Ortega is one of several new restaurants in the Hub in central Milton Keynes. They serve Spanish…read moretapas and the restaurant looks excellent (as you would expect from a brand new trader). The staff were excellent and extremely friendly, I think they were mainly Spanish to give the restaurant further authenticity. The lighting is dim and the décor is warm. Coupled with the Spanish music on the stereo, it genuinely makes you feel like you're eating tapas in Spain. The portions are generous and so are the prices. Me and my girlfriend got 5 dishes for £15, our whole meal cost just over £20. I would highly recommend paying them a visit.

Most definitely the most disappointing eating experience I have had in Milton Keynes. I ordered…read morepaella which was basically rice baked in oil. Dreadful. I have given it 2 stars because the service was friendly and professional, and the dessert was reasonably edible, but DON'T ORDER THE PAELLA!

Whether you're looking for ways to spice up your staycation or are riding on the coattails of your…read moremost recent España holiday high-- Tabanco will not disappoint. Way back when in 17th century Jerez, 'tabancos' were taverns used by communities for socializing while enjoying local wines and foods. Tabanco brings this taste of Andalucian culture to Cambridge, showcasing traditional flavors with modern twists. Located in the city center, Tabanco is ideally situated for residents, tourists, and students alike. Its main focus is 'tapas y vino'; with endless applause I deeply appreciate places that can pull off simplicity so well and elevate it to such great heights of excellence. The restaurant space is well thought-out. Upon entering you are greeted at the bar, and then seated either on the long table centered in the middle of the room or at one of the smaller tables lining the walls. The color scheme embraces warm reds/oranges, and Edison-esque lighting and mouth watering Ibérico ham hang along the edges of the ceiling. The light Spanish music drifting in the background then sets for a relaxing atmosphere. With all these elements combined it is easy to forget that you never left England. If you've never had tapas before, they're basically appetizer-sized dishes. As someone who wants to try everything on a menu, agonizes over what to order, and then gets food envy-- tapas are a godsend solution. Since they're smaller than mains, you're encouraged to order several plates. It's like creating your own taster menu for Spanish cuisine; just choose whatever most interests you and you're good to go! Even better yet, grab a group of friends and practically order the whole menu to try out together! I am happy to report that I have done so and honestly, you cannot go wrong with anything on Tabanco's menu. If you're looking for a more traditional/introductory tapas, I would recommend the 'tortilla' (Spanish omelette), 'patatas bravas' (deep fried potatoes), and 'croquetas de jamón' (ham croquettes). The tortilla held its shape beautifully without being too dry and had a burst of flavor from the caramelized onions inside. And unlike normal chips/fries that need to be immediately devoured before they go soggy, somehow the patatas bravas magically remained crisp from start to finish. The croquetas de jamón had a lovely breaded crust that contrasted nicely with the creamy bechamel and ham filling without feeling too greasy. For meat lovers, the 'chorizo a la plancha con boniato' (grilled chorizo with sweet potato), 'pechuga de pato ahumado' (smoked duck breast on cranberry butter toast), 'filete de ternera' (flat iron steak), and the 'presa Ibérica' (grilled acorn-fed Iberico pork loin with romesco) are all amazing. The sweet potato balanced out the chorizo spices, and the duck with cranberries tasted like a Christmas roast. Both the flat iron steak and pork loin were skillfully finished with the doneness perfectly executed, no steak knife required here! And last, but not the least-- the romesco sauce was surprisingly divine. As a nut and red pepper-based sauce it added so much depth to the pork without overpowering it. I want to just put it on everything now and can't believe I've gone through my life without ever having it before. In terms of seafood, I suggest the 'gambas tempura' (tempura prawns). Having grown up on a tropical island where fresh seafood is a staple of everyday life, I'm normally disappointed with the selection I've seen in the UK. However, Tabanco's gambas tempura are massive in size with the prawns keeping their tenderness even after being deep fried. The saffron aioli was also a nice accompaniment, bringing in reminiscent flavors of paella without all the heavy stodge. Service-wise, the staff were all very welcoming and worked so efficiently. I used to work as a busser and know first hand how chaotic restaurants can get. However, even at peak times the Tabanco staff never skipped a beat. I think it all comes back to their ingenious restaurant layout-- orders are picked up from the kitchen and staff move in a circular path around the center table back to the kitchen. Along the way they can take/drop off orders and tend to any queries when they loop back around again. Phew! And if the above was not enough to convince you yet, Tabanco also has an impressive selection of imported Spanish sherries and wines. Feel free to ask the lovely staff for recommendations. Already looking forward to my next visit. Salud!

Fantastic food and wine. The Galician owner is charming and very helpful in selecting food and…read morewine. If you are in Cambridge you must go here.

