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Meson don Felipe | WeAreWaterloo
The first traditional tapas restaurant in London, Meson don Felipe has been serving piquillos con gambas, berenjena rellena and sardinas fritas to hungry theatregoers and office workers for more than a quarter of a century.
In recent years, owner Philip Diment has branched out into running his own Spanish vineyards, and the fruits of his labour - in the form of a very quaffable Sanfir Crianza - can be sampled in the tapas bar.
The restaurant is also home to a sprightly guitarist, who manages to clamber onto a shelf (or is it a stage) most evenings, and Santiago, a Spanish waiter turned manager who has been with the restaurant right from the start.
You can read more about Philip Diment’s love affair with Spain, tapas and his wife Ana, which inspired Meson don Felipe (and countless imitators), and the restaurant’s 25th anniversary here.
Our little known fact about Meson don Felipe: Manager Santiago, a veteran of a quarter of a century at Meson don Felipe, met his wife at the restaurant.
Meson Don Felipe tapas bar, The Cut, Waterloo
Meson Don Felipe | Home | London Tapas Bar | Spanish Tapas
drinks
After a hard day at the office a comforting glass of wine.
The Spanish use their bars for the ‘tapeo’, drifting from bar to bar nibbling perhaps a piece of tortilla with a small beer in one place before going to the next for a plate of jamón with a glass of Rioja.
They are spoilt in having a street with perhaps a dozen bars to choose from!
The menu offers more than forty varieties of tapas with lots of vegetarian options and our wine list has over a hundred and twenty selections with more than twenty by the glass.
Meson Don Felipe | Contact Us | London Tapas Bar | Spanish Tapas
reservations
We are halfway along The Cut, the busy thoroughfare that links Waterloo Road to Blackfriars Road, just five minutes walk from Waterloo main line and Northern line underground stations and the same distance from Southwark station on the Jubilee line.
The Young Vic theatre is directly opposite us and The Old Vic just along the road.
The South Bank Centre comprising The Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, National Film Theatre, and Hayward Gallery a short walk along Waterloo Road.
The Tate Modern is just off Blackfriars Road and adjacent to it is Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and Exhibition.
Exceptional bookings between 22.00 and 22.30 after the theatre.
The London Foodie: London Restaurant Reviews - Meson Don Felipe
drinks food ambience menu value busyness staff
Twenty-three Years of Spanish Food and Wine in London's Southbank Meson Don Felipe, opened in 1987 on The Cut near Waterloo Station, was one of the first restaurants I visited in London nearly twenty years ago, and is one of the few I keep returning to after all these years.
A real Spanish institution, Meson Don Felipe is a great place for good and unpretentious tapas, live flamenco music and great atmosphere.
Meson Don Felipe's Spanish wine list is one of the most comprehensive I have encountered in London, and also one of the most reasonably priced - there are many choices of wine by the glass from £3.65 while bottles start at £13.25.
Verdict: Meson Don Felipe is a real Spanish institution on London's The Cut, serving consistently good, unpretentious and familiar tapas dishes at reasonable prices.
Meson Don Felipe 53 The Cut London, SE1 8LF Tel: 020 7928 3237
Meson Don Felipe, Waterloo
"smooth evening to be had, charming ladies, enjoyment all round" Which venue is this?
Which venue is this?