Barrafina

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!

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.

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

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!

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!

It was good, but not worth a 30 minute wait…

Great food, lots of seats at the bar where you watch the chef’s prepare. Fun for a child too, if they like that kind of thing. Should note that it’s a loud and high energy sort of place, very fun and exciting.

This is a serious tapas place. They know their business and I can actually say their food is even better than many places in Spain I’ve been. It is great to see the Chef running the kitchen in front of your eyes while witnessing how fresh their ingredients are. The branch I went was very clean with excellent service. Price wise, definitely you get value out of every penny you spend here. Their wine list is not extensive but efficient. They are missing one star because it is a bit uncomfortable to get a seat due to the limited space.

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.

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 apéritif 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.

I came here for the excellent Unilocal 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!

I was walking around Covent Garden with a friend late Friday evening, intending to just grab another glass of wine somewhere, when we stumbled across Barrafina, which has been at the top of our to-​dine lists for ages. Luckily, with the opening of two new locations (including this one), the Michelin starred restaurant has become a lot more accessible, despite its no reservations policy. We were given an estimated wait time of 45 minutes, but you spend all of that at one of their many window ledges, with a menu of «para picar» bar snacks and a wine list, so what more do you need? Plus, the para picar is also part of the main menu, so it’s like eating your first course while you wait.
We got an order of crab croquettes, which was absolutely lush. It was oozing with crab, as opposed to crab cakes that are generally more starchy and solid. We also got a bottle of red wine, the Old Vines 2012 Espelt, that was beautifully smooth and one of the best wines I’ve had in a long time. (One bottle ended up not being enough). The wait time flew by and before we knew it, we were seated at the bar, surrounded by Spanish people on either side. A lot of the clientele seem to be Spanish… it can be argued that they get somewhat better service. In any case, that’s when you know you are at a very authentic restaurant.
Since we’d already had a bite to eat earlier, we refrained from ordering the whole menu, but it would have been rude to not get at least a few dishes. We got the Spanish tortilla with prawns, garlic, and mushrooms, though I didn’t note any prawns, and it was more of a dark, flavorful, almost soy sauce tasting version of Spanish tortilla. I would definitely recommend it. We also got one of the seafood specials, which was described to me as a fried mini dover sole. That was ok, but difficult to eat because of all the bones. Meanwhile, I had massive food envy at the Spanish girls next to us who ordered chipirones, basically fried calamari — should definitely have gotten that. Lastly, we got the Iberian pork ribs, the star of the show. It was basically like a beef stew type of sauce with braised onions and carrots, and the short rib falling off of the bones. So amazing. And a very generous portion size, much larger than what you would expect for tapas.
We sat at the bar for quite a bit, talking with the staff and the fellow diners seated next to us. I think it would be difficult to come with a group larger than 3, simply because it’s difficult to make conversation with large groups while seated at a bar. We did not feel any pressure to leave, and there weren’t many arrivals after us because the restaurant closes at 11 PM (must be disappointing for diners accustomed to Spanish dinner time). But now that I know how pleasant the wait experience is, I would definitely come again! It was infinitely better than my time at Social Wine & Tapas, where you are crammed in a tight lobby with no food or drink until the very end. Barrafina was amazing, can’t rate it highly enough!

I’ve heard really great things about Barrafina but our meals were really of two halves (or ²⁄₃ and ¹⁄₃). If there is one thing I could impart from my experience to you, it’d be– don’t eat from the vegetables section (both our choices bombed). Go to Nopi for your veggies desire– coz the veg dishes were merely ok (basically it sucked compared to our other dishes, and the comparison in my POV is how I feel everytime I order meat at NOPI– not their strong point at all, and none apart from the chicken I actually felt like I would order again).
Fantastic:
Scallop on a blood rice pudding with a slightly curried cream (special for the night, oh my… I wanted to marry it)
Prawn and bonito ceviche (I could pickle myself in that sauce too)
Chicken wings with some type of well-​sexual harissa sauce (Oh, why can’t all men be like this in bed)
Good:
Suckling pig (not crispy or thin skin enough, perhaps it’s coz we got the trotter? In any case, not worth the price tag, I mean, this ain’t got nothing on a Chinese suckling pig)
Chicory in a salmorejo sauce (Perfectly… OK. Bit DULL. Again, spend your money elsewhere)
Not recommended:
Mushroom carpaccio (£7 for 1 poxy sliced mushroom with a bit of garlic and salty oil, SERIOUSLY? SERIOUSLY ARE YOU KIDDING ME? LIKE, I CANNOT GET OVER THIS)
Alameda sherry– they poured me the wrong one by mistake. It was FREE and we couldn’t finish it. Wayyy too almondy and pungent, I would recommend going the full hog for a PX if you want a dessert sherry. It’s like having a PX without the sex appeal.
We split a house cava (was told an 1 hour wait, ended up being only 30 minutes) and I had a La Gitana as well. Perfectly quaffable. House cava had the virtue of being organic.
For £100– well some of the dishes were wayyy overpriced (YES, MUSHROOM I AM LOOKING AT YOU). I would definitely be back to try the fried food and other numbers on the menu, but will also definitely be getting my 5-​a-​day elsewhere. Probably won’t recommend you to bring your vegetarian friend with you to this one…
Also, 5 dishes between 2 would be plenty unless you are feeling particularly greedy.
YES. THAT FRIGGING MUSHROOM LOST YOU A STAR.

