La Bota

The tapas were excellent, the paella was not very good. Quite cheap (16 pounds pp) with a bottle of decent wine.
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Domenico
6 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 6
Sunday, January 29, 2012

This is the best Spanish restaurant by mega-miles, in London. Everything, I mean everything, is so good. Excellent food, good wines, perfect tapas', very good service, nice fish, relatively low prices, ... does one need more then that for a nice dinner out? Have a look in for yourself, won't be sorry.
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Veki Pekic
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Sunday, December 11, 2011

I live in Crouch End and I remember La Bota from many years back. Unfortunately, it seems to have completely gone south. My wife and I went there but never again. As other reviewers have mentioned, the service was extremely poor (had to keep reminding them of simple things), slow and the food execrable. Honestly, I could make better tapas myself. The 'sauce' in the lamb was basically a tin of chopped tomatoes. How La Bota is still in business is an abiding mystery.
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A M Lale
1 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 1
Friday, August 05, 2011

We had tapas at La Bota after after trying out the various local Spanish restaurants. On arrival we were greeted by unfriendly staff. The food was bland and completely unauthenic. The service from the staff was the worst we have ever experienced and we were made to feel totally uncomfortable. We will certainly not be returning. Thanks La Bota for a unpleasant meal and evening.
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0 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 1
Saturday, February 05, 2011

I agree with an earlier comment. this place does not pretend to be fantastic; it is not El bulli but good cheap and pleasant. They have been around for years and they will and deserve to survive.
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Graham
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, January 04, 2011

I went to "LA BOTA" last week, I'm spanish, and I absolutely don't recomend it!!!

The food was awful!!! I was expecting at least a good "Manchego cheese" and was like the cheapest I get in Tesco!!!!

The service awful too!! they even look at you!!!
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3 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 1
Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Me & my partner have been going to this place for a long time now nearly every week, sometimes twice a week, we have found that the staff are very friendly, and the wait for food even when very busy is not that long of a wait. We order tapas alot and quite alot the cook must think four people are ordering, but we like to try something different each time just changing maybe one or two items, sometimes food might be overdone but it still tastes ok normally the food is very good and always very hot. the price is very good indeed, overhaul we love the place thats why we keep going back and will continue to do so.
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sharon
9 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Sunday, September 19, 2010

having read a number of positive reviews my partner and I decided to dine at La Bota on 8th August 2010.

We ordered whitebait, chicken livers and bread to share for starters and then decides upon the Paella valenciana, and a bottle of the House rioja.

the wine was excellent and reasonably priced but I did have a few issues with the food.

We ordered chicken livers but we were given lambs livers with no explanation or apology. They were tasty but they were not what I ordered

The bread, a sliced baguette, was rapidly approaching the end of its life and at £1.20 I did think more than six thin slices was in order.

The whitebait was passable, the paella however is a different story, after waiting 30 minutes we were presented with what can only be described as a packet of bachelors savoury long grain rice, which had been mixed with slices of sweet red peppers out of a jar, garnished with 3 small lumps of chicken, and a handfull of precooked mussells and unshelled prawns.

It was appalling, to add insult to injury it has been put into a paella pan to give the impression of authenticity but the pan was not even hot, a packet of savoury rice mixed with various precooked bits is not a paella!!!!

this place is as spanish as kwik fit, the owners clearly have nothing but contempt for there customers. I will not be returning and cannot recommend this place to anybody, not even my enemies. Dreadfull.
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Charlie
1 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 0
Monday, August 09, 2010

La Bota is one of my favourite restaurants, although I can understand some criticisms voiced here. It's worth knowing in advance that La Bota is a busy place with lots of regular clientele and it doesn't pretend to be swish or cool, it's just a nice, Spanish, family-run restaurant. Service is efficient and the waiters don't suck up to customers like some reviewers here have obviously come to expect. I've never known them to be rude, it just shows when they're having a bad day, for instance if Barcelona lose a match. And believe me, you'll know about it, because a bunch of people seem to turn up specifically to snack tapas at bar and watch the ludicrously small TV hidden in the corner. Rowdy is the last word used use to describe it; it's rather sweet and if you've got a heart and little team allegiance you'll probably find yourself mimicking their smiles and frowns.

I do, however, find it really hard to believe anyone could be disappointed by the food! I only ever order tapas so maybe the bigger meals are disappointing but I've never had any complaints and I'd say the baby squid tapa is particularly yummy (they do good things with fish in this place). Food can take a while to arrive but it's all made to order and the restaurant is always jammed, I'd be a little worried if it didn't.

Lastly, the prices are fantastic! All tapas are around £3.50-5 and the portions are generous. Worth a bit of a trek to Crouch End even if you're not a local.
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Franibal
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Saturday, May 15, 2010

I used to love this restaurant until last night.! Me and my girlfriend used to go to La bota alot as always told friends what a great family run place. Good food, great service and lovely atmoshere until we went last night.

I booked a table for 2. When we arrived at the restaurant they didn't even have my name in their books. They sat us down then asked us to move and then to move again which I didn't really know why? as there were loads of spare seats and still later that evening.

The waiters were rude, the food tasted aweful and the general astmoshere felt negative. Then they tried rushing us out the door! It was one of the worst nights out I've had for a long time.

The place has gone down hill and they need to get new staff!
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2 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 3
Sunday, February 14, 2010