Boquerones Tapas and Cocktails — Restaurant in Newcastle upon Tyne

An overall amazing place for tasty, affordable, authentic tapas with generous portions, in a well decorated lively atmosphere with quick and friendly service.

I recently went here with my family while visiting for the holidays, and was pleasantly surprised. I'm not usually, unfortunately, one for trying new places, between the anxiety and neurodivergence, but the atmosphere was warm and welcoming, even if it was busy, and we had to wait to be seated, even past the time we booked a table. Needless to say, they apologetically took our orders of drinks and food while we waited, so it was ready as soon as we were seated.

Now, I only ordered one cocktail, and it was amazing, and there were many more to choose from, offering a range of unique interests cocktail builds, and an array of classics too.

The food was wonderful, some of the best food I've had possibly ever. I think I'd struggle to find something on this menu (which is neatly organized for mobile with e QR Code) that I didn't like. And again, this is coming from a relatively fussy eater, and I loved everything. I found myself so full, but enjoying the food so much I just couldn't stop.

The service is kind and friendly, servers even stopping for chats, recognizing regulars, and seemingly trying to build community actively within the local area.

Now. I wish I could be 100% impressed. But there was one thing that let me down with this place. This isn't the time or the place to discuss gendered vs. non-gendered bathrooms but; this establishment has 2 toilets that are INDIVIDUAL stalls (a room with a toilet and sink), and yet they're gendered, for seemingly no reason. It makes even less sense when the one accessible bathroom is also labelled as female? What? They are toilets for 1 person; gendering these toilets does nothing but directly target and harm gender non-conforming or trans* individuals, putting in place barriers for their needs and comforts, and oddly in this instance, creates a strange scenario for disabled men who must use the 'female' restroom. It's odd. Making both of these rooms unisex, while identifying the assessable toilet as such would ONLY make a more comfortable environment for marginalised people. But I digress.

Overall, a lovely place, which came to around £120 for a family of 5, which included a bottle of wine and drinks, and we were all stuffed. I'm definitely planning on dining here again if...

I've walked past this place plenty of times over the years, and never decided to go in. What a mistake! This was possibly the best tapas I've ever had.

I always order patatas bravas in a new place, because it's a "safe bet", but theirs was good enough to be the star of the show!

Everything was so flavourful and well crafted: the duck & orange croquettes were incredible; the chicken stew was mouthwatering; even the frittata had a subtle, smokey flavour; and it all worked so well together.

I was underwhelmed by the dish the restaurant is named after (small sprats, sliced and marinated), but only because I had imagined it as big chunks of whitefish, so that's my own fault 😆

Service was friendly and prompt: even though we hadn't booked. Asif made us feel welcome, and well looked after.

10/10 would come here again. I just wish I'd discovered this place before I moved from Newcastle...

I found this little delight around September 2024 and can't stop visiting. We always receive a lovely warm welcome from Jan and her team. With different palettes to please from our dining party, the lovely authentic tapas menu has much to offer for everyone. I particularly enjoy the chorizo bathed in a delicious honey (mop up the sauce with the bread 🤤) along with the variety of croquettes. The homemade bread and aiolo is a big hit with all of our party and the fresh smell makes you crave more and more. The locally sourced steak is our must have accompanied with a portion of beautifully seasoned roast potatoes. A lovely place for a quick light bite but even better if you've got time to work your way through the menu and accompany with some beautiful cocktails and wine. Beware once you've tried you'll soon fall in the trap of wanting to return many...