Barrafina
Cuisine: European, Spanish
Price Range: $
10Best Says
Barrafina offers the kind of food you have to work for. It's virtually impossible to avoid an hour-long queue (the seats barely hit the double digits), and you're likely to be elbow-to-elbow with... Read More
Barrafina offers the kind of food you have to work for. It's virtually impossible to avoid an hour-long queue (the seats barely hit the double digits), and you're likely to be elbow-to-elbow with strangers. But once you've got your first glass tinto, Barrafina's exquisite spirit becomes increasingly exposed. Stunning seafood dishes like octopus with capers (at £9.80) are profound in their simplicity, bringing out clean, startlingly robust flavors. More ambitious dishes like the Pluma Ibérica with confit potatoes showcase the rare culinary gifts of Head Chef Nieves Barragán Mohacho and her team, for a total experience which is dizzying and unforgettable. Barrafina is truly a gift, and absolutely worth the wait.
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EXPERT TIPS BY:
Arianna Reiche
London Local Expert
- Seafood: "Get there early or late – there are no bookings and few seats, so avoid peak queue times (though you're free to drink prosecco in line)"
- Best Restaurants: "Get a glass of cava whilst waiting in the queue – the Gramona Gran Reserva 2011 will make time fly by!"
- Romantic Dining: "Get there early or late – there are no bookings and few seats, so avoid peak queue times (though you're free to drink prosecco in line)."
- Best for Seafood Because: Watching your chef hand-prepare your fresh-caught octopus makes your experience at Barrafina well worth the wait.
- Recommended as Best Restaurants Because: The care put into each dish is unparalleled, and you'll be reluctant to give up your seat (despite the desperate crowd).
- Best for Romantic Dining Because: No hyperbole, no overstatements: Quite simply, Barrafina offers up the best Spanish cuisine in the whole of London.
