TAPAS BAR LONDON
EL PIRATA OF MAYFAIR REVIEWS

For 30 years, 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.

From the moment we step inside..

we feel at home, as its environment transports us directly to Spain.
El Ibérico, the UK’s only Spanish newspaper
Fred Sirieix’s Favourite Romantic Restaurants:

Quite simply, one of my favourite restaurants….Consistently very good food, great value for money and top service. The team at El Pirata are so friendly and accommodating and nothing is too much for them.
Urbanologie
Featured in this month’s Mayfair Times Magazine

Fred Sirieix is interviewed at the restaurant and states El Pirata is his favourite restaurant; I eat out here more than anywhere else…They’re always thinking of the customer first. Full Review..
Mayfair Times Magazine
Lively style and good-value tapas..

makes for a lot of fun at very reasonable prices for such an expensive area.
Harden’s
Fred Sirieix Best First Date Restaurants:

The team at El Pirata are so friendly and accommodating and nothing is too much for them.
Red Online
Located in a quiet Mayfair back street, this welcoming bar and restaurant

Offers authentic Spanish cooking at good-value prices. The tapas menu has a good balance of meat and seafood with with staples from the Spanish repertoire such as a ‘silky and rich’ arroz negro. The wine list is a well-chosen, all Spanish affair and begins with good everyday drinking at £15
The Good Food Guide
Fred Sirieix reveals his top tips for dating..

A tapas bar which the TV star called London’s most romantic restaurant
Evening Standard
This was nice old fashioned tapas..

Made from time-tested traditional recipes. Nothing fancy but full of flavour – no reason to take off a menu what’s worked for 25 years. It’s no surprise that El Pirate is still buzzing and lively on a Tuesday evening. No hipsters around here, but a jolly food loving crowd, with good taste and a warm spirit. This is my kind of restaurant, relaxed, unpretentious and serving delicious food.
Amaranta Wright, Latino Life

TAPAS BAR IN LONDON’S MAYFAIR

Newspaper and Magazine Reviews

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.

Where the chefs eat: Nobu Matsuhisa’s favourite restaurants in the world.

Full review..
The Glossary Magazine
True escapism.

Code Hospitality
In a city famous for its hidden gems..

this one is hiding in plain sight.
The Week
A low-key, low-price Spanish gem in the heart of affluent London.

The Week
Tapas Lovers Dream

Miss Jones PA London
Tapas is undoubtedly the most flexible and sociable way to eat!

And at El Pirata they have a wide selection of menu’s so that you can either snack or feast on an array of authentic Spanish tapas.
Miss Jones PA London
If anyone is looking for tapas in London..
You have to try @ElPirataMayfair had so much fun there last night.
Blusher and Blog
El Pirata is a real hidden gem right in the throes of the city..

But without feeling so. It is a welcomed respite from the hustle and bustle of London, whisking you off for a Spanish evening of fine wine and fine food at a more than reasonable price. We’re already planning our return visit.
Seen in the City

WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS SAY

Customer Reviews

El PIRATA OF MAYFAIR REVIEWS

Press and Food Critic Reviews

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.

El Pirata’s location in Down Street is within striking distance of Mayfair’s five-star hotels and also within easy reach of hotels in Knightsbridge and Kensington too.

This casual, crowded Spanish gem..

Is a winner thanks to terrific tapas that won’t break the bank, great sangria and smiling waiters who work as a seamless team; and if it would be unremarkable in Andalusia, it hits the spot as far as Londoners are concerned.
Zagat
El Pirata is a neat little tapas bar off the leafy streets of Green Park.

Classics including croquetas, calamares and jamón sit alongside less expected offerings of bean stew from northern Spain, grilled lamb cutlets, or kidneys in sherry wine.. Full review..
Timeout.com
This Madrileno-esque gem might be in Mayfair..
But prices are far from it – two tapas dishes, bread, alioli and a glass of wine or beer costs £11.95 between midday and 6pm and ten tapas dishes in the evening ring in at just £23.50 per person. Hands sticky from gambas al pil-pil and lips rouged with sangria, El Pirata is enough to make you book your next Spanish fiesta. More information on Best Tapas Restaurant.
London.lecool.com
El Pirata successfully..

Couples the comforting appeal of a central London grand dame with the energetic dynamism of a new opening.
London Evening Standard
If anyone is looking for tapas in London.

You have to try @ElPirataMayfair had so much fun there last night.
SloaneMagazine.com
Bryan May was dining in one corner of the room..
And there were no empty tables in sight. Such is the immense popularity of El Pirata of Mayfair.
Townfish
El Pirata is an amazing little Spanish Tapas..

