Dehesa

I went on Tuesday after my friend had raved consistently about the quality of the food here. I wasn't disappointed and can agree with earlier comments; I particularly loved the chorizo and the cod croquettes. The only negatives for me are a) the no-booking thing which bit of a pain (that said it does encourage you to get out of the office on time!) and the prices - I agree that £7.50 for two stuffed courgette flowers is extracting the proverbial - for that price I'd stuff them myself....
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Kate Apenteng
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 6
Friday, July 11, 2008

One of my favourite tapas restaurants in London is a wonderful little place called Saltyard just up on Goodge St. They serve the most delicious, yet amazingly hard to find stuffed courgette flowers and a great selection of wines by the glass. Imagine my surprise, walking along Kingly Street a few weeks ago, to find a beautiful tapas and charcuterie bar called Dehesa with a menu not so dissimilar to Saltyard and serving the very same courgette flower (stuffed with goats cheese and drizzled with honey). I later discover they are sister restaurants.

Dehesa is everything you would hope a tapas restaurant to be, and dare I say an even better success than Saltyard. The décor is sophisticated with a dark wood interior yet retains a warmth and comfort for those diners looking for a casual night out. Seating comes in the form of high benches however if you are lucky and come in a pack of 3, you might get one of the two table windows on offer.

The menu rarely changes yet there is enough on offer with a couple of daily specials to keep you coming back for more. On the times I have been, the juicy cod croquettes, succulent lamb chops and tender chorizo a la plancha have been sure fire winners. And of course, not forgetting the signature courgette flowers! The wine menu is diverse and there is a large selection of fine wines by the glass. Staff are consistently friendly and knowledgeable.

There is however one downside to the restaurant……Dehesa has a non-booking policy which means unless you come for lunch or before 6.30pm most evenings, you will be expected to queue. Not a problem you say? This might just prove an exception. Within the restaurant, there is very little space for anyone to stand so if you’re waiting for your table, you might find yourself spending half your time trying to avoid leaning upon the poor diners and the other half trying to dodge the waiters and a chef with his large carving knife at the charcuterie station.

The word is out and this restaurant is getting more popular by the week. I would recommend a visit soon before the waiting time scares even the most loyal customers away!
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Pete
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Thursday, June 12, 2008

Lovely little place. I have been there twice and was impressed on both occasions with the food and wine and I have found the staff to be very friendly and helpful. Be prepared to wait for a table but as there are quite a few nice pubs in the area I haven't found it a problem entertaining myself!
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sarah - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Saturday, June 07, 2008

Very disappointing. Food quality is unremarkable and speaks of a lazy kitchen: Padron peppers were brown and soggy, courgette flowers were drenched in oil and honey, duck slices were clearly re-heated with a mushy topping.

Plate of charcuterie was good - but is the least that can be expected, at £7 for 4 slices of lomo and 8 of chorizo.

At £8 for 2 small courgette flowers and £8 for 4 slices of duck breast, accompanied by the patronising "the portions are tapas-sized (sorry you are still hungry); it's London prices" attitude, I don't recommend that anyone visit this place. Give us top-quality food if you want to charge London prices for tapas, I say.
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Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 1
Friday, June 06, 2008

Foodwise, the quality of the produce was excellent although it was one of the first times in recent memory that a restaurant could use more salt. The butter beans served with the pork needed some seasoning. Aside from that all the food was good as was the wine list.

While our reception was welcoming, the service itself was a little bizarre at first but once that settled down everything was OK.

Great atmosphere and will return for a night of Tapas and good wine.
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Gregory - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Tuesday, April 15, 2008

I have been to Dehesa a few times now and I will be back again and again. It has everything I would want from a restaurant - really tasty and innovative food; an interesting list of delicious wines; excellent service, and a great atmosphere. I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone - it's such a far cry from the overpriced, bland alternatives that make up so much of the London restauarant scene. Bring on more like it!
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Riz
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Without a doubt, the worst sevice I have ever had in a London restaurant, made all the more bizarre by the huge ratio of staff to customers. A board with 3 slices of ham arrived, then nothing . .. an hour later some dishes appeared which were cold and inedible, our bread never made it to the table and we had to ask several times for the wine that we'd ordered. Similar problems were being had by the tables either side of ours, one table having to ask for their wine 5 times. The manager took our aperetifs and some of the food off the bill without even being asked which I think shows just how bad things were! One to avoid.
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B P N - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 0
Friday, April 04, 2008

Three of us went here for a Friday lunchtime. Lovely decor and ambience and the food and wine were excellent. Spoilt for choice on good quality tapas with a good balance of vegetable / meat / fish dishes. Entensive wine list did not disappoint either! Staff were friendly and service faultless. Was not aware you cannot book, so we were just lucky to arrive early. People were waiting to take over our table as we left. Not the best value tapas in town, but when the overall experience was this good, I didn't mind!
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David Knox
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 6
Friday, February 29, 2008

Lovely intimate restaurant perfect for a date. You can't book so arrive early and put your name down and then trot down the road somewhere cosy for a drink while you wait. The night we arrived the restaurant was full, but the helpful manager found a table for us and we quickly became engrossed by the menu. The wine selection is extensive, but on the expensive side and i ordered one of the cheaper bottles with some trepidation. It was outstanding. Food is excellent. Will definitely visit again.
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Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 6
Tuesday, February 26, 2008