Fino

I love this tapas bar/restaurant… now I must say that I never treat it as a formal meal out as such and always try to sit at the bar by the kitchen than sit in the actual ‘tabled’ area as for me this provides a better atmosphere where you can enage with the brilliant bar staff, look over the kitchen and really enjoy the atmosphere.

It is not cheap but the tapa's is good and varied… the crispy pork belly is to die for and on the one occassion when I have sat at a table for a more formal meal we had the suckling pig which is rich but amazing!

I can see why people may not rate is that highly as for a ‘formal’ dinner; there are better experiences out there; but for a bottle of wine some light tapas and atmosphere sat at the bar with a date it is a great venue.

Beware. If you like us ended up in this beautifully decorated Charlotte Street basement on account of Gordon Ramsay's latest, self-publicising, piece of commercial TV – you will be gutted. Spanish clearly does not equal Tapas. But Tapas should surely sit within Spanish? And the first few other reviews I have read are spot-on.
This is probably not the best tapas in Charlotte Street let alone London. better elsewhere at a fraction of the price. Our favourite being in Marbella, just up front the yacht club where you pay by the number of “clean sticks” at the end of your evening. And you could EasyJet it there and back, and dine, for less than we paid on Saturday. Our last bill in Marbella being €40 for two including drinks!
Fino.
Four of us dining for my mum's birthday. I'll keep to the facts.
Wine – decent red for £26. So far so good. 8 “grazeing plates” ordered. 3 never came – the razor clams, the plain pan and the tortilla with chorizo. The other 5 at random intervals – which had nothing to do with the time to cook or the pace at which we were eating.
Plain tortilla – very good. Manchego cheese massively over-priced, but tasty. £7.50? Who have we offended? Sardines – ok, tomato bread – by all accounts good and lemon and chillie chicken wings – the best of 5 received from the 8 ordered.
Moving on – my wife had pre-ordered (the need so to do a worry in itself) the suckling pig for 2-3 persons. £35 – now I dont know about you, but for that i would expect it to be (a) perfectly seasoned and (b) one of the best I had ever had.
Neither applied here.
A couple of croquette plates – 2 on each, like something mum would get from Iceland – again stunningly lacking in flavour or seasoning. A long-horn beef stew came to the rescue at this point – very deep and rich flavour – beautifully tender meat – but for around £14 I had hoped for more than 1 piece each. But by this point the extent of the robbery was becoming amusing.
Out of curiosity I asked if the razor clams had surfaced yet – or indeed any of the other missing plates – but language difficulties meant that the manageress appeared next. I am assuming it was a comprehension issue – surely no 20-something waitress would tell a customer quite so agressively and categorically that, despite 4 witnesses asking, no dishes asked after had been ordered. You do remember something like ordering razor clams, it's not really an everyday occurrence.
Anna – the manageress – was of course, charm and warmth personified. Genuinely concerned and wanting to make amends. But then the Spanish lady is a wonderful actress – look at penelope Cruz. Three free deserts and coffees seemed quite acceptable. Nothing wrong with the poached pear, Santiago tart or 3 chocolate desert. In fact very good value for money. Re-read the penultimate sentence at this point.
The cardinal Mendoza brandies were the finale and actually became high point. Quite stunning in fact.
Now here's the issue – I used to be able to get better than this in the Stable Door in Welwyn. And for 4 of us that would have been under £100. Without the peace offerings, this would have exceeded £250. By the way the Alhambra Negra beer forgotten about earlier on was also very good.
But this establishment holds itself up as the very best of its type. Sadly it is nearer to being the worst.
I had assumed an unlucky visit – but then read the other reviews. As Sir Alan would say – if 12 people tell you its an elephant, then it's probably an elephant.
With regards to mood or ambience – very good – and the senior staff really are very good – but unfortunately we were only graced by their attendance as a consequence of the errors made before half-time. There are maybe 30 tables/benches/alcoves below ground at Finos – and a brief review of the occupants of these makes it quite obvious to see what this place has turned into – probably through no fault of its own ; somewhere to bring a boy or girl on a first or second date. In saying “money no object” – which you ARE, if you come here – you will probably get from the non-payer whatever it is you are seeking. The Charlotte Street set in fact, deserve what they have created. And Gordon – shame on you for misleading the public to such an immense degree.
p.s. a previous reviewer. I know where you are coming from, but if you give out 15 points over 4 categories, it is just silly to score the place a one…

Really awful and overpriced – just goes to show that hype is alive and well in medialand.

