El Pirata - Spanish Tapas Bar, London

It was a true delight when we found this tapas bar, as we have longed to taste real Spanish food. A little tucked away at from hustle and bustle of Picadilly but it's practically only a short walk from it, is where El Pirata located. Attractive looking establishment, rich with typical Spanish touch, Spanish waiting staff, Spanish style bar and of course Spanish only menu. On top of that, it opens all day long! Ah, we definitely found a spot that we can visit frequently. 

Like a couple who have not been eating for the whole week, we felt like we had to order so many food all at once. Just to show how keen we were to devour the food served. We started with Jamon Iberico - of course. We could not visit a Spanish tapas bar and not eating their fine cured ham. We followed it with Gambas al Pil-Pil, super tasty prawn soaked in olive oil, garlic and dried chili. Great to dunk the bread into it. Not forgetting Pulpo a la Gallega - thinly sliced octopus with a sprinkle of olive oil and paprika. All those tapas we enjoyed with perfectly chilled Spanish Rose wine. 

We did not stop just there though, we continued with fried Sardinas Fritas and Calamares a la Plancha . We returned all the plates clear, that was just to show how good the food were. We were full at that point, but we were not ready to give up as our Paella Valenciana was on it's way. Another beautiful dish delivered successfully. Struggled to finish it but we succeeded. We could even manage some Flan - Creme Caramel, a great dessert to end a great meal. And if you prefer to end your meal with cognac, we would recommend you to try Spanish version of it, Torres. We bet you will enjoy it, a good quality and smooth liqueur without a hefty price tag. 

We have visited this tapas bar several time now and not once we got disappointed. So consistency of quality has been maintained well. Prices also very reasonable. Service may not be the finest, but eh.. this is a tapas bar, it is not a michelin star restaurant that cost us an arm and a leg, the staff are definitely very friendly. We would definitely recommend this tapas bar to everybody!


El Pirata
5-6 Down Street, London W1J 7AQ
Phone: +44 20 77491 3810
Website: www.elpirata.co.uk