Boqueria

Restaurants, Spanish Brixton
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Traditional tapas in a contemporary setting create a blockbuster hit for Brixton (and at low prices for both food and wine).

Setting itself apart from your average tapas joint, Boqueria offers a fresh, modern menu that merits repeat visits. The vibe is laid-back, and the L-shaped space has been thoroughly optimised, with aluminium stools along a stylishly spot-lit (and well-stocked) bar leading through into the main restaurant; downstairs is an upbeat bar area with more tables (available for private hire).

References to the mother country are plentiful: flamenco on the sound system, photos of Spanish market scenes on the walls (Boqueria is named after Europe’s biggest food market in Barcelona), knowledgeable Spanish waiting staff and real-deal Iberian ingredients. A simple plate of tomatoes, garlic, parsley and olive oil – a dish that seems only to work in Spain – was packed with flavour; lightly battered calamares were cooked to perfection; suckling pig – crisp on top, meltingly tender underneath and served with a lemon sorbet – completely lived up to its high-end appearance.

Boqueria combines the traditional and the contemporary to fine effect amid the hubbub of Acre Lane.

 

Posted:

Venue name: Boqueria
Contact:
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Address: 192 Acre Lane
London
SW2 5UL
Opening hours: Tapas served 5-11pm Mon-Thur; 5-11.30pm Fri; 12.30-11.30pm Sat; 12.30-10.30 Sun
Transport: Tube: Clapham North or Brixton
Price: Tapas £4.20-£8.70
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Average User Rating

4.3 / 5

Rating Breakdown

  • 5 star:16
  • 4 star:7
  • 3 star:0
  • 2 star:2
  • 1 star:1
LiveReviews|26
1 person listening
1 of 1 found helpful

The food was incredible, the staff were helpful and not too in your face, the atmosphere was great even though it was a Monday evening. All round 5* dining and worth every Penny. The Pork belly and sorbet and the squid were to die for. Recommend to anyone.

tastemaker

Boqueria is a 15 minute walk from Clapham North and Brixton.

The food came out pretty swiftly. We ordered about 8 dishes between 3 and it was plenty of food. Everything was good, the calamari had an interesting batter. We tried both of the dishes that were featured in the best dish article in Timeout. Literally translated, Broken Eggs was a dish with potatoes, ham and egg - it was an interesting combination but not sure if I would agree on giving it a best dish accolade. The best dessert dish however was delicious. The best way to describe it is cubes of set custard that were coated in sugar and cinnamon. These were delicious as were the churros.

When we came to the restaurant it was quite empty so the waiters were just waiting around and watching us eat. It felt slightly awkward when you're trying to enjoy your food.

tastemaker

So much love for this place! 

The measure of a good restaurant in my family is if we can bring mum here without her sending anything back. What I've experienced rarely is for her to actually ask to come back...we've been here 4 times in the past year...all at her request!

Firstly, remember that it's a tapas restaurant so the portions aren't of main course size (apart from the Paella which is more than ample!). Must try dishes - Cochinillo asado (suckling pig with sweet potato crisps, apple sauce & lemon sorbet), Berenjena frita (crispy aubergine with spiced honey) and a lamb special that I can't remember the name of because I was too busy eating as much as I could before my friends got involved! I still haven't tried everything I want to and I haven't been able to fault any of the food so far.

The staff are always great, the wine list is varied (although a little on the expensive side, nothing too surprising for London) and the vibe is fun without being loud.

I can guarantee I'll be back there again in a couple of months. 

Highly recommend!


Service was really good, lovely attentive and helpful staff. The wine was nice also.  However the portions were tiny for their price and all 5 of the dishes we ordered were disappointing and extremely average. The bill came to about £90 and we left still hungry as we didn't enjoy most of the food. To be honest, I wouldn't go back. 

Tastemaker

Thought process at hearing I'm going to eat tapas in London: tapas - yummy - in London - it's going to make me sick by how expensive it is compared to how cheap it should be. But actually, it wasn't too bad. I'm not going to say it was Spain cheap but, considering the quality of the dishes we had, it was great. I went there with a big group so we got the option of choosing a set menu of loads of different dishes to share which was awesome. My favourite? The cheese and ham croquetas of course. I'd be happy to have them at every meal, every day. The staff was friendly and decor minimalist.


This place was recommended by a friend. What a good friend! The food, wine and service was great. Already telling other friends about this place.


