Pix

Utterly terrible– 4 of us went on a Friday night for drinks and snacks:
— mis-​labelled or unlabelled food (not great if you have anything beyond regular dietary requirements) that ran out quickly and was very slow to be replenished
— exceptionally poor service, slow waiters who took over an hour and three separate requests just to bring a bit of bread to the table
— waiter brusquely tried to bump us from our table to seat another party of 4, despite the fact that we’d only just received new drinks (and the long-​awaited bread); had never been warned about the 90 min dining window (it’s apparently printed in tiny writing at the bottom of the menu); and the fact that there were 4 of us, but we were sat next to 2 people on a table for 4, who could much more easily have been moved onto one of the many empty tables for 2 (think another waiter was too busy flirting with them to engage his brain).
— same brusque waiter returned to tell us there was no longer a rush because the other party had left, as if (by messing up someone else’s booking!) he had done us a huge favour
— same waiter kicked up an unnecessary fuss about us asking to split the bill (really how hard can that be? We’d all drunk the same, and the food is all only one of two prices)
— drew up a bill that still included the ‘optional’ 12.5% tip after some of the worst service I’ve ever received anywhere– nope, that’s really not how tipping works, buddy.
Basic maths and basic social skills training would not go amiss here, sad to say.
I would never eat or drink here again, and would absolutely advise avoiding on any night likely to be busy (er…so…most of them then, given it’s in London…).
If you want considerably better Spanish food, with good service and a far superior atmosphere than this sweaty, dingy disappointment, try Meson don Felipe at Waterloo or Donostia, Marble Arch.

Inspired by the pintxo bars of Barcelona, Pix offers loads of different food options with only two prices. Those with small sticks sticking out of them cost £2.25 and the big ones £3.25 which makes adding up your bill super simple. After a couple portions of patatas bravas to share between us while we waiting for drinks we checked out the days offerings.
I went with the Serrano ham on tomato bread, diablo meatballs, Serrano ham & bechemal croquetas and the four cheese fritter. Some items were better than others and while the meatballs were delicious the bread that came with it and also the Serrano ham was a bit of a let down. My absolute favourite dish however were the cheese fritters, crispy on the outside while still being wonderfully gooey on the inside — truly delicious!
I could have quite happily gone back for more but of course wanted to save room for not only the cava we were drinking but a cheeky little pudding too! The churros with chocolate sauce were the bomb and an absolute bargain at the short stick price.
I may have got sugar absolutely EVERYWHERE trying to eat these in a half polite manner but man were they worth it. The sauce wasn’t really a sauce though, more like milkshake which made an excellent chaser at the end of the meal. In total the bill came to around £20 each including drinks which for central London is pretty much unheard of. I for one am a definite convert!

Yummy tapas and they are open until 12. Hard-​working, professional and friendly staff.

This was one of the many cute places on Notting Hill. We stopped here because of the atmosphere; it seemed full of young people and you can’t go wrong with tapas.
We were seated outside; all the «waitstaff» were young, funny, and friendly. They explained how it works — you take a plate and whatever you want from the bar and drop the sticks into a can at your table and at the end they tally that to calculate your tab.
We started off with the wine they recommended; we weren’t super hungry so tapas was perfect. Food-​wise, it wasn’t amazing. The tapas were decent and looked better than it tasted. Atmosphere-​wise, it was good. We spent a long time there and were happy.

I’m a big fan of this place — good food, not too pricey and great if you’re in a bit of a hurry.
Have been for both work lunch and pre-​theatre dinner, both times staff were very friendly. There’s a good variety of food and it was topped up regularly.

Booked a table on the phone an hour before we went there as I had read that the venue was quite small.
When we arrived, our table was free and the waitress was very friendly and explained to us how it works in the tapas bar.
The tapas were really nice and not too expensive. Also we had a gluten free and vegetarian guest, and the waitress brought food she could have to the table before even putting it where you get the food.
We had a bottle (well, we had 3) of rioja which was really nice too.
We had a brilliant time, very good tapas and good wine! The waiter and the waitress were delightful. I definitely wants to go back!!!

