Testimonials and reviews

This is truly one of the best tapas bars I have ever been too. The food is excellent - particularly the creamed potatoes, the service is as good as the wine. The prices are very reasonable and I would really recommend this to anyone who likes tapas.

Review by A.K.

Upon recommendation of a friend I went for one of my regular "Girl's Night Out" dinners at Navarro's last night. It was a rather reduced group, actually there were only two of us, but we both agreed it was a wonderful evening, and definitely somewhere we're going to return to, dragging our other female friends with us.

Oddly enough, almost the entire top floor was "Girls Night Out" - a single romantic couple being seeded amongst the tables of two, three and four all-female groups. My friend and I were pondering this phenomena, and came to the conclusion tapas is so popular with women as we like to pick at things during dinner, whereas men prefer to sit down to a slab of meat and hearty side of potatoes. A hugely-generalized theory I realise, but one I'm convinced holds a kernal of truth to it!

The decor at Navarro's is charming, with walls covered to midway with Spanish tiles and dark, decorative wrought ironwork lining the rooms. Tables and chairs are of dark wood with tile insets, matching the flooring. Although the tables are quite close and it got rather noisy later in the evening (we arrived at 7 and left a couple of hours later), it was a sociable rather than drunken noisiness. The bathrooms had a good standard of decorating and cleanliness.

The Spanish staff were all very pleasant and service was at a good pace - not too fast and not too slow. The first waitress had a little trouble with her English vs. my Kiwi accent as I was waiting for my friend, Queen of the Late Arrival (though she was only 7 minutes tardy so it didn't really count at all), and my normal aperitif of Campari & Soda had to be surrendered to the more comprehensible choice of a Still Water.

To drink with dinner we each had a glass of the house Rioja, Navahas Tinto 2003/4. My friend liked this immediately, but I didn't. However I found that once I'd let it breathe for a few minutes it improved immensely. The menu blurb describes it as "Dark plummy ruby, this is dry but exceptionally fruity with distinctively cherry-like fruit and overtones of warm vanilla oak" and that seems a fair enough description.

On to the meal! Our waitress suggested we order 2 - 3 tapas each, so following her suggestion we ordered:

BOMBAS DE PATATAS Y VERDURAS (£3.75)
A blend of creamed potatoes, vegetables and herbs, deep-fried and topped with alioli and pimenton.

These came as two little mounds on the plate, resembling nothing so much as a pair of Page 3 Girl breasts! Schoolboy humour aside, they were nicely cooked, and well - but not over - flavoured. I think I prefer them to the more usual order of fried potatoes in spicy tomato and chilli sauce.

ENSALADA DE NARANJA Y AGUACATE AL VINAGRE DE JEREZ (£3.95)
Juicy Seville oranges and avocado salad dressed with olive oil and vintage sherry vinegar.

Delicious! An excellent combination I will be using for my own home salads.

BOQUERONES EN VINAGRE (£3.95)
Fresh anchovies, marinated with garlic and vinegar, dressed with olive oil.

I just love this dish and always order it. Due to a fish intolerence I can only ever eat a couple of anchovies, but that's enough. I've persuaded several friends (whose initial reaction seems to always be to wrinkle their nose in disgust) to try them and like them. Navarro's anchovies were plump, exhibited the yielding sponginess of the obviously fresh, and were mouthwateringly tasty. My friend is now a convert too.

CHORIZO PICANTE AL COÑAC (£4.15)
Spicy Spanish sausage flambéed with brandy.

Another dish it's hard not to order. Unfortunately this was the only dud of the evening. Although the chorizo had the usual lovely piquancy, it was too thinly cut and overcooked - burnt in places. The tough texture ruined it. But as every other tapas was excellent, I'm quite happy to forgive them screwing this one up.

POLLO CON CHOCOLATE (£4.95)
Fillets of chicken breast, cooked with vegetables, spices, brandy and chocolate.

My friend practically had a mouthgasm when she tasted this dish - which was rather amusing as she'd felt dubious about ordering it. I'd eaten other Spanish and Mexican savoury dishes with chocolate in them however, so I was expecting it to be good and I wasn't disappointed. The chicken breasts (there were two of them) were moistly tender and flavoursome, and the sauce was light, smooth and exquisitely balanced in flavour between the chocolate, spices and brandy. Definitely the star of the evening.