I can not stand Milton Keynes. It's like a bad American Mall Town, meaning the town is a mall…read more Now the only, and I do mean only redeeming feature this far from metropolitan life plastic place has is La Tosca. I loved the La Tosca here. It was huge and nicely decorated. I had the Tapas for a Tenner Sunday Night, which is all you can eat Tapas for 10 pounds. La Tosca does this great aubergine dish with tomato sauce and a good vegetarian paella, which is not authentic but in my opinion better. They serve their food in ceramic dishes. There is also complimentary bread, olives and Spanish Olive oil on offer. A bright spot in the dark hole of Milton Keynes. Please no hate mail. LOL

This recently refurbished part of the La Tasca chain is in Xscape Milton Keynes near the SNO!zone,…read morea large car park is nearby: but you need to pay to park during the day. The menu and decor are the same as the rest of the chain, Spanish in style and reasonably authentic. In case you haven't eaten there, you can just order a main meal each, but the most fun way is to order a series of 3 or 4 Tapas dishes, plus a bread or potato dish each, and then everyone just dives in. We started with some olives and bread, then ordered a selection including prawns in a tempura style batter, chicken skewers, pork ribs, chorizo sautéed in red wine, chicken croquettes and Spanish omelette. Normally most of the tapas are around £4-5 each, but we took advantage of a recession-busting 50% off deal which made it great value. Normally the atmosphere is very good here, the place gets quite busy and you can have to queue to get in, but we called early one mid-week evening so it was quiet. The service was a little slow (considering the place was empty), the tempura prawns were a little greasy, and the mayonnaise wasn't very garlicky: but overall it was very good and we would definitely go again - recommended.

Love this place........somewhere where the music dosn't blast your ears....you can actually hear…read morethe people you are with when they talk to you....and the music is just fantastic.....lounge/chill/funk.....brilliant This is a place for all ages...ABOVE 30...and i fit well into that category Is such a great atmosphere.....

Im sure many of you have walked passed this place as its tucked away down Rose Crescent…read more I was very dubious when I walked in the entrance and down the stairs but I didnt need to be as this is a hidden gem that gives you lots of things that many places in Cambridge dont seem to have. The food is lovely they have a tapas menu which allows you to try many dishes that you would not normally try and if you dont like it you can easily move on to the next one. The music gives you a wide range of choice some nights the small dancing place will be packed with customers dancing the night away to the big bass sounds and other nights jazz is on the menu allowing everyone to tap away at their table to the dulcit tones. The decor is another plus for me its stylish, dark, and romantic a place where you can easily lose track of time and stumble upstairs as its getting light.

Ole was great! Both our drinks were delicious, the staff was extremely polite and helpful and we…read moreloved the food! It's a bit tight in there I'd recommend a reservation, but worth it!

In terms of authenticity and quality, this has been an exceptional experience…read more Food was absolutely outstanding! Service was great! Really enjoyed it!

I love an "I'm full but the food is so good so let me eat more" type of night!…read more Let me just start off by saying I never would've guessed I'd find great tapas in London! This place was super cute, spacious, and played some good music that paired well with the atmosphere and theme of the restaurant. The servers were very kind and knowledgeable of the menu as well. We started off with a meat platter, chargrilled bread with tomatoes along with two delicious cocktails. For our tapas we ordered the *Patatas Fritas *Crispy Pork Belly *Grilled Salmon Filet (the only dish I wasn't super crazy about) *Alitas De Pollo *Croquetas De Bacalao *Chuletas De Cordero Even after all this, there is always room for a little treat! There's no way we could leave here without ordering churros, and I'm so glad we did!! We also added a bonus sangria , because why not? This is one of my many places I will revisit when I return to London. Highly recommend. More details/descriptions in my pics :)

Honestly, can't say how this little spot has remained off the radar for so long. I've eaten at a…read morenumber of Spanish tapas places around town, but this little local is fan-tastic ! The kitchen staff really know their stuff, producing classics with flair. Presentation is great - all their dishes look so appealing and sophisticated. The cocktail menu is excellent and worth popping in for alone, or paired with a snack at the bar. I'd recommend booking on weekends as it gets really busy and altho' the restaurant has just recently expanded in size, it is still buzzing with clientele. It's difficult to say what is best, but I love their rosemary manchego with quince jelly. The fish, meatballs, jambon, squid, aubergine, ah... so many fantastic dishes. Try everything ! you can't go wrong. .... visiting a month later, and I'd just add that the paella and squid-ink risotto were superb on Saturday night.

