Lobos Tapas, Soho: Spanish food gets a good grilling

Tapas and grilled meats are on the menu at this new Soho site
Lobos Tapas: The ground floor dining area
Ben Norum12 December 2017

A team of three former Brindisa employees launched the original branch of Lobos Tapas at Borough Market the summer before last, cooking up Spanish small plates to rival that of where they started.

Now they’re back with site number two, right in the heart of Soho on Frith Street.

The restaurant is split across three floors, comprising an upstairs dining room and basement bar along with ground floor seating.

As at the first venue, the menu is a tantalising mix of tapas classics — croquetas, garlic prawns, padron peppers — and larger plates of grilled meat and fish.

Smoky and succulent: Grilled octopus leg

It’s these grilled dishes which are among the biggest highlights. A whole, smoky-flavoured and succulently tender grilled octopus leg with rounds of sweet potato and chunks of chorizo steals the show, while slices of rare picanha beef steak — similar to rump — which come with a herb and breadcrumb-encrusted marrow bone is a close runner-up.

Also among the stars of the show is a pan con tomate that’s generously loaded and imbued with a deliciously peppery olive oil, and piquant fresh white anchovy fillets.

Cured meat selections don’t disappoint, while croquetas are admirably crunchy with gooey centres.

Those who love the unique cave-like space of the Borough site, where diners are wrapped in a corrugated metal cocoon, might find the new site less immediately atmospheric, but tip-top tapas is nothing if not convivial and Lobos know well how to serve up good social vibes by the spade-load. The well-priced all-Spanish list of cavas, wine and sherry does its bit, too.

Lobos Tapas: The Lowdown

Final flavour: Spanish cuisine gets a good grilling.

At what cost? It’s decidedly reasonable, with small plates ranging from just a few pounds to nearer 20 for the charcuterie.

Visit if you like: Morada Brindisa, Ember Yard, Iberica.

Find it: 48 Frith Street, W1D 4SF; lobostapas.co.uk/soho.

Visit standard.co.uk/restaurants for the latest news and reviews from London’s food scene.

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