Serrano Manchego

Yummmmm
Meat and more meat, olives, cheeses, chicken on skewers.
Dinner with a Spanish twist, well worth the journey from almost anywhere in Edinburgh.
Complaints? I wish there was more :)
Well worth checking out :)

nice vibe, decent tapas, attentive service. Still, doesn’t quite work for me — wee bit too expensive, portions a bit too small (although that’s not unreasonable for tapas). Good selection of wine, limited selection of beer, decent liquor. Overall, pretty good.

It’s been a while since I’ve been out and about but at the weekend I visited this delightful Spanish superstar! The dining area is big and light with a lovely atmosphere and ambience and we were escorted to a table by warm and friendly staff. I loved the fact that you can watch the chefs at work in the open kitchen and for me it added to the overall experience. We order a selection of tapas and I was utterly amazed at how fresh and tasty they all were! Seriously the best Tapas I’ve ever tasted :) so good we ended up ordering a second helping of the cheese and Serrano ham croquettes! The beer was on draught (nice one!) and they have a fine selection of wine available with knowledgeable staff on hand to guide you selecting. A wee espresso rounded things off nicely with a cheeky Spanish Torta biscuit– which tasted a bit like lemon and cinnamon shortbread– lovely! Cannot wait to go back again, a perfect spot for a casual Saturday lunch or snack. Very relaxing. A really pleasurable experience.

We had the sharing platter of meats & cheeses, prawns in garlic oil & the chicken skewers with garlic mayo for dinner. The food was full of flavour and we both really enjoyed.
Although the staff were friendly and helpful the slow service became a little annoying towards the evening.
The highlight for me was definitely the churros. They were perfectly crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. The sauce was not too sweet but very moreish.
Would definitely go back again to sample more of the menu.

As a massive fan of Spanish food, particularly pintxos, I was excited to see an authentic little place like this open its doors in my neighbourhood. Sadly my joy turned to ashes in my mouth after popping in. The food tastes great, that’s not my problem. My problem is that the portion sizes are tiny. Minuscule. Micro bloody Scopic. «What is this, dinner for ants?» The prices have taken the opposite track.
They charge upwards of £3 for bread and aioli; three teardrops of garlic mayo and enough bread for maybe two people (if you’re lucky). Every dish is saucy, so if you want to make the most of it I’m afraid to say you’ll be spending at least a tenner on bread baskets.
As for the rest. The patatas bravas were like nothing I’ve ever seen before: like one medium sized tattie was diced into tiny cubes in an experiment to see how small one could cube a potato. I’ve lived in Sevilla and Valencia and spent plenty of time in other Spanish cities. I’ve never seen bravas that small.
And it wasn’t just the bravas. Every tapa was a tiny saucer of food (an appetiser really) with prices to rival a substantial starter in any other restaurant on the Walk. Bear in mind this isn’t some posh Michelin star offering; it’s a relaxed tapas bar.
When you find yourself spending £20+ (at least!) per head, and are still hankering for a pizza on the way home, you know the job’s a bad ‘un.

My husband and I really enjoyed our meal here. Excellent food and wine. We are going back this weekend!

Serrrano Manchego has been open for a number of months now (over a half a year perhaps…) but although i’ve passed over the threshold more than once i seem to have not managed to write a review. i’m a bit surprised by the reviews that are here already, but i see quite a few of them were written right when the restaurant opened and a lot has changed since then.
on my first visit, i had to make do sitting on an uncomfortable sort of low down stool which really isn’t ideal if you’re trying to have a relaxed dinner to catch up with some friends. however i can now confirm that there are real chairs in place of the annoying stools that they had previously. so a much welcomed improvement which means that you can have your meal and have a chair back to lean on while doing it.
i also noticed during my latest visit that the menu has changed considerably. in addition to the tapas on offer, there are a number of sandwiches as well. there is also a very good all day spanish breakfast which is what i went for on sunday. the breakfast is huge, enough to share really! there are two fried eggs, loads of serrano ham and all this piled on top of a massive serving of patatas bravas with ali-​oli as well. it’s an impressive plate of food that is both delightfully simple and really tasty at the same time. it made the perfect sunday lunch.
i can also confirm that their cappuccino was quite good and their drinks lists looks nice if you’re fancying something a bit stronger. the service is fairly quick and attentive with really friendly wait staff. all in all this made a really perfect setting for a sunday lunch while i caught up on some reading.

