El Pirata

El Pirata has been serving the best Spanish tapas and has been one of the top tapas bar and restaurants in London since 1994. We are also known for our superb function party room in Mayfair, knightsbridge, belgravia, kensington

El Pirata of Mayfair, Tapas Restaurant Espanol, Spanish Tapas London

For nearly a quarter of a century, El Pirata has been serving tapas to customers including local office workers, South American oilmen, Japanese diplomats, Mayfair hedge fund managers – and the occasional celebrity, like Queen guitarist Brian May and that most famous of modern pirates, film star Johnny Depp.

The secret to El Pirata’s long success is simple: a vast choice of good Spanish food and wine served quickly by friendly waiters in an informal restaurant that feels more Madrid than Mayfair.

Tucked away in a quiet residential street between Piccadilly and Park Lane, and close to the historic site of the bawdy fair that gave Mayfair its name, El Pirata is proud to give its customers exactly what they want.

There is a wide range of food and wine on offer – with more than 60 dishes on the menu from restaurant specials like cochinillo a la traditional (roast suckling pig with potatoes) to tapas classics including boquerones (anchovies in vinegar), patatas bravas (deep-fried potatoes in a chilli and garlic sauce) and pescados y mariscos fritos de rape (deep fried medallions of monkfish).

El Pirata’s Menu to Share at £25 each include up to ten tapas dishes.

http://www.elpirata.co.uk

REVIEW: El Pirata, Down Street, Mayfair - The Foodaholic

Here the rice was very well cooked and the black quid ink and chunks of fresh squid meant for a rather delicate dish, whose fishy flavour wasn’t overpowering.

I enjoyed pretty much everything here at El Pirata but one dish in particular really failed to excite me (or perhaps I should say it satisfied me too much).

The chorizo was of good quality too, had a nice texture and with a deep flavour and good amount of smoked paprika oil leaking out if it, just the right amount to realise your only a few steps away from that heart attack.

In fact desserts were actually the low point for me here at El Pirata.

At some points the food here is so good that it means the other dishes almost have to step up, in line of competition.

El Pirata: A Little Slice of Spain in Mayfair | Restaurant Review

Although El Pirata is located in one of London’s grandest postcodes, famous for iconic hotels such as The Dorchester and sleek restaurants such as Nobu; El Pirata’s cosy, rustic charm is a welcoming contrast.

With over 60 different tapas dishes on the menu – including traditional favourites such as shellfish paella and patatas bravas – you’re spoilt for choice when choosing what to eat at El Pirata.

This was shortly followed by padrón peppers, tabla de quesos y membrillo (four Spanish cheeses: Manchego, Guadamur, Mahon and Cabrales, served with quince jelly), boquerones (anchovies in vinegar), grilled wild asparagus and Iberian ham (apparently made from the best acorn-fed ‘Black Foot’ pig), as well as some pan con tomate for good measure (I firmly believe you can never have too much bread on the table).

After we had made our way through these plates, we were presented with the patatas bravas (you can judge a good tapas restaurant by how well they do the sauce on this dish),  garbanzos con pisto (chickpeas with slow-cooked aubergine, courgettes & peppers; admittedly more of a winter dish but still delicious), and then two types of croquettes – meat and vegetable.

Although the dishes may not be particularly inventive, it doesn’t matter, as El Pirata is so confident in it’s approach to traditional comfort-food tapas that it’s no wonder the restaurant has been popular with Londoners for over twenty years.

El Pirata Detapas: London Restaurants Review - 10Best Experts ...

Not to be mistaken by its slightly more traditional Mayfair location, El Pirata, this is the sleek, slightly more hip Notting Hill location, El Pirata Detapas.

The restaurant is cosy with simple... Read More Not to be mistaken by its slightly more traditional Mayfair location, El Pirata, this is the sleek, slightly more hip Notting Hill location, El Pirata Detapas.

The restaurant is cosy with simple decor - Spanish street art hangs from the walls and tables are arranged close together.

The menu combines traditional and modern dishes from a long tapas menu; jamon, croquetas and pardon peppers sit alongside modern dishes such as poached egg at 65 centigrade with truffle and potato mush.

El Pirata Tapas Bar, Mayfair, London - Review of El Pirata

So, I was delighted to be invited along to a wine and tapas matching evening at El Pirata, especially as I am no expert on Spanish wine and really do enjoy being guided through the best wines to pair with food.

Moving on to a glass of white wine, PradoRey Verdejo, we learnt that this 100% verdejo grape wine is mechanically harvested at night to minimise the length of time from harvest to winery.

