La Tasca

A random choice. Expect a bustling vibe and busy, somewhat touristy experience, especially if the weather is nice. Service was attentive, and accommodating. Not high end — but a fun place to go for a casual evening.
We shared about 8 – 9 tapas, including langostinos, gambas gabordina, albondingas, croquettes de pollo and more. Most dishes were simply prepared (maybe reheated?). They were all good, but nothing stands out beyond that. Had a great night — but probably would not go again. Rounded down to 2 and ½ stars.

We had the vegetarian paella which was really tasty for a veggie one, with lots of bell peppers, onions, mushroom and tomato!
We shared one for two, and it was really well served!
All the staff was Spanish, super friendly and helpful! We felt like we were back in Spain!
Although we didn’t try the sangria, most of the tables ordered it and look really fresh and good, they serve it in a clay jar!
I would definetely come back for some batata bravas and churros next time!

There are WAY TOO MANY good tapas restaurants in London now to waste your time with this tourist attracting random spot. The food is average at best, you get crammed into the room, prices are ok but no better than other spots. Service is inconsistent. Not worth it and leaves a bad rep for London if people think this is a good tapas spot.
not recommended unless you are starving and all else on the strip is booked. Go to Cocochan instead. Similar sharing concept there but better food.
I have now tried this place 3 times and each time I walk away saying I will never come back. I finally decided to write a quick review and commit to closing this chapter of my restaurant life!
Not recommended.

I couldn’t exactly place my finger on it, but something about this place just reminded me of Chevy’s. More upscale, but it still had that same kitschy chain restaurant vibe.
My friend found a 50% off coupon somewhere so we had a very affordable dinner here to work out our travel arrangements before a weekend of indulgence in Brussels. We were seated in the bottom level and the restaurant was insanely packed and very loud — it literally felt like we were part of our table neighbors’ scathing discussion about one of the girls’ horrible ex-​boyfriend, whether we liked it or not.
One of the girls in my group had a question about a menu item, and the servers looked at us like we were crazy when she asked them to describe an unfamiliar dish for her. Granted, it was busy but the restaurant staff could have definitely been a little less aloof and more helpful!
I love tapas and paella, but the food was just alright and I definitely expected the sangria at a «Spanish» restaurant to be better. My favorite part of the meal was the chocolate fondue with mini churros for dessert, but there is something about all the churros I tried in London/​Europe that was just slightly off — I don’t think they used enough cinnamon sugar coating? I never realized I had such a discerning palate for churros until I traveled abroad!

+ Spanish speaking waiters
— terrible food
— cramped floor space
La Tasca is a chain of tapas restaurant with the same menu throughout its branches, so you can be pretty sure of what you are getting when you order from them, usually.
I came here on a Thursday night with a friend after some shopping in the West End and was seated fairly promptly, but only after the first waiter cleared a table of four and a second waiter dragged us to another table for two to better utilise precious floor space.
The only good thing from this particular La Tasca were the native Spanish speaking waiters who sounded gorgeous when taking and delivering your order, but other than that there was nothing authentic especially when it came to the food.
My friend and I shared:
— Patatas Bravas: mushy cubes served with runny chopped tomato (as if out of the tin) instead of a rich, spicy tomato based sauce.
— Croquetas de Pollo (chicken croquettes): bland mixture of deep-​fried mash potato and chicken, visually repulsive.
— Langostinos a la Pancha (grilled black tiger prawns): annihilated prawns in their shells with all the moisture sucked out of them, with worryingly black mushy heads.
— Champiñoes al Ajillo (mushroom in white wine & garlic): ok; you can’t really mess up mushrooms.
— Paella Valenciana: paella was under-​seasoned, chicken was the subject of a treasure hunt at the size of one’s fingernails, and there were two mussels representing the seafood, one of which was closed and therefore not edible. It’s very crass the kitchen to have committed such an act, as the mussels were placed on top of the dish so it should be obvious whether the mussel passes or not.
— Pescado Blanco Frito (battered white fish): the only decent tapas dish all night, with crispy batter and succulent fish.
Given the speed at which the food arrived and judging from the terrible quality of the evening’s meal, I highly suspect that most of the tapas dishes were cooked earlier in the day and microwaved /​heated to order, which would explain the mushiness and dryness of most of the dishes. The only dish that is not easily re-​heatable was the battered fish and therefore the only thing that tasted fresh.
It’s a crime the quality of tapas at this La Tasca branch is so shockingly lacking, bringing shame to the delightful Spanish cuisine. La Tasca offers special promotions throughout the year for their tapas, no doubt a loss leader to attract patrons, and consequently this branch has cut tremendous corners on the preparation and quality of these dishes. It was regretful that I didn’t have a voucher with me to cut the price of this painful meal in half…
I strongly advise abstaining from tapas from this branch of La Tasca. Its central location by Oxford Street/​Bond Street station means they will continue to thrive as an establishment, but if you are local or a resourceful tourist reading this review, count your blessings and go somewhere else.

Went there because we had to. We were not expecting anything great, but I still hoped that it could be decent. The place was quite packed, so we kept hoping for something good.
Well, it was not good at all. The food was tasteless, made with the cheapest ingredients possible. Prices are not that attractive, unless you go with some special deal. Our friends had a discount card, which brought the total bill in par with the quality.
But even if the prices are OK, why would you go to a restaurant that serves bad food is rather incomprehensible to me.

if you’re looking for «authentic» spanish food, this is definitely NOT the place. as our very sweet waitperson explained, they cater to «british» tastes and the many tourists of the area, meaning bland & flavourless! if you must go, be sure to check for on-​line coupons as it MAY save you some money. service was quite good, food completely forgettable, skip it!

A good paella for two right near Bond Street station for an affordable (~£10×2).
DISHES
We were two and we ordered paella, a potatoes tapas and a crema catalana.
1. The paella valenciana is really good, served in its own pan so you can serve directly from it. It was tasty and well cooked. Very enjoyable.
2. The potatoes were good, but nothing really special.
3. The crema catalana had a good taste and density, but without the crispy surface that we were expecting for it and that is able to make it a bit fun.
AMBIENT AND SERVICE
The ambient is comfortable, with the inside tables not too tight and a good waiter service.
I personally don’t like sitting outside because it’s too much near the road, but if you don’t mind you can get a good and fresh spot.
Overall a good experience, especially for the paella.

OK, so I know it’s a chain and I shouldn’t have expected much, but we thought we’d give it a try because who doesn’t love tapas? Ahhhh… it was pretty bad. The food may as well been frozen that they reheated in a microwave because it was just odd… not really the correct textures for what it promised. So the sangria should have been good, right? Ahhh… again… no. and it’s pretty hard to screw up a sangria… but it’s in my bottom 5 sangrias I’ve ever drank. I won’t bother sorting out which in the bottom 5 because let’s face it, it’s not worth reliving the memory.
There’s a dim-​sum nearby, if you’re feeling mix-​and-​match peckish, just go there instead.

It’s a really nice restaurant, and the location is great. However, the food isn’t the best. It’s decent, but the portions are absolutely tiny. Overall, this place is worth it just for the Sangria and the chocolate fondue with churros dessert (amazing).