish Near Me - London, XGL

See all

I dined here solo on a stay in London awhile back and it was excellent. It's a good solo dining establishment with great food and good service. Barrafina's seating made it so I didn't feel lonely dining alone, other diners were up for conversation as well contributing to my pleasant experience, and the staff was friendly. read more

See all

Light lunch: 3.75/5 Friendly service, good food and nice ambience. Repeat: if in the area and have no other plans, perhaps. read more

This was excellent!!! Besides the waiting for a table, the food and wine we ordered was amazing. We had the charcuterie ham, was the best ham ever had it literally melts in your mouth. The quail eschebeche was a very interesting combination. Even the olives were delicious. The Meal was a 10/10 read more

One of my favorite Spanish restaurants in London. This place is almost as good as visiting Spain. They have a great menu plus their specials are amazing. Besides that they have amazing wine, including Vega. read more

One of my favourite restaurants anywhere! Excellent food, amazing service and very lively and entertaining atmosphere! If you have to wait a bit for a seat, there's a reason - everything is so good and freshly prepared, the wine and drinks are great, and the chefs and other staff make you feel special and at home at the same time! There are thousands of restaurants in London and I have been here many times, and this is one of the few that I make a point to dine at (maybe more than once per trip). Love it! read more

Barrafina - Spanish Near Me - London, XGL

Barrafina serves really delicious food and has wonderful service. It can be quite tricky to get a seat because the space is small and everything is served at the bar, but the staff made a real effort to make sure our group of three could sit together - even asking other customers to scoot down so that we could get seats together! The tapas are pricey, but the food is very high quality. I especially loved the fried artichoke and the crab croquetas. Sitting at the bar means you can see every other dish being prepared right in front of you, so we definitely ended up ordering some extra food when we saw something fantastic being whipped together! read more

I came here for the excellent yelp reviews and stayed for the tapas, atmosphere and service. Where do I begin? Let's start with the tapas. Disclaimer: my coworker and I were very hungry so we tried an absurd amount of tapas. I recommend all of them. Full list: -Pimientos de padron -Manzanilla olives -Crab croquetas -Queen scallop ceviche -Artichokes, aoli -Pan con tomate -Some amazing jamon tapa that was on the special menu I can honestly say that every single one of the above was very good. If I had to narrow it down, I would get the artichokes, pan con tomate, and crab croquetas. You will not be disappointed (or hungry)! The next thing I loved about Barrafina was the atmosphere. The bar style seating made it easy to interact with our server and order dish after dish with his expert recommendations and we were able to watch the chefs in action! Great place for a date or dinner between two friends, but would be difficult to have a conversation with more than 3 people because of the seating. It was well lit and had a decent volume level which are both very important to me. Finally, the service was outstanding. Our server, Nico, had a contagious smile and attitude that made the experience that much better. He is always laughing and you can sense the passion he has for his job. It showed in the expertise he offered too. If only every restaurant had a Nico! Bottom line - just go here. I can't think of one reason not to. But keep in mind it is relatively small so you may have to wait - it will be well worth it! read more

This places fires on all cylinders. Get there early as line-ups are unavoidable. Super efficient kitchen putting out every plate with attention to details. My favourite was the Spanish spot prawn which was flown in on the day. The tuna tartare with avocado moose was delicious. The endives with anchovies and bacon was good, as was the Tortas/quiche. Pretty much what ever you order will be served with great talent and effort. Bring your check-book as it is not cheap but worth the price of admission. read more

See all

I have had a love affair with the original Barrafina since 2009. And I hate you all for now knowing about it and going as I used to be able to rock up and get a seat and now I wait two hours. The same is happening at this new second locale, but the space is a bit more conducive to the wait. I like this second locale because there are new and different menu options. While you still can get the mind-blowing tortilla and the spectacular courgette flower there are lots of new options. Amazing artichokes with aioli, ox tongue, chicken wings with mojo sauce, and not to be missed are the cod fritters. They also have a large number of specials with lots of fresh fish prepared in interesting ways. The donuts for dessert are quite a treat as well. Please don't go so I can always get in. Thanks! read more

Came here in New Year's Eve in 2015, and eating here was never a mistake. In fact, it's the best decision of the year. Service here was on point, even though the place was full. The wine selection was very nice as well. The food was incredible, really amazing taste in the tapas. The Shoulder Iberico, the Tapas de Entrecot Gallego and the Bocadillo de Calamar is a must. All in all, a must try in London. read more

Outstanding Spanish fare prepared to a very high quality. Highlights; the mussels, pork belly, calcots(seasonal), tuna. Be prepared for quite a bit of ambient noise and to sit at a bar. An experience well worthwhile. read more

