Barrafina, W1D 3LL

Tapas restaurant in Soho. It was previously on Frith Street photo, but moved to Dean Street in 2016.

We haven't visited since the move, so some or all of the below may be out of date.

It's small and popular and doesn't take bookings, so you may have to queue at peak times (particularly since it gained a Michelin star in the 2015 guide).

Allolex has visited several times, and feels that this place has no direct competition in London. The food is excellent, service very good, the location ideal, and the lack of comfortable seating keeps the non-serious eaters away and the serious ones from settling in for too long. The idea for the restaurant comes from the famous Barcelona restaurant Cal Pep, and Barrafina's seating, high stools around a bar, is in keeping with Cal Pep's style.

The menu options are wide-ranging, with a strong bias towards grilled and flash-fried seafood. The food is also seasonal, always a good thing.

Since it's a tapas restaurant, how much your final bill will be really depends on how much of a glutton you are. Allolex and girlfriend tend to order quite a bit, but spend on average about £100-120, including two bottles of cava (rosada). Even the cheaper wines are excellent here and nothing tastes better with this food than a bit of the bubbly.

See also:

Last visited (at the old location) by Allolex, February 2009. Opening hours taken from the Barrafina website, June 2017.
OS X co-ord: 529676 OS Y co-ord: 181105 (Latitude: 51.513997 Longitude: -0.132588)
Last edited 2023-09-05 11:16:22 (version 28; diff). List all versions.