Backstreet entrance, followed by an institutional corridor to a done-up basement
raw egg in the tortilla, raw crushed garlic on fries, salad literally soaked in vinegar
raw crushed garlic on steak supposedly in a porto sauce-bit of an overdone theme here…
£5 for a glass of orange juice
The food made my girlfriend ill – and she loves spanish food I wasn't ill but then I refused to eat most of mine
Brought back exactly the food I sent back for a second try to try to persuade me to eat it
They bring each plate of food when they feel like it, not side dishes at the same time as mains for example. £46 bill and all we finished were some croquettes – which were liquid inside
staff were lovely though…

Having been told that Fino was being hailed as the best Spanish restaurant in London by Gordon Ramsay and others, I had high expectations. As a Spaniard, I was also really looking forward to it. Unfortunately, I could not have been more disappointed by the food, which fell below the standard I get in my local bar in Barcelona (for a third of the price and without the wait).

They brought the tapas all separately, which meant we spent far too long with very, very little to eat. 30 minutes with a plate of cheese and 3 small, totally unremarkable croquettes, followed by another 30 minutes with a plate of squid that was slimy and flavourless. Then we spent another half hour with a small portion of black rice (arroz negro), which was lukewarm and also lacking in flavour – the fish stock had not been prepared properly. So in the end it took 1 hour and a half hours before the only decent bit of the meal: artichokes and crisp pork belly.

Overall, the food falls well below the standard you would expect for such a restaurant and at these prices. Apparently the chef is Basque and very good, but she's clearly not got a grip on her kitchen. The lengthy and completely uncoordinated serving of the tapas just makes it all the more painful.

I thought that by taking my partner on his birthday to Fino I was making a right and safe choice.
After reading reviews, looking through the gallery and menu on their webpage, having heard about the success of Barrafina, I thought I could not go wrong.

Well, I did go wrong.

The decoration is not great. Maybe it was very trendy about 10 years ago, but it needs some updating. It looks nothing like the pictures on their website.
The service in general is a bit careless. They seem quite dozed off.

The food is very good. Flavors are great. We ordered the charcuterie platter which I wasn´t particularly pleased with, but the ham and potatoes croquettes were great, the artichokes as well. The prawns are very enjoyable, so were the scallops. And the desserts, in this case crema catalana and a selection of ice creams are quite good, but not surprising either.

If you do not care about the atmosphere and the service, and you are just looking for a great spanish meal, then this is the place.
If you want to be surprised with flavors, and well treated, then maybe try Casa Brindisa. Another lovely spanish restaurant with good service and similar food standards.

Fino did not live up to its reputation. . Many of the dishes were average but the price was high. Also we were a group of 5 seated at a large round table , the background noise was so such that conversation was only possible with the adjacent persons. We have had much better food at a reasonable price at Dehesa and Salt Yard .

After hearing lots of recommendations for Fino, I was really looking forward to dining there. However, the experience failed to live up to it's reputation and glowing reviews.
Most of the dishes we ordered didn't even get to the level of most local tapas restaurants. I've enjoyed far better Padron peppers at Carmen in Clapham common, and the tortilla was nowhere near what you'd get at Brindisa.

But, it was the service which was the real let down of the night. Firstly, the scowling receptionist was anything but welcoming and helpful. To drink, we selected a 1998 Urbina, but were presented with a 1999 bottle, when asked if we could have the year we requested we were told this had sold out months ago. Would've been helpful if they updated their wine list.
We sent back three dishes as they were either cold or inedible – the rump of lamb was so tough it was virtually impossible to eat, unless you wanted to spend ten minutes chewing.
The atmosphere was rather subdued for a Friday night, with the sound of smashing dishes as waitresses dropped trays frequently ringing through the restaurant.