Had a very enjoyable meal at Barrafina late on a Friday evening. Came with a friend who had been before. Was told on arrival 20-40 minute wait, and it was 45. Not too bad as we had a drink and our starter of Cuttlefish Croquetas stood at the window where theres a convenient shelf built exactly for this purpose. All the seating is at the bar with views of the food being cooked. We ordered 4 tapas between 2 of us, being assured by the waiter that this would be sufficient. We ordered John Dory, Octopus, Quail and Suckling Pig. I would say it was all delicious. The Octopus was not really for me though my mate really enjoyed it, for me it was just a bit too chewy. A 12.5% service charge is automatically added to the bill, bringing our total to £128. The food was great, but for me that was just a bit too expensive for what we had. In summary great food, but star lost for long wait time, high prices and auto service charge. read more

Delicious food! Not simply the traditional Spanish tapas, very fresh fish and few new dishes made the different. Really enjoyed sitting on the bar to witness the vibrant cooking team, their passion resulted in the wonderful food in front of me. Last time I visited this venue was 8 years even before Barrafina opened. All interesting memory with totally new content. read more

See all

It has been several days since I visited Barrafina, but I am still dreaming of their food. This may be due to the after-effects of the two bottles of sherry that we drank between three of us, but I prefer to think that it was the excellence of the fare, and the simple joy of watching all your food being freshly prepared in front of your eyes. We had to wait 40 mins to get a table, which didn't seem totally unreasonable given we arrived at 8pm on Saturday evening. Pleasingly you can get a good selection of food as you wait, so you can be half-full by the time you take your seat at the bar/table - perfect if you are a person like myself who becomes unreasonably grumpy when the blood-sugar levels start to drop! Probably the highlight of the whole meal came as we were waiting for our table - the innocuously named 'banderilla', which included an extraordinarily scrumptious soft-boiled quail's egg wrapped with an anchovy; it sounds so simple, but it was truly marvellous! I'd also recommend the jamon de bellota, crab croquetas, scallop ceviche, and the rhubarb pudding thingamajig, but there are another dozen dishes I'd love to try on another visit. The service was perfectly pitched, and achieved the rare feat of being simultaneously casual and attentive. Apparently several of the waiters were 'gorgeous' - not being that way inclined I didn't really notice, but one of my friends was very taken by a number of them... The only catch? Three of us managed to rack up a bill of £240 - not ridiculous, but perhaps unexpectedly large. However, if you like to look at hot Spanish men cooking delicious food then this is the place for you! read more

Although the wait can be long, it's absolutely worth it as this is probably the best tapas bar in London - as good as the better ones in Barcelona or Mádrid. Super helpful and friendly staff. read more

See all

Superb experience. Variety and quality of food were top notch, and recommendations from our server were spot on. I can't wait to return.

I am obsessed with this place. I could seriously stuff my face all night in here. But alas, I have only two stomachs (one for mains, another for desserts). Hearing that Barrafina had recently opened a second location, I decided to rush over for dinner on a Friday night. Normally this would mean a 2 hour wait at the Soho Barrafina, but Covent Garden Barrafina was ready for me. It's more like Charing Cross Barrafina, but we won't deal with semantics now. We ordered: Toast and Alioli £3 Stuffed Courgette Flowers £7.8 (singular courgette, but such a lovely stuffing of ricotta and honey) Morcilla and Piquillo Pepper Tortilla £6.8 (BF concluded it was the best tortilla he's ever had) Arroz de Marisco £9.8 (beautiful risotto-esque dish complete with seafood) Razor clams (Market Price, not sure how much it was but came with 3 razor clams with beautiful sauce) Beef meat skewer (not sure how much it was, but was grilled perfectly) Pimientos de Padrón £5 (this was a bit oily, but I still liked it) I dipped into my second stomach a bit after indulging too much in the dishes we ordered, so didn't have room to order Dessert. Next time I will have my eye on the flan... and the Artichoke dish... and the Jamon... and the other Tortillas... read more

London's really kicked up its food scene in the past few years. Barrafina... the atmosphere, food, and service were excellent. My friend had put his name down and instead of waiting an hour, we were able to get a table within 1/2 hr on a Friday night. Between the three of us, we ordered a bottle of white wine (Flowers and Bees - really nice, crisp and refreshing taste), 8 dishes and a dessert. Standout dishes in no particular order except for the monkfish. If the monkfish is a special on the day you visit, definitely get it! So friggen good. Iberica pork ribs - a nice smoky flavor, fall off the bone consistency Their artichoke and aioli was simple yet had lots of flavor There's this endive dish that is also really nice. Pan con tomate - simple yet so good (really decent sized portion too) Tortilla - that caramelized onion was quite nice The flan! Oh flan... there was definitely vanilla bean in that dish. Unfortunately a shrimp allergy prevented me from trying those dishes but our counter neighbors got it and the dishes looked and smelled wonderful. The portions here are way bigger than any tapas portion in the states (weird, I always thought that the portions in the states were ridic and Europe had "normal" portion sizes). read more

