After a morning of siteseeing, we stopped in Notting Hill to walk Portobello Road. Kids were…read moregetting hungry, so we stopped in at the distillery and we were seated immediately. Staff was friendly and attentive. We ordered drinks, two got the Italian greyhound, and one blue door. Beautiful presentation of the drinks. We ordered our food and it was brought out nice and hot! The fish was a huge portion! Definitely could've split and I did share. The French toast was good, but my daughter ordered it without the popcorn and caramel. Husband enjoyed the chorizo, good and spicy! Son devoured his burger. Good spot for our first sit down meal in London!

We had flights. All were good. I was so happy after our drinks we bought one bottle and we loved…read moreit! If you go to Notting Hill, check it out. It's worth it! Don't mind the slow service. Thề atmosphere was cool

La Plaza is one of two near-identical Spanish restaurants on Tavistock Square (the other one's La…read moreBodega). I've never quite understood the politics and have decided to ignore the local gossip, as far as I'm concerned they are both just as good (or bad) as each other. They are also both about as local as you get around here, and busier than ever since their only true competition down the road fell victim to celebrity-fronted gentrification a while back. Most importantly, they have kept us in food and wine throughout this weird summer of 2020. Tavistock Square is not the prettiest but add some sunshine and you feel transported to an average Spanish village. Nothing about La Plaza is all that special, but the tapas are tasty enough. Service is a bit of a mixed bag, so possibly not your first choice if you are in a hurry.

La Plaza is only about one year old, and caused quite a stir in this very Spanish area when it…read morefirst opened due to the politics of the food trade - the owners used to be friends with the owners of that bastian of Portobello Road, Galicia. Ignore the stir though and head to La Plaza on a hot day or warm evening to sit in the square for hours on end with a good meal or tapas selection and some Estrella Galicia or a good Rioja. These guys do the standard tapas favourites very well, very succulent chorizo al vino or spicy patatas bravas, for example, but the real gems are their full meals. The best meal here by far is the Galician-style cod (bacalao de gallego), which will get you several massive hunks of cod cooked in paprika with potatoes, peas and other assorted goodies. The paellas are also fantastic and proper sharing food for a romantic dinner or date! Don't be put off by the vast number of regulars/locals you will see dining and drinking here, this is the kind of place that people come to night after night after night and for good reason.

Walked in where it's half empty and wouldn't let us in because we had no reservation yet the couple…read morein front us didn't and got sat down. STAY AWAY from this place who apparently doesn't want the people or work as the restaurant they advertise to be.

Sabroso is on a stretch of Holland Park Avenue dominated by cafes. And if I remember correctly,…read morethis also used to be one until not all that long ago not surprisingly, then, my review is based on a delicious breakfast I had here this morning. The decor is very smart, black and white art deco-inspired, which has really cheered up the site which always appeared rather dark in the past. When I think of tapas I expect a relaxed to boisterous experience, flamenco and jugs of Sangria. Sabroso caters for a more sophisticated clientele and should be very popular with the more conservative Holland Park set. Back to breakfast, though, which was great albeit not particularly Spanish. They offer a choice of pastries and cooked options. I have never been given the choice of half an English breakfast before and just couldn't resist I'm scared to imagine what size the full portion would have been as the half was very generous and good value at £4.95. A vegetarian alternative is also available (full size only), as well as the usual egg-based dishes. Sabroso offers a soothing alternative to the aforementioned cafes which are dominated by yummy mummies and their offspring at this time of day. The service was particularly friendly, and I will try and find an excuse to visit again soon.