I wish I'd walked a little further down the road and gone to Salt Yard, where you know you won't be disappointed by the food or the service. I will not be going again, although I did have a good martini at the bar.

Fino is disappointing. Sincerely, and being a Spanish national, I dont have a clue why squaremeal has rated this restaurant with two stars…
This restaurant is clearly overpriced and you dont get a taste of what a tapas type of experience is like. The modern decor also is not appropriate for this type of cuisine. The wine was good but overpriced and the food very average. One advise: look for better Spanish restaurants in London. This one is not worth it.

Settle in to the gorgeous banquettes, order some pan con tomate, a plate of Jamon De Jabugo and a glass of Manzanilla, and peruse the enormous tapas menu (being careful not to set fire to it on the table candle, as I managed to do whilst entertaining clients once). Fino is rightly regarded is one of the finest restaurants in London, quite an achievement in itself, made even more so by the fact that its secluded basement setting is never going to catch any passing trade.

Yes, it can get expensive with all those tempting little plates, and yes the menu doesn't change on a particularly regular basis, but the food is never short of superb and the atmosphere just that right low level buzz that allows conversation without having to raise your voice, yet let's you know that you are in what might have been called a happening place in my grand-parent's time.

Wow!
The food was so tasty & delicious, I will definetly be revisiting & recommending Fino to friends & family. Was quite pricey, but we did over-indulge with slightly too much food and wine. Service was very good, and quick. If Fino were any bigger it would probably become too much of a production line. Service was efficient, although slightly impersonal, but on the whole I would say it was pretty perfect.

Still my favourite restaurant in London. Great atmospher, friendly and attentive service and the odd appearance from the Hart's themselves. Food is so good I even once called up to speak to the chef about how he cooked his brocolli! Value for money is best on a deal (sometimes 50% off food), which allows you to splash out on excellent wine. They also have a good selection of dessert wine and brandy. Point to note is that not all mobiles work down here, so good for some, not for other. Cracking cocktails too – I recommended the Tanqueray 10 Martini (with a twist). Never failed to love it here.

The new restaurant is more like a cattle market… no longer as personal and intimate as it used to be. More emphasis put on numbers through the door than for service and quality.

Great pity as it is ‘really’ only expensive bar food at the end of the day!

We ended up paying nigh on £80per head… which is ridiculous!

Will not be going again and certainly will not be recommending it to any one either.

Having heard such great things about Fino, and being a fan of tapas, I was really looking forward to eating there. However, the experience sadly did not match up to the reputation. The chorizo croquetas were extremely greasy and the ‘milk fed lamb cutlets’ were nothing special at all (though the broccoli was magnificent and almost worth going to Fino for on its own).

In terms of service, having ordered the ‘trio of turron’, I was given a plate with only two types on it (no explanation given) and when I asked where the ‘yema tostada’ was (which was the missing part) I was told “Oh yes. We've run out of it. We didn't think you'd notice.” Nice attitude to your clientele.

The criticism of the atmosphere is perhaps unfortunate, as the table next to us had become quite drunk and loud. However, the staff did not apologise (even though it was not their fault personally) for the disruption to our meal.

Far from being the best tapas in town, I found it unispired. Try La Bota in Crouch End (for rustic authenticity), El Pirata in Mayfair or Moro on Exmouth Market (for good higher end food) and Meson Don Felipe on the Cut (for crusty, hearty food and a bit of flamenco guitar). Mar I Terra on Air Street or in Southwark is also lovely. Brindisa is another where you can't go wrong. With this many good tapas bars, I don't understand why people rave about Fino.

The second best restaurant in a basement! The food (tapas) is wonderful, the best selection of sherry in town and a really good wine list. The service is attentive, friendly and efficient.