El Pirata

Went with friends last night and the prices were reasonable, the service speedy and friendly and the food of a very high standard. We go for tapas in London a lot and thought the quality was generally much better here than in most tapas bars. The patatas bravas, monkfish and chicken croquettes were particularly delicious. The only dish that fell short was the meatballs which were a bit dense. Some people might be put off by the fact that it really doesn't feel anything like a tapas bar - yes there are groups but the whole ambience is just too 'Mayfair wine bar' to be properly Spanish! Still, would recommend for a midweek meal if you're in the Green Park area.
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Jeremy Liebster
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Friday, March 13, 2009

Although the food is reasonable good, I was disappointed the second time I went to El Pirata because of a rather sloppy, and almost unfriendly, service*; inflexible attitude; and the poor musical choice (rap and electronic music while you are having tapas is not the best combination, is it?). Truly disappointed. The people that I took with me were not impressed either.

* You would think that we were unlucky with the one bad waiter but unfortunately we dealt with two and both were unimpressive...
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Monica Araya
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 5
Saturday, January 24, 2009

El Pirata of Mayfair is without question a top-tier restaurant for anyone in search of authentic Spanish food. It's that simple.

We visit on an early December Friday night and the place is abuzz ( reservations are strongly reccomended ). As much as we want to try something off of the main menu, we could not resist building our evening entirely around those tasty tapas. El Pirata offers a couple of tapas tasting menus which are a good choice for those new to tapas. Otherwise, sit down and scour the tapas menu & create your own list of treats to enjoy. We ourselves did the Santa Claus thing -- we each made a list and compared them . . . fortunately we did not disagree very much & we created a great meal.

Our favorites?

Don't miss the pimientos de padron . . . likewise the almejas - muscles (both on the special tapas list ). We also could not resist the jamon iberico negra ( at £17 a bit pricy, but you gotta pay the man if you want the best ham they can offer ). The olives are flavorful & to die for. The 3 color salad ( avacado, mozarella & tomato ) is another nice choice for the palate. The calamares a la plancha were also delicious ( hint: just order the plain bread with garlic butter as you'll do lots of dipping in the various sauces ). We also enjoyoed the fabada ( bean stew and chorizo sausage ).

I guess that you can tell that really enjoyed our meal at el Pirata. The service was prompt and attentive. When they did not have the bottle of wine we wanted our capable server reccomends Val Tosca; a perfect choice for our tapas journey. Deserts are equally inviting.

If we lived in London, El Pirata would be a regular destination as one could sit at the bar with a glass of Tio Pepe & snack on a tapa or two before heading off to dinner or the theater.

I can't reccomend El Pirata highly enough. Go out and create your own tapa adventure. Obviously, our meal was a bit expensive given some of our choices, but you can easily craft your bill to your bill to fit your dining budget.
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Barry from the States - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, December 17, 2008

i have been eating at this restaurant for two years and have taken many friends and clients to sample the unique experience

all have been greatly impressed and leave with a smile on their face

i am always greeted with open arms and a bottle of a fantastic red wine called muga, the friends i have made who work there select my food for me and the service is perfection

i would recommend you sit on the corner of the bar and sink a couple of beers and wait for your guests to arrive

last week my guest arrived and started without me .. a quality venue

asparagus, gambas, red bread, lamb chops to die for plus some other mouthwatering dishes that will suit different tastes

even ham egg and chips in a different format can be achieved

get booked in as quick as you can

restaurants like this will not exist soon
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robert james imbert
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Sunday, March 30, 2008

A charming little place with heaps of atmosphere on a busy night. Friendly staff who are happy to help you decide on a few dishes to start you off and then you can just keep on ordering until you are full!

Good wine list and prices are fairly average for this area of town.
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Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Monday, March 03, 2008

Recommended by a friend, me and my boyfriend went there for a slighly late valentine dinner on friday.

As we arrived, we were a bit confused where to go as there was no sign of reception but as we went downstairs, we were promptly welcomed by a waiter, found our reservation and showed us to our table, which was well situated in a corner.

I was expecting a very buzzy place yet noisy but it wasnt at all, just lively, we could easily talk.

We decided to try the selection of tapas (set menu 1) and as we ordered, a few minutes later, the dishes were there, spot on! no time to be hungry.

The wine list is very good, lot of choices, we had a lovely red wine bottle (shame i dont remember which one...)

The service was excellent, there was always a waiter to look after us.

Only little thing was we had to wait 30mn until we got the bill but then again we werent in a rush so it didnt bother us too much.

I will definitely recomment it to anyone.
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virginie
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Monday, February 18, 2008

I went there on Valentines Day as a special treat, and it certainly was! Delicious tapas, hearty proportions and excellent service. The atmosphere was lively, yet remained intimate - which is often difficult to find on Valentines Day.

We were a little late for our table but that wasn't a problem and the very friendly staff were more that accommodating.
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davey_boy - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Saturday, February 16, 2008

I went there for lunch with a bunch of clients and colleagues. The food's absolutely amazing...it's by far the best tapas I've ever tried. Delisshhhyyyyus! The gambas al pil-pil was oh!! so!! good!! and so was the champiñones al ajillo! Simple but simply delicious!
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Sonal Tarneja
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, November 07, 2007

I went here with my mum, dad, and girlfriend for my birthday last Friday and have to say that it was everything I'd hoped for.

I've been here about 4 or 5 times previously, but after reading a few less than great reviews I was worried it had gone down hill.

However, the service was great and the food was gorgeous - the selection of dishes has always been far better than any other Tapas restaurant I've been to, but it's the fabulous garlic mayonnaise which keeps me coming back!

The dishes were all freshly made and delicious, and although we ordered too much (Dad's fault!), we continued to stuff in as much as possible. The calamari and chorizo - dishes that can vary greatly in standard - were both very impressive.

Whilst others have complained recently about the service, I can't say anything other than that the staff were polite and friendly.

Despite being told at the time of booking the table that we would have to leave at 8.45 due to another booking made previously, we weren't rushed at all.

The only slight downside was the lighting - a couple of 30 watt bulbs, whilst sitting downstairs, make for an intimate but rather gloomy experience!

All in all, an excellent place which hasn't let me down.
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Chris Gilbert
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, October 24, 2007

I have to agree with the reader below. The food was OK, but the waiter was without doubt the rudest I have ever encountered - after being seated at a tabel we had booked til half eight, we were sneeringly told we would have to move immediately as a few of our large party were unable to come. Fine - so we all moved, sat down and had our food, and when the time came to vacate the table (after we had just had another drinks order taken, which had yet to arrive with us), the waiter came back, literally threw the bill at us and snapped we would have to leave immediately. After having spent a large amount on food and drinks for our large party, to be then treated in such a disdainful manner was truly gobsmacking. I shan't be returning.
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missc - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 5
Thursday, October 18, 2007