My husband and I ate here today for an early dinner. I had the aubergine gratinada and the peppers…read morestuffed with bacalao. My husband got the oxtail. The tapas are fairly priced IMO but the mains a bit pricier. We had no drinks. We were greeted with a friendly arrival and seated promptly and menus came quickly as well. But here it got kinda weird because a brunette waitress that gave us olives for the table seemed really offended that we didn't want them and asked for them to be taken away. She then became short with us whilst taking our orders. Anyway the food came quickly and I thought mine were quite good. The aubergine was appropriately cheesy and the texture was perfect: creamy and soft. The two peppers were overstuffed with bacalao which was very savoury. Overall a good stop in the area but the waitress' attitude was a turnoff.

I've walked past this place so many times, but have only recently stopped and eaten there. The…read moreSpanish bartender at Caldo recommended it to me, as did the Spanish bartender at the Squirrel. Two other places I frequent. On their recommendation I decioded to give it a try. I was lucky on my visit that it was a beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon, so we decided to sit outside. We were also lucky to get a table outside as it was so busy. What I also noticed was that most of the diners seated around us where Spanish, which to me was a good sign. We decided on a selection of tapas to share. We went for Croquetas caseras de Jamón ~ Homemade Ham Croquettes, Albóndigas de Ternera "La Bodega"~ Meat Balls "La Bodega" Style 100% Beef, Pimientos de Padrón "uns pican e outros non"~ Sauteed Little Green Peppers from "Padrón" with Sea Salt, Chorizo a la Sidra ~ "Chorizo" cooked in Cider and Pan con tomate y aceite de oliva. "Pan Tumaca"~ Bread with tomato and virgin olive oil. This was washed down with a large jug of Sangria. Everything was really tasty. In fact the portions were very large so we did not manage to finish everything. La Bodega is situated in a nice quite spot off Portabello Road. It has a great atmosphere and you could almost feel that you've been transported to Spain for a couple of hours. Groups of Spanish youth congregated later in the afternoon to watch the La Liga soccer match showing on the television. In fact it was so nice, we were joined by friends after we had eaten to just sit there in the sun and enjoy a few beers. A perfect way to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon in my book.

Absolute the nicest place you could choose to have some nice, typical Spanish tasting tapas. The…read moreowners are still original related to the ones who opened this great place!! I been there during the week. It was very relaxed. Even tables on the terrace abailable... I can imagine it might be busy on the weekends, but soooo lovely!!!

My favourite all round restaurant in London (Toresano) was a, now closed, tapas restaurant. And I…read moremiss it. Lots. Not least because it was within walking distance of my front door. So while pug sitting for my best friend recently, I gave Don Pepe a shot. In short, I really liked it! I hasten to add that it is not quite as good as the dearly departed Toresano, but if you want quality tapas at a reasonable price, look no further than Don Pepe. The house red was pretty good. The chicken with garlic was excellent. The gambas ajillo was excellent but a fairly small portion. The calamari was great. The service was lovely and gave off a 'family' vibe. All in all, I was won over and I shall look forward to returning to Don Pepe very soon!

Food Rating: 3 stars Atmosphere Rating: 4 stars…read more Adorable place in the Notting Hill area of London. My friend and I made a pit stop for drinks and tapas after a full day of the Notting Hill Carnival. Once drinks are ordered, the tapas can be selected from a large buffet table/counter on the right side of the restaurant. Each appetizer plate costs £2.50. Overall, of the tapas we ordered, we liked the flavors but didn't like how some of the food was not hot or cold as intended. I kept my eye at the buffet table/counter for the recently served items. Pictures of some of the tapas we had: 1) http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz_photos/USzmydytDQ5ksyX22zURQQ?select=2CcnzriuY2NFRmqLlMdX4A 2) http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz_photos/USzmydytDQ5ksyX22zURQQ?select=8IKZ6k3-oLs5-t26pvoKcQ 3) http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz_photos/USzmydytDQ5ksyX22zURQQ?select=4tD1S_h0sUl5QF-4W54Akw Overall, worth a stop by for drinks at night. I wouldn't consider this a foodie destination though. *Note: the place is also known as Pix Bar or Pintxos.