Serrano Unilocal review
This was the first Spanish tapas restaurant for me for a long time in Edinburgh, and I admit it was very positive.
We had checked out the Xmas decoration a few days ago with my partner and it reminded both of us familiar and cozy places back in my hometown in Larisa, Greece.
We followed the waitress’ advice and chose the big glass of house red wine, which went great with the meat dishes we chose.
We highly recommend the Serrano croquetas and the Secreto Iberico (assuming you like ham and pork)! I just can’t find words of how much mouth watering we found the latter: it was like a pork filet, a taste that even now two days after has stayed with me so fondly!
The other highlight is the Spanish crème brûlée! It wasn’t hot, but it had a strong lemon flavour which both of us welcomed.
The rest of the dishes were nice and tasty: patatas bravas, cod, churros which seemed to me slightly crispier than I thought they should be but I might be wrong, so don’t take my word on it.
The service was nice and friendly, quite busy — Friday night, without a reservation we got seated right at the window which we both found interesting, but if you are pickier, you might want to do a reservation in advance.
We didn’t spot significant delays on the time required to serve us, although the couple next to us seemed unhappy with their waiting time.
Would I recommend it? If you fancy Mediterranean food and tapas-​style dishes (2 – 3 per person to consider yourself full), then definitely!

First visit here a couple of Saturdays ago and the seating issues highlighted by earlier reviewers would appear to have, in the main, been sorted out by the adoption of a standard dining seating style, other than three lower tables with leather cubes that are against the back wall.
Since the lunch in question I’ve been told that the menu had recently been expanded so it could well be that the 40 minute wait for the food and the odd order it arrived in (bread last) was down to the staff still getting used to preparing new dishes.
Service was generally alright, if scatty (water was ordered but never materialised, food arrived without plates to eat it from) and the quality of the dishes couldn’t really cause complaint although the meat and cheese platter & tortilla are probably not the most complex options on the menu & so pretty hard to mess up.
On the day only a 5% tip seemed in order but I’d make another visit to see if things are any more organised in the future.

I went here for drinks and some nibbles on a rainy day as I live around the corner and was super excited to try something new on my block. They have lovely outdoor seating, which looks so appealing on a sunny day, but unfortunately I didn’t get to enjoy that. I read the other reviews and completely agree about the seating. They have one high table with bar stools, but all the other chairs are basically ottomans and you can’t sit comfortably because you have no back rest and your legs don’t fit under the very low tables.
However, the staff was friendly and the cab-​sav I order was quite tasty and well priced. We had a few drinks and then got really hungry, so I asked one of the girls to recommend something and we ended up trying a bit of what she said was most popular. The tortilla was nice, not what I expected as it was more of a potato cake, kind of in a quiche slice. The Serrano peppers were delicious, although not spicy at all. And the chorizo was amazing. I can’t remember which it was, but it was so tasty and the perfect amount of oily, spicy goodness. It is not really a place to grab a proper meal, but an excellent option for an afternoon snack or pre-​dinner stop.
It has a warm interior and feels very casual, so its definitely a relaxing spot to visit for some wine. I noticed they had a few bottles beers and have one beer on tap, but I think they mainly focus on wine and food. Oh! And you order at the bar!

Ah, dudes. DUDES! What are you doing?!
A pinxos bar in Edinburgh has had me on the edge of my seat for a while now. Finally, it opens and finally we get a chance to try it.
Meh.
I had such high hopes and maybe that was their undoing. We went for a wee breakfast, being a fan of the idea of a cortado with some churros (no chocolate for me thanks) and maybe some nice baguette bread with some ham and cheese. That breakfast just screams ‘set up for the day’! Luckily their Facebook page had shown a picture the previous day of a fairly attractive lookin’ breakfast type roll, with Serrano, manchego and a coffee. I sent the pic to the OH and we decided we wanted a slice of that!
The next morning we headed around. The first issue that arose was the tables. The OH was never going to fit anywhere near these. He’s a big lad (tall, not wide) and had no chance between the tiny seats and tiny tables. These tables and chairs are probably more suited to the evening for a platter-​esque dining experience. Not for a cosy brekkie.
I asked at the bar about these breakfast rolls (they weren’t on the menu) and was told they had no idea what I was talking about. A long explanation ensued before they understood and even when the girl from the till was relaying my request the chef guy seemed confused.
We then went with cappuccinos and a portion of churros between us. Everything arrived in a timely manner. They had however misunderstood and one roll arrived with cheese the other with ham. We swapped insides to mix it up and the OH resolved to get a roll from Greg’s on the way home as this was not going to fill him!
The coffee was delicious and the churros were the best I’ve had in Edinburgh, without a doubt. Still gooeyish inside and perfectly crispy outside with a sprinkling of sugar. I am literally smacking my lips thinking about them.
The décor is wonderful, I like the logo and the colour scheme they’ve gone for. The exposed brick and metal cupboards (?) look great! I was especially taken in with the counter as everything is in view. Very Barcelona!
The staff seemed friendly, though inexplicably frazzled. There was few customers in but they were acting as if run off their feet!
I’ll definitely be back for a platter and to see if they have any cidre — the oddly bitter, strangely addictive Catalan cider– and I really hope I’ll be able to bump this up. I so want this place to work!

