Iberica (Marylebone)

I had dinner at Iberica on Saturday night. I regularly visit Spain as I have a Spanish boyfriend and in my opinion this restaurant serves the most authentic Spanish food that I have had in London. They serve traditional dishes such as Croquetas really well but also have some really unusual dishes such as a beetroot Gazpacho which was absolutely delicious. The atmosphere is great, nice and buzzy and the service was quick but efficient. Lots of Spanish people dining there which is always a good sign!
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10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Really, don't go. Service was dire, food was expensive, badly cooked and not a patch on other Spanish restaurants in London. The staff didn't seem remotely bothered about having to be reminded to bring drinks even though bits of food had already started arriving. The front of house lady was oblivious to how badly the service was running as she was too busy chatting to her friends at the table next to the front door. Both my partner and I agreed that Brindisa or El Pirata de Tapas are far superior establishments for less money, and would recommend them over this place any day of the week.
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Kate
3 Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 2
Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Went to Iberica the other evening, Friday 170611, and was horrified by the experience, granted they have a good wine list but with a slightly better than average Crianza at £39.90 a bottle someone here is out to take some serious money from unsuspecting punters most of whom will only ever go there once, I will certainly never go there again. Food and service are truly disappointing given the prices, ok usual staples like jamon were fine but when it came to more general tapas I'm afraid disgusting is about the nicest word I can find. Patatas Bravas? well that consisted of underdone fried spuds with a huge dollop of slightly spicy mayo (why?) just dumped on top, the lettuce cucumber and tomato salad was missing the sherry vinaigrette it was supposed to come with and Pisto Manchego was a cold rubbery poached egg on a bed of watery courgette a bit like tinned ratatouille (which would have been much nicer) Our table's bill was in the hundreds and we were still hungry, what's more to add insult to injury at 11.50 the house lights were turned up full and we were unceremoniously asked to leave! It was like being in a bad local pub, DON"T GO THERE!!

try Morito in Exmouth market instead if you want decent tapas - again it's not cheap but currently the nicest Spanish food in town.
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dickie - View all reviews by this user
1 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 0
Sunday, June 19, 2011

As a Spanish person with a very fine taste in cuisine, I found the quality of the food appalling. This is the worst restaurant in London to have Spanish food so I guess that all the good reviews come from non Spanish customers.

We ordered Galician style octopus and once it arrived (after 15 minutes waiting) we had to send it right back as it seemed to be out of a can and really cold (so were the potatoes that came along with it).

The wine list is the only acceptable item on the menu and surprisingly not expensive if you buy the bottle (it came along with free olives so that was the only nice touch from the staff).

All the tapas we ordered were rather cold, small and not prepare in a traditional Spanish way (e.g. the potatoes were not peeled and this is unacceptable in Spanish cuisine). From a Spanish point of view I feel totally let down as I know this is not truly Spanish cuisine but they are still charging crazy prices for it. This food is not a good representation of the real Spanish food which is based on fresh fishes and fresh meats and not frozen as everything seems to be kept at Iberica.
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Angelina
2 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 0
Wednesday, March 23, 2011

I went to Iberica last night. It was so good. So flavourful and really a lot of choice. Service was great and welcoming but unobtrusive. Will definitely be back
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Gemma Oliver
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Love this restaurant! My friend works on Great Portland Street so we often pop across. I keep meaning to review! To me, a good restaurant needs to have great food as a given and the icing on the cake is fantastic service and a real buzzy atmosphere. Iberica has that in spades.

There are so many tapas to choose from - I can never decide! I love the monkfish and secreto. I also love the wine here, really good value and so good. All Spanish of course. Iberica is perfect for people watching too. Lots of people speaking Spanish there. I think its always a good indicator as to whether the food is going to be good if there are lots of "natives" there. It is usually really busy, so I would recommend booking.
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Sara Jones
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Friday, March 04, 2011

I was out at a business meeting on Great Portland st and it was suggested we pop into "Iberica" afterwards for a bit of tapas and a glass of wine. I was very glad that we did easily the best tapas I have had in London. Tapas tends to be a form of food that talks a good game but rarely delivers. It should be cheap tasty snacks to accompagny a glass of wine, It too often ends up being stodgy and oily or if it is good it is horrendously expensive. I remember one set of tapas and a very average bottle of wine at "Providores" that set me back nearly a £100. My supplier Robin useds Iberica a lot as you can eat light or go for something more substantial. He also noted that the site on Great Portland st had been a white elephant for years with the average tenancy for a restaurant being 9 months, Iberica had broken that cycle and was very buzzy on Thursday lunchtime with a mixture of business people, tourists, families and a few Meeja types.

We ordered a plate of ham, 2 types of croquettes, some squid, some bread and oil and a tortilla. This was washed down with a bottle of light red. The food was excellent. The tortilla in particular was the best I have ever had instead of being a stodgy quiche gone wrong we had a lovely thick omelette that was runny through the middle. Delicious stuff. Again the croquettes were so tasty, not overcooked so you could taste the ingredients. The aioli with the squid was a little harsh but the squid itself was delicious. The ham was top quality with a nice selection. The waiter explained the choices to us and throughout the meal we had very friendly service. The wine was very nice as you would expect. This was ticking all the boxes for me.

The restaurant is built in a sort of duplex so there is plenty of light giving the room a light airy feel. Robin got lunch but I think it all came to under £80 for 3 of us which is really good going for the quality on offer. I can understand why he goes there for lunch regularly. It's a place I am extremely keen to go back to again so I can fully banish the memories of several bad tapas meals I have had in London. a real gem of a place well worth a visit
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david ginsberg - View all reviews by this user
8 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Monday, July 05, 2010

I think the wine is the only positive feedback i can give. we paid over 40 pound on two "trio of ham" selections which was nothing impressive. The baby lamb chops were extremely overcooked and the Padron peppers tasted like plastic.

The atmosphere was not right either, there was a man telling off his waiters all the time which was something rude.

I take clients out for dinner almost every day, and this time I did not close the deal, honestly i believe it was the food.
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Robert Scutler
1 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 1
Saturday, June 12, 2010