Barrafina Coal Drops Yard

★★★★★★★★★★via Google

“Lunch was part of an anniversary celebration and it was a real highlight. A complimentary glass of cave (thank you 😊) and simply superb food. Sitting up at the bar watching all the preparation was fun and a bit of theatre with the serving of the Txacoli wine. Everything was delicious but my absolute favourite was the Banderilla.”

★★★★★★★★★★via Google

“The variety is great. The prices are on the expensive side, but that is understandable. The food, quality, and service were all very good, and the staff were friendly and welcoming — typical Spaniards, they never disappoint. It is genuinely one of my favourite nationalities. The only thing I personally do not enjoy about tapas culture is the counter seating concept, and unfortunately this place has not moved away from that either. It can feel a bit tiring for me. Since it is more of a quick eat-and-go type of spot, I can understand why they do it, but with food and service of this quality, I would have loved to sit back and enjoy the experience for a longer time.”

★★★★★★★★★★via Google

“Born and raised in Spain, I've lived in London for seven years now. I'm well used to London prices, and I've visited many very authentic Spanish restaurants here. Absolutely nothing justifies the prices at Barrafina. Nothing. It's honestly obscene.”

★★★★★★★★★★via Google

“We ate lunch at Barrafina as we were looking for a dog friendly restaurant and as always they were incredibly accommodating. We started with the croquetas which were fantastic as ever. Honestly there are times I have popped in just for those when I am in a rush. The chef recommended the white anchovy tostada which was simple fresh and absolutely delicious. The octopus with paprika sauce was smoky and perfectly tender. While the cold sauce was unusual it worked surprisingly well and added an interesting contrast. The arroz negro was incredibly moreish and the kind of dish you keep going back to long after you are full. The John Dory was beautifully cooked and finished with a lemony sauce that was perfectly judged and well executed. I have never had a bad meal at Barrafina and this lunch was no exception.”

★★★★★★★★★★via Google

“Barrafina is a well-known Spanish restaurant group with several London locations, including sites in Soho and The Strand. This branch is located in Coal Drops Yard, next to its sister restaurant Parrillan on the first floor. The entrance involves walking up a couple of steps. Inside, there are a few table seats on the right, while most of the seating is along a large bar on the left where the chefs prepare the food. The concept is clearly designed around bar dining, but in practice it can feel quite cramped. If you have bags or coats it becomes uncomfortable quickly. There are hooks under the counter for jackets, but these further limit leg space, and sitting side-by-side with another diner can feel quite tight. Another issue was the noise level. The chefs, particularly the head chef, were constantly shouting out orders and numbers across the kitchen. While this may be normal for the service style, it made conversation difficult. Depending on where you sit, you can also feel quite a bit of heat coming from the kitchen. Unfortunately, the food overall was below average for Spanish cuisine, especially considering the prices. Food: • Padrón peppers – decent but nothing special. • Ham croquettes – again fine, but fairly ordinary. • Pan con tomate – reasonably good sourdough with crushed tomatoes, served as two slices. • Fish with salsa – disappointing. The fish was overcooked, served in very small pieces, and lacked flavour. • Grilled octopus with paprika sauce – quite tasty, but the portion was small and overpriced. • Secreto pork – nicely grilled and flavourful (four small pieces), though again expensive for the portion. • Pork tenderloin with broad beans – fairly average. • Mussels special – five mussels in a thick but bland sauce, which was underwhelming. • Chocolate torte – the highlight of the meal; rich and very enjoyable. Drinks: A glass (175 ml) of Laderas del Norte 2022 Ribera del Duero (Tempranillo) was priced at £18.40, which felt excessive given that the retail price for a whole bottle is around £18. The restaurant lists the bottle at £76, which is over four times retail and makes the wine pricing feel particularly inflated. Overall cost: The total came to around £240 for two people, and we still left not completely full. For the quality and portion sizes, this felt significantly overpriced. Overall: While Barrafina has a strong reputation and the open-kitchen bar concept is interesting, this particular visit was disappointing. The cramped seating, noise from the kitchen, and high prices combined with mostly average food make it difficult to justify the cost.”

★★★★★★★★★★via Google

“The exquisite food, the friendliest service and the beautiful rear dining room is the reason we go to Barrafina Coal Drops over and over and over again. Once again, everything was beyond our expectations! Thank you and see you very soon.”

★★★★★★★★★★via Google

“the Spanish restaurant definitely knows how to make food. they cooking up a storm. it is well crafted, artisanal, exquisite and so on, we had the arroz negro with squid ink and that one had a lot of flavour but a bit salty and the tortilla which was a nice fluffy omelette , and croquettes which were actually pretty amazing. the crab was cooked so well and it held together with a great sauce. very tasty and then the bravas which are classic but also very crispy and well made. so I would definitely say the food is great but a little bit pricey but yeah you should try it. oh yeah sangria was also top notch so it was like really good. if the price was better I would definitely star this but you know not bad, pretty good”

★★★★★★★★★★via Google

“The squid, fish, chicken thigh and the arroz negro was really good. We ordered abit too much but it was because we thought the portions were small turns out it was sufficient. It’s a great option, but to queue for a long time would not, since it’s in the pricier side. Patatas bravas weren’t as spectacular as people raved, would skip. Overall we ordered 1. cuttlefish croquette 2. chipirones ⭐️ 3. octopus 4. Chicken thigh with romesco ⭐️ 5. Arroz negro ⭐️ 6. Cauliflower with Sherry Vinegar 7. Sea Bass ⭐️ 8. patatas bravas”