PULPO A LA GALLEGA (£5.95)
Galician style octopus served hot on a wooden platter with sliced boiled potatoes, liberally sprinkled with pimenton, sea salt and olive oil.

This ran a close second for place as 'best tapas'. The rounds of octopus were absolutely perfectly cooked to a melt-in-your-mouth texture, and the light dressing bought their taste out beautifully. Sadly this didn't get justice done to it as it was brought out later than the other dishes and we were too full to finish it off.

After all this we both felt stuffed. Next time, five dishes between two people is definitely the maximum. Dessert - although tempting-sounding - just didn't get a look in, and we rounded the evening off with a couple of cups of good coffee. The bill for the two of us, including extras of olives, bread, two glasses of wine, a bottle of water and two coffees, and also including 10% service charge, came to a very respectable £45.00. Not just tasty, but good value also. In summary, I was very impressed with the food, service, cost and atmosphere of Navarro's and I definitely recommend this as being an excellent restaurant to visit when next you feel in the mood for Spanish tapas.

NB: This is a very popular restaurant, so be sure to book. I booked the day before and they only had tables left for couples.

Review by Christina Nevin - Wednesday, August 17, 2005

I am spanish and I can say tapas from this restaurant are real and delicious spanish tapas, congratulations to the cheff!!

I like the tipical decoration from Andalucia, the flamenco music and the very very friendly waiters. I understand perfectly the reasons because this restaurant is always full.

There I enjoyed a meal with some friends, we loved the spanish omelette, the bacalao, the croquetas, a delicious salad with orange and avocado, the patatas bravas, the prawns..., and after the desserts were lovely and to finish, some coffes (particulary good the capuchino).

Navarro's is well worth a visit!!!!

Review by Rocio - Sunday, July 24, 2005

Had a fantastic meal there last night. Great menu, tasty food and generous helpings. Would've been less than £30 a head if had a sensible amount of food and drinks

Review by Simon, London - Friday, July 01, 2005

I had a fantastic meal in Navarros last friday. The place was busy, and looked a little crowded but it suprisingly works. The Spanish decor and friendly waitresses makes you feel as though you are in a real Spanish restaurant. The food was great, with a really good selection of offer. The Sangria washed the meal down nice, and the price was reasonable to - about £22 a head. The only thing that annoyed me slightly was the length of weight until we were given the set menus - but it's just a small gripe. I'd definately recommend it.

Review by Paul Tucker - Tuesday, March 15, 2005

Great, great food. Genuinely high quality fine wine list. Estrella Damm on tap! What else do you need! Never seems to disappoint and continues to serve up traditional Spanish tapas of the highest quality. Book early though because you will nearly always struggle to get a last minute table at the end of the week.

Review by Anonymous - Friday, January 28, 2005

This is an absolute favourite with readers, who recommend Navarro’s for its ‘lively & enjoyable’ atmosphere, ‘wonderful’ tapas & ‘great value’. The ‘top-drawer’ cooking is ‘very Spanish & very rich’ & works best with tried-&-tested classics such as ‘excellent’ chicken on skewers, tuna & chicory salad, garlic mushrooms & seafood a la plancha.

Review by Square Meal, 2004

Navarro's Tapas Bar kicks all that chain competition to the kerb. Still busy, after years of being around, if you don't book at Navarro's Tapas Bar you'll probably be left pressing your nose against the glass hungrily. Serves you right.

Review by Anonymous - May, 4, 2005

Excellent food, good service, friendly and efficient staff, ambience great, overall v.good.

Review by Network Housing - 10 August 2005

Best Restaurant in London - my absolute favourite. Great staff, great food, great atmosphere.

Review by Anonymous - 28 July 2004

Navarro’s is THE best Spanish tapas joint I’ve been to in London. Okay - admittedly it is also only the second one I’ve been to but I absolutely guarantee that this place will charm you and have you coming back for more.

Atmosphere-wise: The restaurant has two floors - the upstairs dining area shares the space with a deli and downstairs is nice and intimate. Both are decorated in genuine Spanish decor. The staff are friendly and amusingly dressed in national dress. Food-wise: The menu is extensive and varied and prices are reasonable. We regretted not going for a ‘brochette’ (giant hanging skewers of king prawns/lamb/chicken or mushroom) which we saw dangling on our neighbours table - good enough to snatch off their table but we behaved ourselves and promised the treat for next time.

You would be well served to book in advance, especially towards the end tail of the week.

Review by GraceK - 9 June 2005