Pizarro — Restaurant in London

Pizzaro was great! It combined casual yet attentive service with great food.

The restaurant was a little difficult to reach on public transport - about the only negative thing I can say about the place. But 15min walk is hardly an effort to get to an excellent restaurant like Pizzaro.

The restaurant has big windows facing the street as well as several C shaped sofa seats facing open kitchen as well as conventional tables. Kitchen is brightly lit compared to the tables adding to theatrical feel and romance. Atmosphere was relaxed we didn't feel intimidated and it was great to see a couple work little babies being offered space and support to enjoy their meal (I think too often London forgets young family might also want to enjoy great food!).

Service matched the decor and atmosphere. Waiting team was prompt, responsive and obviously passionate. I asked about couple of dishes and detailed description by our waiter was so good we could almost taste it. Food came out quickly but without being rushed. Our little plates were changed when it needed to be changed without having to ask. Even carafe wines could be refilled when I simply asked 'more of the same please' - something that can only be done if the waiter knows the table and many restaurants struggles to do.

And the food. Every thing was excellent. Croquettes were creamy and cheesy. Arroz de pisto (a bit like paella made with rice only) sounds simple but cooking and taste was anything but simple. Bacala fritters were full of taste of cod without any hint of fishiness. Spanish black pudding was so good I could have easily eaten another plate. About the only disappointment was the restaurant selling out on couple of their popular dishes - that's what you get got going late on Sunday and I'd recommend going early! We were too full to have dessert and the tart had sold out anyway so we skipped dessert.

I'm no wine buff and I wouldn't be able to say if the wine list is good. Carafe wines were not over priced although it was nothing special and would have been nicer to have slightly better wine at £17 for 375ml - but don't take my word, as I'm a novice on wines.

Interestingly the bill was similar to our previous night at different restaurant. But unlike the above restaurant, we were full, atmosphere was enjoyable and food was much, much better. We will return again (at earlier time to enjoy their...

On my way to Pizarro I walked past Jose, the sister tapas bar to this place, which was packed to the brim! I was so glad we made a booking for Pizarro instead.

When we arrived in the evening the place only had a few guests seated but it soon filled up. The waitress was quite friendly in explaining the menu and the specials, and we were off!

Starter: We ordered the octopus, which was basically a gigantic tentacle on your plate. Very fresh and tasty.

Our party also ordered jamon and we watched them slice it at the bar, amazing to watch! It was very delicious indeed....wish I was in Spain and could stuff my face full of these!!

The highlight of the meal was the head of hake. It came in a huge oven dish and don't be deceived by the name of the dish. This could easily feed two people as it was shared between the table. The garlic oil was just right, not too greasy. The fish melted in my mouth and the potatoes were nice (but not amazing).

We also had a dish which our party said was pork but looked more like beef steak! They were all complimenting on how soft the inside was and how crunchy the outside, although I do not think it was anything too special.

Near the end of our meal a male staff came over and asked us how we were doing and even took the time to explain our dessert to us (sorry, don't remember what it was called but it was puzzling us what we were eating). This was a very nice touch.

Overall it was a nice place for gatherings and I would bring friends here to experience the...

Let down by the food, which is the main thing. It's all just okay and quite salty. Main thing: we mostly booked for that incredible-looking suckling lamb and baked potato. If you're the same, don't bother – they don't do it anymore, apparently. Now, it's an oil-doused (not jus-covered) leg of lamb with overly sweet caramelised onion gratin to accompany. It wasn't a great flavour combo or good stand alone flavours, and we really just wanted the dish that we've been lusting over... I've no idea why they'd change it. When it was brought to the table, I asked why it was changed and the waitress said 'no, it's always served like this'; which is obviously not true, look at the photo reviews here. It probably has now changed on the menu but we didn't notice. Besides that, the daily croquettes (chilli and chicken) were crispy outside, flavourful and creamy inside; the jamon croquettes were not as good, overpowered with the saltiness of jamon. Raw Mediterranean prawns melted in your mouth but again, so salty. Flavours need balancing. There was no stand out dish overall, and we left just feeling like it was fine, but we wouldn't return or recommend over other restaurants. Especially as it's not cheap. Switch the lamb dish back... there's a reason it's posted everywhere, surely? Service and atmosphere are all...