A taste of Spain: where to explore regional Spanish cooking in London
Tortilla. Croquetas. Patatas bravas. Jamón. Paella. They have become shorthand for Spanish food in Britain, but collectively they tell only a fraction of the story.
Spain’s food culture changes dramatically as you travel around the country: Galician seafood on the Atlantic coast, pintxos and grilled beef in the Basque Country, roast meats in Castile, the produce of Extremadura and rice cooked over fire in Valencia.
Fortunately, London offers an increasingly compelling way to travel between them. The official Restaurants from Spain certification recognises establishments committed to authentic Spanish cuisine and ingredients, assessed against standards of quality, authenticity and traceability. Spot the seal, and you have a useful shortcut to somewhere taking Spanish gastronomy seriously.
Start in the Basque Country. At Sagardi in Shoreditch, the focus is on Basque gastronomic culture, particularly meat and fish cooked over fire and the pintxos synonymous with the region’s bars. It is an approach built around good ingredients, direct cooking and little fuss.
Hispania brings the flavours of Spain to the heart of the City, with a distinctly Asturian thread running through its cooking. This influence can be traced to director Marcos Morán and his family’s celebrated Casa Gerardo in Asturias, through dishes that draw on the region’s distinctive culinary traditions, like its fabada Asturiana.
Head towards the Mediterranean and the picture changes again. The Campaner in Chelsea takes its cues from Barcelona and Catalonia, while Barrafina has helped make counter dining and seasonal Spanish small plates a familiar part of London’s restaurant landscape.
The contrast captures the geographical extremes contained within the phrase “Spanish food”: cold Atlantic waters at one end, the Mediterranean at the other, and a vast, varied interior in between.
Together, these restaurants make the case for thinking about Spanish food regionally rather than as a single cuisine. The pleasure lies in moving between them, one region, one plate and, preferably, one bar stool at a time.
Look for the Restaurants from Spain and Colmados from Spain seals, then explore the interactive map to find your next restaurant or specialist shop and plan your own journey through Spanish food. For a full list of accredited establishments, visit foodswinesfromspain.com.