Visited on a hot, sunny evening, to find all outside tables occupied so sat inside. Instantly felt the space didn’t work well — NONE of our chairs allowed us to sit our legs under the tables so we were all spaced out beside it, taking up a lot of room and quite uncomfortable. Everyone inside was taking up a lot of room, so that a trip to the bar or bathroom was an obstscle course of sorrys and excuse me’s…
The other main problem was the tiny wee space at the bar for ordering, most of the bar being used for seating, and occupied, so queueing ensued and despite the army of staff behind the small bar, they simply didn’t have room to get your order till the person in front was done…
Throw into the mix that there is NO table service, for approx 8 outside tables and maybe 15 squeezed in inside, and i can predict a war on busier days at that teeny weeny service area. Staff still came from behind the bar to clear empty plates and glasses and refused to take orders and failed to notice who were no doubt ex Dalmany Bar gents getting in thru the (probably illegally) open fire exit and plonking themselves down.
Leith has been teased by their opening for over a year now, and yet i found a toilet with a broken lock and the other with a really broken seat, no toilet paper and very very very dirty floors. Totally a bad sign,
The one and only rose was v sweet and undrinkable, and a large glass of that with a glass of Spanish Alhambra beer was £10.
I WANT to go back and try the food, but I’m so NOT attracted to the place now, I probably never will.

If I could use one word to sum up the opening night at Serrano Manchego, it would be disappointing. Or, underwhelming. You get the idea. I so wanted it to be amazing, but it just wasn’t and it could be and should be.
I’ve gone for 3 stars as I feel it’s a compromise between what Serrano Manchego has got right, and what it’s got wrong. The décor alone warrants a solid 4, verging on to 5. The service and the food are definitely a 2 («meh, I’ve experienced better», I couldn’t have said it better myself!).
I’m going to start with the good. The place looks fantastic. It’s all exposed brick and wood with the logo stencilled on the wall. Lovely. Lots of space and tables. A definite thumbs up on this. And I love the concept, a Spanish pincho bar on Leith Walk. Only one beer on draught (Alhambra), bite sized snacks and platters, signature croquettas, great! And erm. That’s the good. The décor and the concept.
The bad? Well I’ll start with the service. I’m probably not being fair, as yesterday was their opening night (although as stated on their Facebook page this wasn’t a soft opening, it wasn’t an exclusive party, it was just open), but given the amount of time they’ve spent into decorating and sourcing ingredients, they really ought to have trained their staff! I’d be surprised if any of the bar staff/​servers has worked in a bar or a restaurant before. Not one of them knew how to pour a pint, so the manager had to teach them on the job, and of course this meant that it took ages to get served (and what’s with ringing up a transaction on the sole till before pouring the drinks?). And if you’d ordered food you got a numbered wooden spoon in a glass, fairly standard. But the poor girls serving spent most of the evening wandering about in a daze looking for whoever had ordered that particular dish… The staff were all perfectly nice, they were just all woefully inexperienced. I ought to point out that I was with my boyfriend and sister, both experienced bar staff and servers, so as you can imagine we had little tolerance, but even if I’d been there alone I’d still have been frustrated.
And the food, oh the food. A great concept doesn’t make up for poor execution. There’s a nice sounding selection of cold and hot pinchos, as well as tostados, platters and the croquettas of the day. I don’t know if this will always be the case, but they only had one croquette on yesterday, which was haggis. Or was it? I was definitely told it was haggis, but biting into it you’d never have known. Sure, the herbs and spices tasted a little like our national dish, but the texture was creamy and the colour was pale and the taste was bland. What was it?! We also ordered a dish of olives. What we got was a small plate (not a bowl, which would have made more sense), of pitted olives that looked and tasted like they’d come straight from a jar. I don’t buy jarred olives at the supermarket, I don’t expect to be served them in a bar. And pitted, who serves pitted olives?!
I’d like to say everyone else’s food look great, but judging by the table next to us that isn’t the case. They’d ordered a platter of manchego, blue cheese, walnuts, quince and raisins that came with no blue cheese. There was an explanation for this, but I didn’t catch it, and given they’d only been open for 3 hours at this point I sincerely hope they hadn’t run out. Then came the tostados, or bread with a topping. Standard, I know, and I wasn’t expecting anything brilliant from a basic open sandwich, but they just looked so uninspiring. Fortunately none of the food is expensive.
I actually feel annoyed about it all. I wanted Serrano Manchego to be brilliant. They’ve had a great Facebook presence and I know I wasn’t the only local eagerly awaiting its opening, and it was packed last night. I want to give them a second chance, because I truly believe that they could be great if only they improve. Please guys, the problems I’ve identified should be easy to fix! I really hope that in a couple of months time I’ll be writing an updated review of 4 or 5 stars.