Barcelona Tapas

I've been to a few tapas restaurants around South London and I was pleasantly surprised at how tasty Barcelonas was in comparison. A favourite for me and my dining companion was the black pudding with chili.

Great chain, very friendly staff across London venues, wine selection is superb, food portions could be a little bigger given the prices but overall, very good. Restaurants have a bright, welcoming decor and in good locations.

Everything was average. Wine, food and sercvice were all ok. But that was just it! It could have been so much more... Dishes were hit and miss. Deep fried prawns were lovely and crisp but the albondigas looked grey, worn and tired... The taste was not better. Mussles were nice, Paella was ok.

The service was a little cold to begin with my friend and I arrived without a reservation but the ice melted when i mentioned I'd been in Barcelona in January. Our waitress spoke almost no English, but that just added to the authentic feel the restaurant has. Our tapas were delivered quickly, hot, and nicely cooked. We will definitely go back again.

The fact that we paid £103 for two people (and that was after a two-for-one discount on the food was applied! for what could at best be described as mediocre-quality food, most likely straight out of the microwave, should say it all. It is simply extortionate in light of the poor quality of the food. We had 8 tapas, dessert, a £24 bottle of wine, and an extra glass of wine. Positives first, the platter of cured meat and the plate of cheese were nice. The remaining 6 tapas ranged from poor to mediocre in quality. The calamaris were chewy, the patatas bravas soggy, the vegetable stew greasy, the pork stew dry, the bread (which you have to pay for stale, and the mussels tasted off. All 8 tapas were served at the same time (about 3 minutes after we ordered, hence our suspicion that the food was microvawed, a suspicion further supported by the look and chewiness of the food on a tiny bistro table for 2. This made it very uncomfortable for us and some of the food was even placed on the window sill by the waitress. Moving on to service and the ambiance. Service was brisk and no attention was paid to us after the dishes were delivered to our table. We therefore had to deal with a cramped table full of dirty dishes for most of the night. Ambiance is that of a canteen; the place is brightly lit and noisy as it also serves as a bar. It is also located near to a car park and for most of the night cars were flashing their lights straight onto our table. I won’t even comment on the dubious cleanliness of the bathroom and the total absence of hand soap. I would recommend that everyone steers well, well clear of this place. I know I will.