This wine comes from a part of Spain very close to the Basque region where I spent a few days last year.

A young, light and fresh wine it’s the opposite of popular perception of Rioja and worked beautifully with both the plain grilled Atlantic prawns and what I believe were red prawns that we enjoyed.

By this stage, I was beginning to flag and was glad to move onto a more robust red wine, a soft, warm Hito Ribera del Duero tinto, to accompany the Morcilla, the chickpea stew, the Pork Cheeks and the Iberian pork shoulder.

Restaurant Review: El Pirata, Mayfair in London | Luxury Lifestyle ...

It’s a warm Tuesday evening and as we step into El Pirata, Mayfair, its tables have already gathered their own collection of traditional tapas dishes and generous glasses of wine.

With over 60 tapas dishes and 140 Spanish wines to choose from and with prices that are not typical of Mayfair, El Pirata is the gift that keeps giving.

Led by Head Chef Rosendo Simbana who is renowned for cooking some of the best tapas in London, El Pirata’s specialties include Langostinos al chef (grilled king prawns in a sauce of tomato, garlic and white wine); Calamares con arroz negro (black rice and squid); Pincho moruno con chorizo (marinated chicken skewers with chorizo) and Fritos de rape (deep fried medallions of monk fish).

Alongside tapas, El Pirata offers larger, traditional special dishes including Cochinillo a la traditional (roasted suckling pig with potatoes in a traditional style) and Lubina a la Espalda (whole grilled butterflied sea bass, with garlic and chilli, olive oil, sherry vinegar and served with fresh beans and pobre potatoes).

I have often said it is hard to find real Spanish tapas in London that hasn’t been diluted by some modern fusion; but with a menu that carves out the culinary signposts of Spain, El Pirata contently dishes up tradition with no new style nonsense.

Restaurant review: El Pirata | Psychologies

The name of this authentic Spanish tapas restaurant, El Pirata, translates to 'the pirate', and that most famous of modern Hollywood pirates, Johnny Depp, has been known to tuck into the tapas here.

The selection of tapas is extensive with over 60 dishes, and if you're feeling a bit overwhelmed with the choice, there are a couple of reasonably priced set menus to go for.

My friend and I decided to be daring and picked our own selection of dishes to share which included montaditos de jamón serrano (toasted bread with olive oil and tomatoes topped with cured ham), mar y tierra (prawns in olive oil, pimentos and wild mushrooms), fabada (bean stew with chorizo sausage and pancetta), pimiento relleno (red pepper stuffed with vegetable risotto and cheese) and sardinas fritas (fried sardines in lemon, parsley and white wine).

The wine list is also extensive with, as you might expect, a great choice of Spanish wines –over 140 to choose from – and the friendly, knowlegable and attentive staff will guide you if you don't know your Merlot from your Malbec.

But you don't need to break the bank to have an enjoyable, good-quality meal here – the prices are very reasonable, especially considering the area of London where it is, so the next time you want to recreate that Spanish holiday feeling, head to El Pirata – you'll leave on a high with a very full belly.

Restaurant Review – El Pirata | The London Economic

Yet according to their website, Mayfair tapas restaurant El Pirata (‘The Pirate’, in English) are very proud that the Queen guitarist once visited and said, “El Pirata rocks”.

Having been around for just under a quarter of a century, El Pirata is a delightfully informal spot that owes its success to “a vast choice of good Spanish food and wine served quickly by friendly waiters in an informal restaurant that feels more Madrid than Mayfair.”

From the menu’s ‘meat’ heading, Riñones (£4.95) is a dish of kidneys stewed in sherry wine.

Iron rich kidneys and sweet wine are best of friends (even though the same cannot be said for alcohol when teamed with human kidneys) and taste unsurprisingly sating in collaboration.

El Pirata serve a dish of baby eels (£8.65), which arrives in a terracotta pot like the ones used for side dishes at Nando’s.

El Pirata | Restaurants in Mayfair, London

Suited types flock to this Mayfair tapas bar, which does a recession-friendly £10.25 set lunch deal that includes a glass of wine.

Lunch is aimed at the time-poor.

Dull sliced bread struck another low note, as did the whiffy basement toilets.

Coffees, a shared plate of top-notch Spanish cheeses with quince (we couldn’t face the fried bananas) and two extra glasses of vino blanco brought the bill to £45 for two.

Eat at the outside tables in summer or sit at the restaurant’s snazzy bar, but avoid the gloomy basement.