Menu had a good range but pricey for what the food was. However the service needs to improve. We were particularly not impressed when the waiter accused us of being £18 short on the bill (ie one person hasn't paid). We had to wait and recounted it numerous time, proving to yhe waiter that we had even paid extr - adding an extra 10 mins of delay. Eventually he admitted we had paid but we got no apology - not ok!!


Amazing, light, inspired tapas and a wonderful wine list. The room is beautiful and the service is charming. Highly recommended.


Exciting vibrant atmosphere, warm welcoming staff and service, fabulous value & most importantly TREMENDOUS TAPAS!!!

Staff Writer

One of the best Tapas restaurants in south London. Bit of a walk from Brixton station but you can always jump on the bus. The staff were very friendly and politely informed me that I was probably over-ordering and to stop there! "You can always add items later", she said. The menu offers fairly standard tapas but with a large specials board allowing for a bit of experimentation. Costs were pretty reasonable and the patatas bravas, whilst a fairly simple dish, were some of the best I've ever had.


Absolutely no complaints - fantastic food, fantastic wine and great service!!

Tastemaker

About a 15 min walk from Brixton station on Acre Lane, one finds Boqueria, an amazingly low key tapas place with terrific food. I like to think of it as my neighbourhood's best kept secret. Well I guess the secret's out now! They offer a variety of traditional tapas and good Spanish wines. Prices are extremely fair and service always friendly. A must try!

Tastemaker

Wonderful tapas restaurant. Went with a friend and for the two of us, it came to £55 with a lot of food and a bottle of wine to share. Innovative tapas that is better than some dishes I have tried in Spain. Highly recommend the tuna carpaccio and the pan con tomate. Staff are friendly and the dining room is smart and buzzing. Make sure you go!! 


Great value delicious tapas – perfect for a dinner date / pre-party meal with friends… I highly recommend the patatas bravas covered in a delightful spicy sauce and wasn’t disappointed in any of dishes that were served. The staff are really helpful and make great suggestions if you’re stuck on what to order. Highly recommended!

Staff Writer

Great food with real Spanish flavor. The staff is always nice and the price is all right.


Real Spanish Tapas perfectly cooked. The service is wonderful and the prices just cheap - average for London. Recommended to anyone!


Amazing food, wonderful service and great prices. Can't recommend more highly. If only there were more restaurants of this calibre around. Tapas these days have become so average but this is authentic and delicious.


I can't believe this has been round the corner from my house all this time! Amazing experience i would 150% return. Food was absolutely delicious, service was fantastic, we were constantly topped up with water and wine (no wonder the bottle was all gone so quickly!) perfect ambience and reasonable prices. The menu was our place mat which made it a lot easier to read and re order if we wanted more and desert after


We had a super time last weekend, the tapas were like nothing I've had outside of Spain and even better than most of the ones I've tried there. Ambience was really authentic. The paella was awesome and I really liked the bacalao dish too. It was rammed and they were super friendly. Thought the bill was reasonable and the overall experience great, totally recommend it, would recommend booking.


A visit to Boqueria is always a treat for me, the atmosphere is welcoming and friendly and the food is excellent. I've never been disappointed! The usual tapas dishes are of a high standard and I especially love the sea-food: delicious calamares, monkfish 'Catalana' and garlicky king prawns. It's a great addition to


Hight quality products, some innovation mixed with traditionnal tapas, good wine not expensive, place really pleasant and clean. Dessert are not good in Spain but really good there ( I guess home made...3 chocolates puff ) One special point for the nice 100% Spanish team! Reserve before going for dinner. I will come back very soon with some of my friends who definitively like good food...and they know about good food!


Hubby and I wanted to give Boqueria a try as always love to support new South London restaurants and it certainly didn't disappoint. The tapas we tried (and we tried a few) were all amazing.......our only criticism would be there was too much ai oli served with our dishes...it just kept coming....ai oli with fired calamari fine, with the pan, that's okay too....but with the black seafood rice, really? The waiters were friendly and service was a little poor for a Saturday night, but we couldn't fault the food. Definitely worth the trip to Acre Lane.

0 of 1 found helpful

Given the rave reviews I was thoroughly underwhelmed by the standard of food here. The patatas bravas in particular were simply crispy potatoes with an unappetising yellow sauce on top. The interior is well decorated and the place has a nice atmosphere, but very much let down by the food. Disappointing and would not return.