One of the most authentic and exquisite Spanish restaurants in London! Tried the lamb brain for the first time, it isn't what everyone would go for but certainly a remarkable experience. It was deep fried with a texture of an oyster, and the chilly tomato sauce on the side really brings a good contrast with the dish. We also ordered the scampi, padron peppers etc. In general they are all finger-lickin' delicious and the atmosphere was ambient and staff were very welcoming. Can't wait to go back again! read more

Excellent in every way. Food first: so many wonderful tapas choices - seafood, vegetable, meat - endless varieties. Seated at the counter, you observe the wonderful preparations of everyone's selections. The service is spot-on, knowledgeable, friendly, and efficient. If we were in London for more than 2 days, I would absolutely eat here again. Can't miss! read more

This is one of my favorite places in London, either going by myself on business travel or with a friend. Easiest to find a spot when you're just one or two. Even as a single diner you're made to feel welcome and catered to. The food is delicious and the small plate format is great for tasting several items and for sharing. The wine list is varied and reasonably priced and the waiters are open with advice and providing a taste before you make up your mind. Friendly, service oriented staff makes sure you are satisfied with everything you order. This is a fun place to try items you might never have tasted before because everything is fresh and well prepared. My favorites, after starting with a cava and marcona almonds and olives, include oxtail over whipped potatoes, a roasted Jerusalem artichoke special, fried baby artichokes, mussels, sweetbreads and rabbit. Only seating is an the counter with an open kitchen. So maybe not the best for a large group. I've been to the Barrafina at Drurie Lane and another near Charing Cross Station. The menus were slightly different but both were excellent and you can't go wrong. read more

For a Spanish tapas outing in London that you will want to repeat over and over again, try Barrafina. The menu has a great variety of different kinds of dishes: meats, fish, seafood, vegetables, rice, pasta, cold, hot, spicy and sweet.... All in small delicious bites. We tried many different tapas, and we liked one more than the other. The flavors are incredibly good and at times the combination of ingredients surprising. Staff was friendly and service good. Drawbacks: very loud and crowded restaurant. They do not take reservations and the line to get seated can be long, any day of the week. Do not go there expecting to have a quiet meal. But when you savor the first of many bites, you forget it all! read more

Let's start by saying the food here is five stars. Really good dishes with tons of flavor. While they are small(ish) plates they are rich and filling. My wife and I ordered: House vermouth- £6 vermouth is now one of my favorite drinks. This one was mixed with soda water which isn't how I like vermouth but when in Rome...good aperitif though Olives-£3 generous portion. Although manzanilla olives aren't my fav, still a good nibble to start with. Bread and olive oil- £2 maybe should have gotten pan con tomate but this was excellent. Bread was like the bread in Spain, warm and fresh. We had the above while we waited for the second seating. We arrived just after 5 pm an already the bar was full. But luckily we sat in about 30 minutes. And hey in Spain you never seem to sit. When we sat at the bar we were given specials which were mostly the seafood of the day. Let me tell you, these go quickly so order ASAP if you want one. After perusing the regular menu we settled on: Fried artichokes- £5 this dish was done right mostly the artichoke heart and lots of flavor in even without the excellent dipping sauce. Omelette- £7 when it came it didn't look like much but when we cut into it there waters potatoes and a flavorful rich sauce that tasted a bit like Worcestershire Chicken wings- £ 6 this was our favorite dish. Three full wings with probably the best dipping sauce I've had this year. Smokey tomato with some zing. A little like salsa but not as watery. Would love to return just for this sauce. Quail- £8 two breast and leg combos cooked more in a sweet raisin and but sauce. Also very tasty and much easier to eat than they look. We didn't have room for dessert but finished off with a sweet sherry £7. When we ordered the waiter asked if we had tried Pedro Jimenez before and gave us an eye of wonder when we had. The seating is all around the bar where they prepare the food so you he to watch them and their banter which is great fun. So why isn't this a five star place? Because it's just not Spain. It's new and has a Michelin star and is in the west end , not some hole in the wall in Madrid where all this would cost €20. So overall great food great drinks. Highly recommended. read more

The best tapas we've ever had - bar none! This Barrafina (there's two others) has a relatively small number of seats, so be there when they open or be prepared to wait. One way or the other it's worth it. The food is exceptionally good. Everything is cooked or made right in front of you. The chef inspects every plate before it is served. I saw several plates redone to his satisfaction before they were served. It's a lively place with call and response by the staff. Highly recommended. read more

It's hard to say what was the best, the wonderful staff, or the the food you live to eat. Absolutely everything was wonderful. Prepared before us by individuals who look so happy. They answered every question. Living in Louisiana I look for restaurants that are unique and above the bar.. and they exceeded my expectations .Just remember to save room. The desert is fantastic.. read more

See all

Fabulous fabulous fabulous. I've never seen and tasted such delicious tapas in all my travels. Exquisite!