El Bareto

Good tapas have become something of a new obsession. I’m terrible at making decisions when I’m looking at a menu and in my opinion why would you ever want to choose one dish when you could have five different ones!
El Bareto has not let me down yet. Having been here a couple of times with a friend who lives nearby I have experienced it both as a laid back table for two and as the rowdy party table singing along to Bohemian Rapsody (a request to the band from the birthday girl — my apologies to anyone else dining that evening…)
The food is excellent, I particularly enjoyed the patatas braves and some sort of baked aubergine dish that we shared.
The music is excellent, theres something about live music in a restaurant that reminds me of being on holiday.
The service is excellent.
That’s 3 excellents in one review.
All in all El Bareto is excellent. You should probably go.

I was taken here for a Valentine’s celebration the weekend after valentine’s day hype had died down. I would have to say it is the perfect venue for a romantic night of food and music (they have a live band on a friday). It was extremely busy so you definitely need to book, but we had a fabulous meal. There was so much to choose from, although I was disappointed that they don’t do paella at the weekend (something we didn’t know when we booked). However, I was super impressed with the food and service as well as the atmosphere. It is such a small, cosy restaurant with a great vibe. Not ideal for huge parties, but intimate gatherings are perfect for this little gem. I loved it and can’t wait to go back!

We decided a bit last minute to try grab dinner last Saturday evening with no reservation– eek!
Unfortunately our 1^st choice could not accommodate us so we drove passed El Bareto where we’d been meaning to try for ages.
It’s situated in one of those spots where you know where it is if someone describes it but it doesn’t feature prominently for a place to eat as it’s on a small parade of shops on Gledhow Wood Road.
Nonetheless we managed to get a table with no wait and got settled in for a Tapas feast.
The tricky little waiting staff make you do your own orders on a list with a ‘tick box’ style which I’m sure helps ensure there are no issues in getting it wrong.
The amount of food on offer appears to be too much but hey ho-​it is tapas! I felt that a few of the dishes seemed a bit samey so we opted for the default dishes to really ‘test’ the quality.
Meatballs, chorizo, patatas bravas, baked aubergine, tomato bread and a new addition to our taste buds– chicken livers.
The food is brought out in waves when it’s ready so it gives a good opportunity to sample the dishes for their own individuality and not be over faced with too much at once.
Meatballs = meaty, good spice mix, good size & nice tangy sauce
Patatas bravas = very good size portion, very spicy sauce but they’d been very mean with the sauce portion :-(
Chorizo = melt in the mouth and good oil left for dipping bread in
Tomato bread = bread is bread
Baked Aubergine = a delight to eat. The Mr’s favourite dish!
Chicken livers– whoa! a mountain of chicken livers but lovely & succulent, a good ‘charred’ finish and would heartily recommend.
A pint & a half of one of my favourite beers from Draught-​Mahou.
£33 bill.
Very full and happy Wards!
This place is a gem, has no phone signal (you eat downstairs which is the lower ground floor-​cellar like) so you can’t be disturbed, suitable for an intimate dinner or banquet with friends and will feature high up of one of those reliable places to consider more frequently.
OK service for a busy Saturday night also.

If you’re lucky enough to catch a sunny day in Leeds this ‘summer’ there’s one hot spot that you’ve got to hit for lazy al fresco beverages, afternoon eats and a Mediterranean cheer. Having only been here before for a few drinks we decided to nip back this Saturday for something light to eat and it was the perfect place for it. Serving a number of delicious Spanish bits my companions and I chose about seven dishes to share, including five tapas, olives and one more main style dish.
Not only was the welcome warm, but the food was incredible. The chorizo sausage was immensely flavoursome, the garlic mushrooms were plentiful and the jalapeño croquettes were delicious! Each dish, the tapas plates costing in the region of a fiver, was beautifully cooked and certainly sizeable enough to share between three people. With our seven dishes, delivered one by one, we had plenty of food to satiate our appetites without feeling overly stuffed once we’d had our fill.
To add to that the ambiance of this gorgeous little bar is delightful. We managed to secure a seat outside, which was a tricky feat given how obviously popular it is, although I’d have been happy enough to sit inside the rustic and woody interior.
I suppose if you were searching to nit pick, that there is only one toilet each for men and women was a little tricky, given that a queue quickly formed, but I’m not all that fussy and was happy to wait. It gives you swift insight as to how well oiled the kitchen operation is, given that the loos are just by the kitchen, and although clearly weighed down by orders it seems everything was smoothly under control. We had a couple of minor mix ups with our order, one dish accidentally being claimed by another table, but even so our replacement arrived within minutes and we all had a wee chuckle about it in the process.
The staff too, are excellent. The waitress was lovely and one of the bar men was well up for a bit of banter as he grabbed our empties, which always makes a visit more pleasant. I’ve a feeling this will become more of a regular spot for me, especially if the weather keeps up, given that a delicious light meal and drinks between three totalled in the region of £50. How reasonable is that? Not to mention the fact that the Estrella and Mahau (spelling?) lagers on tap make for a lovely change to the usual. Sunny pints, sumptuous bites and the most relaxed European vibe ahoy!

We came here for tea last night with some friends and it was mega. We live just up the road from El Bareto and had heard good things but hadn’t got around to going until now.
As you go in you find yourself in the cosy but atmospheric bar area, and if you’re clever and have booked in advance, particularly on a weekend, you’ll be led downstairs to the just-​as-​cosy restaurant downstairs. It’s all very rustic, with terracota jugs and authentic spanish décor (including too-​small-​for-​all-​the-​food tables). Along with the menu you’re given a paper checklist version, so all you do when it come to ordering is add a number next to the item to indicate how many portions of it you want. Genius.
Beware though, the portion sizes are on the generous size, so we found it ideal to go as a foursome, as we each picked about two dishes and weren’t too full to walk afterwards, just content and satisfied, with a bit of room left for some beers.
Dinner for four with a beer and a bottle of malbec came to £65 exc. service, which I reckon is awesome.

A great place which often plays live music (on Weds). The food here is lovely and the atmosphere is great. Mainly tapas and other Spanish food on the menu, the food is always good. The staff are warm and welcoming and the owner is engaging and welcoming too.

Excellent place to meet new friends. Very good Spanish food, great atmosphere, good Spanish wine, excellent service.