El Pirata Review

El Pirata is tucked away on Down street, a nice quiet street which is a nice five minute walk from Green Park station. The moment we walked through the door, we were greeted with a buzzing atmosphere, tables were full of groups of people, laughing and having a good time. I remember thinking this is definitely a good sign. Also lets not forget it opened in 1994, so they have done a good job in keeping the crowds coming back, time and time again.

Once we were seated, our waiter gave us a warm and friendly welcome, he talked us through his favourite dishes and recommended we start off with the traditional jamón ibérico, along with padron (small green peppers) and toasted bread, topped with warm tomato, garlic and olive. It was a nice start to the meal, which geared us up for the main tapas.

The chicken croquetas came out first and what a delight they were, nice and creamy in the inside, with a crisp batter. Next up was the chicken wings, which came with a nice spicy sauce, giving the chicken a good punch to it. We tried the champinones al ajillo (mushrooms in garlic), alas, this dish lacked the oomph that the first two dishes presented. The roast potatoes in onion, garlic and parsley dish was cooked well, but I can definitely say the meat tapas definitely stole the show on the night. We washed down the remaining tapas with a glass of red wine and then moved onto the dessert menu.

We ordered the homemade chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream and the fruit salad. The chocolate cake was a treat, which hit my sweet tooth nicely and the fruit salad was a nice option for my guest who decided on healthier option.

Our waiter looked after us nicely and it had that family-owned restaurant vibe to it, which I really liked. They have a large bar on the right hand side of the restaurant, suitable for those that wanted to continue drinking after their meal or for those just out for a drink or two. El Pirata serve up traditional Spanish tapas, no modern infusion going on in here… so if you like your tapas authentic, this is the restaurant to book!

Website: www.elpirata.co.uk

Address: El Pirata, 5-6 Down Street, Mayfair, London, W1J 7AQ

Written by Nyla S.