This restaurant is extremely disappointing. The one star was generated from a cocktail that was…read moreadequate; however, the food was subpar. We tried at least 10 items. Unfortunately, most of the food was underwhelming and any hot food listed was cold. The best of the food was the Serrano ham & quail egg. We may have caught on an off night but food looked and tasted as if it had been placed out for hours.

I tried to make reservations here and was unable to but tried to do a walk in around 5:30 on a…read moreSaturday. Was happy to find out I could be seated but had to give up the table by 7:30. The restaurant was very busy. We were seated far in the back. It's very dark and moody inside with lots of tropical plants. Grilled polenta with whipped salted cod and anchovy - was my least favorite dish. I wanted to love this, but it was missing something - maybe needed something with a little crunch? Wood roasted rainbow carrots - the sauce was delicious and carrots were nicely charred! Chargrilled hispi cabbage - our favorite dish! Sounds so simple but the flavor was so good!!! Ravioli - very rich and decadent end to the meal.

Ambiance is beautiful and food is really good. Service sadly missed the mark. We went on a Tuesday…read morenight and it was slammed. The server was not professional and didn't seem that attentive to us and had us order dishes one at a time that didn't make sense coming out alone. She would wipe the counter in front of us since we sat at bar with food falling on our laps and the food took forever to come out. The chef Fabio and his staff who is amazing noticed how hungry we were and long we waited made us special dishes because of the wait. Fabio saved the day to make up for lackluster service. Thank god we sat at counter so he could see us waiting longer than normal.

On walking in the decor is nicely thought and done, but in places does have a bit of an Ikea feel…read more The tables feel a bit cheap as do some of the bathroom fittings. However in the evenings the decor looks fantastic, a bit like how a nightclub looks rubbish during the day and just works in the evenings, when the night is dark and the imperfections cannot be seen. The wooden floor looked original and authentic, with the other furniture looking right. Only the pictures looked a bid mass produced. On arriving the lady was very keen to please and enthusiastic, she definitely wanted to make sure that everything was right. Also what made it special is that the chef came out and described some of the dishes when the lady serving was less sure of their details. The menu is quite short without a massive amount of variety, but it is full of what I presume are classic Spanish dishes. However when the food came out everything was forgiven. The main course was definitely handmade, the flavours were full of fresh homemade ingredients, none of the pre made rubbish of many restaurants. The cheese croquettes remarkable taste and originality. The deep fried cod in batter managed to achieve the perfection of crispy batter that did not go inside the fish itself and take out the flavour. Also the batter was thin and not overdone making it really special. The anchovies were so special, showing how different fresh anchovies are to tinned ones. Being fresh they taste more like a softer tasting and salty version of tuna. The herbs also brought out a taste and were perfectly balanced and so not overdone. They were also cooked perfectly. The dishes were great and worth travelling a distance for, so worth going even if you are not local. The desserts were fine, but not the perfections of the main course. They may, or may not have been home made, but did not have the freshly made perfection feel of just made freshness, perfect levels of spice etc. They were perfectly decent but the mains had been a perfect 5 stars.

After holidaying in Spain, and trying authentic Spanish food, we were so happy to have Canaletes on…read moreour doorstep. It's mine and my boyfriends local Spanish tapas bar, and it's one of the best we can find in London. We've gotten to know the owners very well who are a married couple. He is Spanish and she is from South America. He is the chef and the food is fantastic and very authentic. We even pop by one warm evenings for a jug of Sangria. 100% recommend this place.

Fast service and excellent authentic food!…read more Food was delicious and food came out fast! The cold noodle, steamed scallops, and Sacha Beef noodle were especially delicious. We (2 ppl) came on a Monday night for dinner and didn't need a reservation.

Solid Chinese tapas place. Minimum spend of £25/person which is easy to hit. They are definitely…read moremore popular as a dinner restaurant, but I highly recommend coming in during lunch which is quieter! Service is on point,m; will be back!