Llerena Spanish Tapas Bar & Restaurant – Islington, London — Restaurant in London

I visited Llerena Spanish Tapas bar & restaurant with some friends and I can only give it 5 stars across the board – food, service and atmosphere. We arrived around 9:30 pm, so the paella was no longer available (it’s served until 5 pm), but that didn’t matter as we enjoyed a wide selection of tapas instead.

We tried a bit of everything: morcilla, chorizo, cheeses, tortilla, calamari, anchovies, croquettes and even dessert. Every single dish was outstanding, authentic flavours that truly represent Spain. Unlike many places that call themselves Spanish restaurants, this one genuinely is, with excellent food at fair prices.

The service was absolutely first-class thanks to Joseph, our waiter, who was very attentive and friendly throughout. Compliments also to the chef, as the food was cooked to perfection.

I wanted my non-Spanish friends to experience proper Spanish cuisine, and this was the perfect choice. The atmosphere and setting made the evening even better. Without doubt, I’ll be coming...

Great and quick pre-theatre dinner, around the corner from Almeida theatre. Jamon Bellota was very good, ox tail croquettes tiny but super tasty, galician style octopus (pulpo) on potato slices sprinkled with smoked paprika - super soft and fantastic despite being quite oily. Service, from Jonatan in particular, was efficient and personal; the only girl server was not very friendly, bit barky with the rest of the staff. I also thought pitching "discretionary service charge" automatically at 20% compared to max London benchmark of 12.5% (if it is charged at all), was rather presumptuous. Very authentic Spanish food prepared by chef from Malaga, and with almost all Spanish staff, adding to the feeling of authenticity to the whole proposition. PS taking on board the reply comment from the restaurant. Definitely recommend, and definitely looking forward to dining there with...

Little shocked it has 4.6 stars. My partner and I were underwhelmed with the food. We started on a high, getting the mix board and pardon peppers but it quickly went downhill when we ordered the fried aubergines (fried in pancake batter and drenched in honey) as well as the chef choice meat entree- it was a bean and black pudding dish. It was fairly watery and didn’t feel like a well thought out dish. We also ordered the salt cod and it tasted like frozen hash browns defrosted and mixed with eggs.

I’m most likely being harsh but I was really looking forward to this place. Will probably not come back as there are plenty other tapas places london, just upsetting that 3/4 dishes were bad and we didn’t even finish them. Unfortunately we left unsatisfied. For reference service is good and price is great, but you get what you pay for I suppose. Hopefully they rework some things...