Barcelona Tapas Bar y Restaurante Middlesex Street

Spanish, Tapas·
££££
·

Good to know

Average Price
££££ - £30 - £49
Cuisines
Spanish, Tapas
Ambience
Fun, Lively
Food Occasions
Dinner, Lunch
Perfect for
Birthdays, Celebrations, Dates
Food Hygiene Rating

About

If you're looking for authentic Spanish tapas in London, surely, there can be no better place than a family-run restaurant that's been going for over 30 years? Barcelona Tapas Bar y Restaurante has a great location in the heart of the City, just a few minute's walk from both Aldgate East and Liverpool Street stations. But, once inside, you'll forget all about the hustle and bustle of central London, and feel instantly transported by the authentic vibe. 

The intimate space is split over two levels, boasting a cosy mezzanine floor. The walls are hued a vibrant shade of yellow, and colourful, flamboyant matador outfits are displayed to celebrate the country's culture. The team are incredibly passionate about sharing their recommendations, especially for the wine list, which is curated from all Spanish producers - so be sure to ask for their advice. 

Moving onto the food, and there's a mouth-watering selection of tapas, split up into several sections across a lengthy menu. From the sea, you'll find dishes like octopus sprinkled in sea salt on a bed of potatoes, as well as black Galician mussels with tomato sofrito, chorizo and white wine. While dishes from land include slow cooked beef meatballs in a rich sauce, and tender pork cheeks braised in Rioja red wine with mash.

You also can't go wrong with a traditional Spanish potato and onion omelette, or croquettes filled with wild mushroom and truffle oil, alongside monkfish and prawn or Ibérico ham. If you're feeling a little overwhelmed, though, try the set menu which hasn't changed since 1991 and includes eight dishes with options for vegetarian and vegan diners, too.


FAQs

Are there vegan options?

Yes

Helpful? 0

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Location

1 Middlesex Street, Aldgate, London, E1 7AA

020 7377 5111 020 7377 5111

Website

Opening Times

All day
Mon 11:00-23:00
Tue 11:00-23:00
Wed 11:00-23:00
Thu 11:00-23:00
Fri 11:00-23:00
Sat Closed
Sun Closed

Reviews

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15 Reviews 
Food/Drink
Service
Atmosphere
Value

MarkC

15 February 2024   - Verified Diner
Food & Drink 5
Service 5
Atmosphere 3.5
Value 4.5
Excellent traditional tapas restaurant

We enjoyed a very pleasant lunch here. Very good selection of traditional tapas followed by an excellent paella. All were well cooked and we'll presented. Decent wine list and as you would expect the Rioja sent down very well.

Good selection of Spanish desserts accompanied by an aged Oloroso sherry.

Service was very friendly and prompt.

Highly recommended and we would visit again

Sunilkumar V

01 October 2023   - Verified Diner
Food & Drink 5
Service 5
Atmosphere 5
Value 5

Andrew S

30 March 2023   - Verified Diner
Food & Drink 5
Service 5
Atmosphere 5
Value 5
Great food

Choice of dishes excellent, great food and good atmosphere.

Yvonne F

29 January 2023   - Verified Diner
Food & Drink 5
Service 5
Atmosphere 5
Value 5
Lovely restaurant

Lovely and cozy ambiance, great food, very good service. We had a fantastic time.

Daniel M

26 February 2022  
Food & Drink 5
Service 5
Atmosphere 5
Value 5
Excellent Spanish food and wine

Absolutely loved this Tapas Restaurant. Family run with an incredible atmosphere. All the Tapas were delicious, meatballs melted in your mouth, the calamari and octopus were cooked to perfection. We had a range of deserts  which were lovely and the staff also ensured we had lactose free options. Looking forward to coming back soon.

E2 Poodlefakir

21 October 2019   - Verified Diner
Food & Drink 4.5
Service 5
Atmosphere 4
Value 2
Lovely but pricey

Went on a Saturday night with a friend for dinner. Only two or three other tables in use. Lovely freindly helpful staff, and the food was exquisite.

This is a funny part of town being on the fringes of the city, and trendy Spitalfields/Shoreditch night life. Could be a lot busier if it wasn't so pricey - £50 a head with only a couplke of drinks each. Ouch!

 

Melanie Mason

13 May 2019   - Verified Diner
Food & Drink 4
Service 4
Atmosphere 3
Value 4
A little tapas

I would recommend tapas when you're seated in a restaurant window and there is torrential rain outside - you can dream of Spanish sunshine.  Always a pleasure to dine at Barcelona.  It wasn't a busy lunchtime but the recommended Rioja made it a very enjoyable lunch. 

Andrew T

15 June 2017  
Superb food and service.

Stella S

10 July 2013  
Food & Drink 2
Service 3
Atmosphere 2
Value 2
Disappointing
I chose Barcelona Tapas after reading all the good reviews on Square Meal and other sites. However the place turned out to be very disappointing. We had one of the set menus with a mix of different types of tapas. While the classic ones (tortilla, albondigas, chorizo) were pretty tasty, the seafood ones were very tasteless and horrible. Mussels were dry and far from being fresh Likewise, the paella was dry and glued to the paella-pan. It tasted and looked like one of those yellow paellas that you find in those very touristy areas of Madrid or Barcelona. Also, the service (more than 10%) came included in the bill although it was just two of us and although the waitresses kept forgetting to bring water or take orders. Maybe we had the bad luck of having dinner there on the wrong night but I doubt I will give them another try.

Mike T

04 May 2013  
Food & Drink 5
Service 5
Atmosphere 4
Value 5
British Catalonia
This is a very good restaurant. Tapas are not authentic – they have been adapted to appeal – but are uniformly very tasty. Tortilla Espanola was particularly impressive, with its runny interior. Seafood is fine and light, paella tasty and hamon serrano freshly cut and flavoursome. Wine list was the highlight of the vsist, so much so that the choice was difficult: I will have to come back, to sample some bottles I earmarked. Finally, service was prompt, friendly, unobtrusive and highly professional. All in all, excellent!
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