Restaurant hidden away in Mayfair, it’s a gem in the true sense of the world.
Luxurialifestyle.com
El Pirata of Mayfair
They just don’t make restaurants like this anymore
Townfish / Tweet

ICONIC TAPAS BAR IN LONDON

El Pirata is a Mayfair institution. For those in the know – and around 90 per cent of the restaurant’s customers are regulars – it serves some of the best tapas in London at accessible prices. That’s why it’s always busy. But don’t worry if you haven’t booked, the waiters will usually find you a place at the mirrored bar and keep you happy until a table becomes available.

This cosy eatery is tucked down a quiet street in London’s posh Mayfair

A stone’s throw from The Ritz and Park Lane. But despite its swanky London location, the vibe here is decidedly down to earth, with super friendly staff, rustic wooden interiors and homely tapas classics that won’t break the bank. Read more..
Star Magazine
Tucked away in the heart of Mayfair.

El Pirata is one of London’s finest Spanish restaurants serving food fit for a celebrity without breaking the bank.
OK Magazine
El Pirata rocks!
Brian May, Queen
My thanks, my love and my respect.
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
Sloane Magazine
El Pirata has a lot of redeeming qualities.

As well as being amongst the most approachable restaurants in Mayfair, the space’s atmosphere is terrific.
TheLondonEconomic.com
Tiffany Watson at El Pirata
GotCeleb.com / HawtCelebs.com
Casey Batchelor of Big Brother..

Being spotted at El Pirata.
Daily Mail Online

LONDON TAPAS BAR REVIEWS

Food Writer Reviews

The restaurant attracts a unique blend of Mayfair businessmen and informed music & media type

As well as the occasional ‘in the know’ celeb, who come to dine on exquisite tapas and fine wine in a relaxed atmosphere over two floors. Pricewise, El Pirata is a rare cental London gem that offers truly excellent food that won’t cost the earth.
Paul Carey – PR Week
You are hit by the restaurant’s easy charm

And its warm fuzzy welcomingness. It’s not frighteningly cool but it is kind of chic. It’s always packed, which is no surprise. The tapas are gorgeous and the prices equally loveable – amazing value.
Chrissy Iley, Evening Standard Food Magazine
Starting with cold tapas.
We nibbled huge prawns, juicy chorizo and ham, seafood and Russian salad, then we received an array of hot tapas dishes which seemed to just keep coming………Mmmmmm!
Martin James – Food Writer
El Pirata offers me everything
I look for in a restaurant. Fine food, excellent choice, comfortable surroundings, marvellous service and a bill at the end that doesn’t give me indigestion!
Gervaise Odell, Food Writer
Tiffany Watson ensured she showed off her golden glow

As she headed to El Pirata restaurant in Mayfair, London, on Thursday night.
DailyMail.co.uk
I remember arriving back [home] pledging allegiance to El Pirata

And determined to return there as soon as possible – the combination of a thoroughly unstuffy, buzzing atmosphere and solidly good, fresh food in an area filled with overpriced, formal restaurants makes it a real little gem.
The London Sinner.com
A unique and instantly popular concept

In upmarket Mayfair; authentic Spanish tapas that you could enjoy from lunchtime through to late at night.
London Unattached
Authentic Spanish food in the middle of Mayfair

Sounds terrifyingly expensive, no? Not at El Pirata. Open for 22 years, it’s something of an institution and really does feel Spanish rather than W1.
Londonist.com

TAPAS BAR REVIEWS

Surprisingly good prices..

For such a posh area make this noisy and busy tapas bar, not far from Hyde Park Corner, an ever-handy stand-by.
Hardens
El Pirata in London’s Mayfair..
Is my favourite restaurant. it’s casual, simple and I find tapas so interesting.
Nobu Matsuhisa – the owner of the global iconic restaurant group Nobu
Wonderful Spanish staff, a buzzy atmosphere

And arguably the best tapas in London combine to make this tucked-away Mayfair haunt the eatery of choice for many local workers. All the favourites are there – meatballs, kidneys in sherry, deep-fried squid, paella and tortilla – all cooked to order to ensure the results are never less than excellent.
Square Meal
Literally, gourmet tapas.
What’s not to love about that?
Hugh Wright, TwelvePointFivePercent
El Pirata Mayfair will be celebrating World Tapas Day

This Thursday, 15th June and offering all guests a complimentary classic tapas dish, Chorizo al vino (Spanish sausage in a red wine sauce) when quoting ‘World Tapas Day’ and ordering five or more tapas dishes. The Mayfair institution, El Pirata, has been open for nearly a quarter of a century offering diners authentic Spanish tapas, made using quality ingredients. The restaurant is delighted to be part of #TapasDay, a worldwide celebration of Spain’s tapas culture.
The Staff Canteen
El Pirata is definitely worth a trip

To if you value an excellent atmosphere and simple, quality food at prices you’re unlikely to find elsewhere in such an affluent area. In a city famous for its hidden gems, this one is hiding in plain sight.
The Week Magazine
A low-key, low-price Spanish gem..
In the heart of affluent London.
Dominic Kocur

TAPAS BAR LONDON
EL PIRATA OF MAYFAIR REVIEWS