Friend and I first went to the Barrafina on Frith street, but there was a giant line and they let people in in ~hourly waves, so we decided to walk the few minutes to see if this location was any better. No line and insta-​seats! Yay! The staff were all authentically Spanish and provided some amazing service and recommendations (made sure my glass was never empty). These are not the common tapas you can get at the other spanish tapas bars in London… some regional authentic stuff that’s hard to find elsewhere. Everything we ate was amazing and beautifully served. We were getting food envy just by looking at our neighbor’s orders… and it’s hard to figure out when to say stop to tapas. In one of my dreams, I would just be sitting at the Barrafina bar. all day. eating tapas.

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.

I was lucky enough to discover Barrafina (the one in Soho) on a trip to London several years ago. I make sure I return every time I come back to London.
On this particular trip to London whilst walking from our hotel to the Golden Jubilee footbridge we stumbled upon the newer Barrafina near Covent Garden — very close to our hotel.
Wonderfully (and as expected), this Barrafina is as good as the original with the added bonus of it being less busy than its Soho sibling (only a 30 min. wait at 7:00pm on Sat. night).
Being a Spanish tapas restaurant modeled after an old-​fashioned American diner, Barafinna is perfectly suited to my preference for making a meal out of shared small plates at the bar.
On this evening we started with a bottle of The Flower and the Bee Coto de Gomariz (Spanish white) and Marcona Almonds. We then proceeded to order an amazing round of small plates: lightly fried fresh Anchovies (special); Fried Oysters (special); Prawn & Bonito Carpaccio; and Crab on Toast. Every dish was an amazing mix of tastes and textures expertly prepared and presented.
I already suspected our meal would be amazing due to my previous visits to Barrrafina in Soho and I was not disappointed. And my girlfriend, who’d never been, is dying to go back. Luckily, we are in London for several more days.

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.

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!

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

I went to Barrafina with my company for our annual Christmas party, so I can only speak to the experience of a private party in the downstairs bar area. I don’t have any experience with their standard menu or service.
The space itself is really nice — there are bathrooms away from the main restaurant, so we weren’t likely to bother anyone. It’s a nice touch, as private parties can get a little loud. There was also a coat closet, again, nice touch.
Our menu was a series of tapas to start with a mix of seafood (which I’m told were fantastic, but I don’t eat seafood) and veggie plates. We had bread with olive oil (excellent bread), crab croquettes (highly rated by my colleagues), sweet roasted peppers (good, but underwhelming), fried artichokes with aioli (very yummy), gazpacho (best I’ve had), and a platter of cured meats that was very nice.
Our mains were a choice of pork belly, a vegetarian option (roasted vegetables on toast — much nicer than it sounds), or a fish (highly rated by my colleagues). I had the pork belly, and it was very good. Fell apart on your fork, and seasoned very well. The sides served with it were a hot potato dish (excellent) and a salad of fennel, pear, radish, and dill (also excellent). Dessert was an outrageous chocolate tart with a marscapone ice cream. I absolutely loved it.
Overall, the quality of the food was very high. The seafood was raved about around me, and I really enjoyed the meat dishes. The vegetarian plates were a bit hit and miss, though. They were good, but not outstanding and not really anything special. The sauces and gazpacho were fantastic, though. High marks for seasoning and flavour.
I would go again, but I reckon if paying myself I might feel a bit frustrated with the dishes that miss their mark.