Despaña

So Urbanlist recently listed Despana in the top 10 places for tapas in Sydney which led a group of friends and I to go and try it on Saturday night. We ordered a tasting plate, 8 tapas plates and a large paella between the 6 of us so we did get to try quite a few things. The positives: excellent tapas. The potatoes were deliciously crispy on the outside, the mini chorizos were indeed mini but had great flavour, and the beef cheek was falling apart in tenderness. The not-​so-​positive: the service. The staff was slightly confused, tried to push us to order 5 tapas for each pair (our order as it was ended up being plenty!) and not to mention that one waitress dropped a potato piece on my lap as she was putting the plate down. The definitely not positive: the fake paella — soggy, and lacking flavour! If you go to this place, stick to the tapas with some sangria.

Been meaning to try this place for a while and finally had a chance to.
The place is unassuming and gives a laid back vibe. I wouldn’t say it’s the most romantic place, but it makes for a decent date place or a place to eat with a small group of friends.
Service was alright, there were only two people working as the place started to get packed on a Wednesday night, but the food came out quickly so no complaints here.
The food… I’m not the biggest fan of Jamon (a little too salty for me) but you have to get it right?
We ordered:
— Pan Con Tomate with Jamon
— Russian Salad
— Croquettes
— Spiced Cauliflower Fritters
— Prawn and Chorizo Skewers
— Patatas Bravas
— Sangria
The Pan Con Tomate was like a tomato bruschetta and really tasty
The Russian Salad was really good too, seared tuna on crostini
The Croquettes stood out for me, as did the Spiced Cauliflower fritters
The Sangria was really good too and tasted like fruit punch
The Prawn and Chorizo Skewers were alright, nothing too amazing but not bad.
Contrary to the other review, the Patatas Bravas… don’t order these… just big fat potatoes (too much potato) per slice with dipping sauce.
I’d come back again.

I was excited about this relatively new kid on the block but the experience was lack lustre if not downright dangerous.
I’ll lead with the bad news, I was eating my beef cheeks and bit on something hard. I though it was strange that there would be a bone in my beef cheeks so thankfully spat it out to find a push pin.
I s#it you not, a push pin, as in one o f these — spike and all —
A gent who I can only assume was the owner, apologised profusely and told me the beef cheeks must have been sitting next to the cork board and that I wouldn’t have to pay for my $ 10 beef cheeks. If I were him, I would have given me everything that night free of charge. The seriousness of that situation shouldn’t be underestimated and had he given me the entire meal for free I might have thought twice about sharing this experience.
I am just so lucky it didn’t pierce the roof of my mouth or that I didn’t swallow it where it could have perforated my intestine or something! Ridiculous.
If I remove the push pin from the equation (as I’m fairly certain it’s not a standard menu inclusion), here’s why I’m still only giving it two stars.
Cons:
— Service was disorganised and we had to ask for things twice if not three times.
— Back court yard lacks atmosphere and the benches were uncomfortable. Ladies, the tables out the back at those that love to ruin your garments if your thighs come in contact with the underneath of the table. Be careful, they bite!
— it’s an awkward space and layout. They could make more of the courtyard if they styled it a bit better.
Pros:
— they’re trying hard
— kitchen looked clean (let’s forget about the push pin for the moment)
— Ok wine list
— Food is nice, just not amazing
— the had a sign in the window for free WiFi which I applaude. I didn’t use it though so can’t comment on its availability or reliab
Look, it has potential and I wish them all the best but I won’t be hurrying back and wouldn’t recommend it to my inner circle (that includes you).

Fantastic setup! Great vibe! Extremely tasty food! The outdoor downstairs area with heatlamps has a laid back feel. This place can get quite busy, so reservations are recommended for the weekend.
The patatas bravas, and meatballs were two dishes that stood out fom the rest. And the warm churros with chocolate sauce for dessert are a must!