Dehesa

Went to Dehesa yesterday as my lunch 'date' had heard it was great plus it was across the street from her office. We sat at the bar, had a couple of glasses of the house white (very drinkable!)and then ordered patatas fritas, the courgette flowers, baby squid and the pork belly. The winners were definitely the pork belly & the courgettes - DELICOUS! Staff were very friendly, helpful and couldn't do enough for us. We'll both be back and have been waxing lyrical about it to all & sundry since. RECOMMENDED!!
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Sylvia
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, October 02, 2008

Went for lunch today again and thought the food and service were excellent, as it always is. It seems they have changed tactics as the lovely waitress informed us that since early last week they take reservations at lunch time only. Especially for someone who always entertains clients I managed to book 2 tables for next week straight away!!! Definitely worth it.
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Sheila Edwards
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, September 23, 2008

A fantastic gem of a restaurant. Lovely food and, although you can't book, exceptionally helpful and friendly staff who made us feel really welcome and couldn't do enough to seat us quickly. Charming place.
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Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Tuesday, September 23, 2008

I love salt yard (it's sister restaurant) and this was no disappointment. Really tasty, beautifully cooked food (and not tiny Brindesa portions) in a glamorous setting.
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Stow Eater - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Monday, August 18, 2008

i visited dehesa recently on a thursday night, the place was packed but my friend had fortunately grabbed a seat by the window.

decor was lovely, especially with the huge windows letting loads of light from the site combined with the soft lighting inside. a much nicer place to eat than its sister Salt Yard.

we shared a selection of tapas dishes, all of which were excellent in particular the courgette flowers which stood out as being sensational. we had a nice bottle of wine and the service was very good just unremarkable.

will definitely be back at some point
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Annie
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, August 13, 2008

best tapas offering in town (w1), innovative, fresh and certainly not hum drum as one finds else where. Salt cod croquetttes are a must!
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leonardo
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Saturday, July 26, 2008

Went to this place last night and found it pretty ok. We had the pork belly and lamb which were great, the steak which was poor (cooked to medium-rare but still really hard to cut), the salt cod and the scallops which were nice but nothing special, and a couple of sides which did their job just fine.

I was a bit disappointed with the choice of dessert however - the chef clearly isn't a pudding person as the choices were distinctly unexciting, more like an afterthought really, so for the first time ever I passed on them!

Overall a good, non-offensive restaurant that should please most people with one dish or another, but I'd advise all fellow pudding fiends to have something good waiting in the fridge for when you get home!
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Ella
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Thursday, July 17, 2008

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