El Pirata Of Mayfair

If you somehow have any experience of genuine Spanish tapas, you will get disappointed. Dishes are OK in size but lacks the fresh taste. Galician octopus was good but shrimps were chewy. Good selection of wines.

tapas is my ideal food. I am so indecision when it comes to ordering in restaurants – and I hate getting food jealous. have they ever gone to a restaurant, ordered their main course and someone else comes, that looks so much better so that they cry a little in their teller. No, I don't.

So, lunch here with a work colleague and friend! Service was good with timing to perfection. We had the chorizo, gambas al pil pil, chicken, egg fritata .... hit the spot, but it wasn't quite the taste of real Spanish tapas would probably give this a miss next time (given the extensive eateries in the area...

Consistently Good. I visit El Pirata for lunch every time I visit London. I found El Pirata on my very first trip to London and it is just around the corner from the hotel I always stay at too. I love the vibe and the food. It is always great to sit at the bar and enjoy the high quality, flavoursome tapas with some outstanding red wine

Food good, service average, Noise horrid, price good. What a shame, good food, large selection at a very fair price. Totally ruined by the masive noise level (ears still ringing after travelling back to our hotel) and such a weird service ethic which oscilated from caring and helpful to totally ignoring requests for drinks etc. even though waiters had time to reset tables etc. I am talking time of 15 minutes and secondary requests before we could get subsequent orders or even pay our bill. Will not be back, which is a shame as the food was quite good. The noise is deafening impossible for many of us to converse across a table.

Paulo is the resident whiz at El Pirata, also known as a Tapas Superhero. In the time it’s taken to take off our coats and sit down, he’s registered that we’re a bit tired, in need of Tapas TLC and has swung into action. If you did decide to look at the menu, it is long and it would probably take you a while to go through it so my advice is to take advantage of their Superhero offering and just outline what you do and don’t like. My exact instructions were: I eat everything and I’m very hungry please. Done. First out is the Jamon Iberico platter, it is of course sublime. The meat has a special flavour to it and the fat melts into your mouth as you chew and when paired with...read more

I’m not entirely sure why, but I seem to have completely scratched off Spanish restaurants in London from my list at the moment. I was trying to work out why and then I realised, it mainly has something to do with my travels in the south of Spain in the sun drenched town of Jerez. Famed for its rock bottom priced tapas, small family owned bakery’s, LOTS of foie gras and sherry so deeply embedded in its history and every day life that the whole town smells of its fresh flor which lays inside the sherry casks keeping everything fresh. I miss traditional, honest Spanish food and so far London just doesn’t excite me in that aspect. Until now that is. El Pirata opened their doors in...read more

Anchored for two decades in Mayfair with an admirable reputation, El Pirata has long been regarded as a regular favourite among the locals and a safe bet for out-of-towner’s seeking a more than decent meal. Slow sailing me, I’ve intended to visit this popular tapas bar for ages but only recently set a course in its direction, where I discovered a menu full of treasured Spanish dishes. Is El Pirata worth considering for your next port of call? Aye, cap’n. Okay, no more nautical puns. Sorry. But I am pleased to report that this bar with the seafaring moniker offers some pretty awesome seafood dishes. From the tapas calientes menu, I especially enjoyed the fritos de rape (deep fried...read more

the feeling of Spanish authenticity is everywhere in el pirata and it feels like sitting in Spanish. I visited alone when I was in london and was looking forward to the meal of the moment when I went through the door. the service was excellent, and the waiter helped me build an evening meal that corresponded to my appetit. I started with pan con tomate, and that was as good as I had. I have paired this with padron green pudders from galizien and jamón serrano for the perfect start to the meal. for the main course I decided to have a trio that felt as a compliment. they did it absolutely – the chuletitas de cordero, carrillera and uevos rotos especiales were made for each other! everyone was....