Great tapas i loved it. We ordered the Pork cheeks it's was so good. Definitely would go again!read more

Great little tapas restaurant, lovely food and drink. staff are always helpful and friendly.read more

I love tapas because I'm awful at making up my mind what to choose in a restaurant. This is the…read moreperfect solution - lots of little dishes to share! I went in on a Saturday lunchtime and found the service very efficient without feeling rushed. It was surprisingly quiet, so we forgot about the world around and were able to concentrate on the delicious food. The dishes are in the range of about £3.50 - £5.50 each and they're usually split into 2-3 bits, so can be shared if necessary. I recommend getting bread as well - it's great for soaking up sauces and is nice, soft ciabatta style with tomato sauce to dip it in. Particularly recommended: - deep-fried chicken soaked in garlic - not at all greasy and very tasty - potato with layers of goats cheese, ham and tomato - prawns with scrambled egg and asparagus (much, much taster than it sounds!) The sangria comes with a good amount of fruit in it and at £3 a glass is cheap and plenty enough to last a meal (if you can resist another one, anyway!). All in all a really nice place if you're into tapas and a great introduction if you've never tried it.

Fantastic! I love this place - a brilliant selection of hot and cold tapas with a range of drinks…read morein a very stylish room. My favourites are the selection of cheese, the garlic prawns and the little ham croquettes. Try a jug of sangria with it - it's very well done here and compliments the food greatly. This is a lovely place, decorated in a way inkeeping with the food and very private. The tables are well spaced, so you don't feel cramped or overheard. I like this place for dates or for a meal with a good mate. Always busy, so best to book it unless you've got time to have a drink at the bar first (which is no bad thing here). Go for a great, relaxed meal on one of Oxford's loveliest streets.

We went here for my birthday a couple of years ago and the atmosphere was great, the staff were…read morefriendly and the food was divine! Located just inside the Blacksmoths Yard off Friargate. Quite a small restaurant but perfect in every way!

It's clean was my first impression. Now let me say I have given up in finding true Mexican food in…read morethe UK, so I was skeptical. And it's not true Mexican that I am use to back in the states and that is not a bad thing. The food is what I would call Mexican inspired food and done really well. The lamb taco was more like a small burrito. The enchiladas was also more like a burrito. Now both were done real well I thought the lamb tasted better. The bar area was nice and trendy. Overall a very good experience. Oh the "hot wing" the non fired ones was really really good.

Bedford has always been missing something when it comes to restaurant choice. Foregoing the obvious…read moreomissions of chains such as Ask or Cafe Rouge, there has been one giant missing piece which my taste buds have not thanks me for since moving to the town; the lack of a Mexican restaurant. Whilst many may not agree with me that Mexican food is some of the tastiest, loveliest, most homely cuisine you can honour your tongue with, I happen to absolutely love it. So as soon as I saw the sign, I was in like a shot to make a reservation (definitely something to consider if you want to go at peak times). Let's be honest with ourselves for a moment though. When you've been waiting for and wanting something for a long time, in the end it's more than likely to disappoint. So it was with a certain amount of trepidation that I entered Baja yesterday evening ready, as ever an Englishman tends to be, for disappointment. What I got was an explosion of spice, flavour and a sense that I'd been returning to this place again and again. I'd just found the best food in Bedford by quite some way. The restaurant itself is clean and modern, with just the right amount of colour to set the scene. A combination of tables and booths overlook, well not too much to be honest. The view outside wasn't spectacular (just some empty shops), but the view on my table turned out to be more than adequate. (As an aside, the bar at the back of the restaurant does have a better outlook, with the Castle Mound and river just in sight). I started with a bowl of Breaded Calamari and Tentacles, which was not only delicious, but also came in a portion that could feed a family of four. I'm definitely not complaining though; the squid was a perfect texture and the breadcrumbs gave a satisfying crunch. Spot on. There was the risk that after such a humongous starter, there wouldn't be any room left for the main course. That was until it made its heavenly appearance on the table in front of me. My Enchilada was stuffed with chicken, Mexican rice and beans, and sat on a bed of passata. Topped off with melted Monterey Jack cheese, salsa and crema, it practically melted in the mouth. There was a hint of coriander running through the dish, which set the whole thing off for me. As my Mexican-loving eyes are probably too big for my belly, I also chose Frijoles as a side. Black, pinto and kidney beans, refried and topped with crema and melted cheese. They were truly stunning. I could have happily sat and had a couple of those as a meal on their own. My dining companions' food was also very well received. In particular, the Big Baja Salad was a definite hit, coming in its own huge edible tortilla bowl and with more lamb than any one person would dare to eat in one sitting (again, not a complaint). Desert was a big no as we were all completely stuffed from the wonderful food, though next time I'll try and save enough room to sample a Sweet Chimichanga. The only real disappointment was with our cocktail. Our mojitos tasted of not much other than rum and definitely needed more than the single leaf of mint that had been put in the glass. But that's not really much of a complaint, when the meal itself was so well prepared. I made a point of saying before the meal arrived that I hoped I would finally find a restaurant in Bedford that I would want to return to frequently. I found it.