Love this place — the food is lovely and the staff are always really nice and friendly

Pix is a very decent tapas bar mini-​chain exclusive to London. I’ve visited the Covent Garden (Neal St) and Notting Hill locations.
The concept is great. You sit down, make yourself comfortable, maybe order a drink from the waiter, then get up to pick out your tapas. They offer a range of traditional tapas like albondigas, cured meats, chorizo and vegetable options which are all skewered. You collect skewers as you go, making as many trips as you’d like to the counter with the constantly replenished food. At the end, you pay for skewers and drinks and voila. It’s a great option if you want some authentic tapas at your own pace.
I generally like the concept of Pix, but beware, the space is very small and can feel like you’re packed like sardines in a can or the tube on your morning commute, so not always the most pleasant of dining experiences. I wouldn’t recommend this for groups (unless you book out the entire restaurant), and would always advise booking ahead.

Always a bit hard to review a tapas place without having tried all the tapas but suspect my taste buds would probably have commuted mass suicide at any more boredom …
Oh and my bank account would have been drained of all resources to feed me again…
It seems Soho is not the only place to have restaurant s that leave one feeling poor and hungry …
Suspect the best bits of this place are the fact one can sit in the street drinking wine and watching the world go by without looking like one is homeless …
The most insulting part of a serve yourself restaurant is being charged service charge … They are quick to remove it … So maybe just cheeky …

My American fiancé was visiting and we were stumbling around covent garden when we discovered Pix!
This place has a really unique concept. Everything is in small portions and you can pick up which food items you want to eat from the bar area. The total cost depends on the number of cocktail sticks that you accumulate.
I think they may need a better system for this– it’s a little too trusting in my opinion since it would be easy enough for customers to discard the sticks and avoid paying the full cost of what they ate (!)
In addition to the yummy tapas, there is also a good drink selection.
Note that the restaurant is very small and more suited to small groups of ²⁄₃!

I want to like Pix because of the concept, but I’m just ambivalent about it.
So how it works is you go in, you take a seat and then you get back up and go and pick whatever you want from the skewered food at the ‘bar’, restocked regularly, sit down, eat, then go back up to the bar and pick whatever you want from the skewered food at the ‘bar, sit down — well, you get the point.
We called ahead and were told they could fit us in. Little did we know they meant literally, could fit four of us into a dark corner, with too-​high bar stools and a thin piece of wood nailed on the wall serving as a table. We barely had enough room for ourselves, let alone food and drink.
Nevertheless, we headed up to the bar and were greeted with… well, not much at all. It seems we’d arrived at the tail end of a restock and there were only one or two of most things there, and several displays empty. Our vegetarian friend had to slope off back to our nook and wait as there was nothing there she could have. The rest of us picked up the last of a few things and proceeded back to try and eat balancing things on our knees.
To be fair, once they restocked, the variety was incredible. Plenty of veggie stuff to keep my friend happy, little spicy meatballs, chicken kebabs, a squishy potato cake thing with Mediterranean veg and even a chocolate pot and churro for dessert. It really was something else. If you manage to get a proper table, I can see the appeal big style.
For two of us, the bill came to about £33, which is amazing. Though we found a skewer in a little groove from a previous group which leads me to believe they might have some issues with people paying for everything they’ve had.
If we were able to book and guarantee a proper table, I’d probably try it again. But that’s really the only scenario where I’d come back. I don’t think my knees could take being squashed up in that corner again.

Love this pinxto stuff even if I can’t pronounce it. You know the deal here, there are sticks with stuff on the end, like roles with Iberian ham, chorizo and cheese, croquetas. You eat what you want, graze, pick up something here, something there and at the end of lunch the waiter counts up your cocktail sticks. In Spain this is a very cheap way of having a leasurely meal. In Spain, these thingies cost € 1 — € 1.50, this is London so they cost £2 — £3. Figure on Spending £15−20 not including drinks. The tapas/​pinxtos are actually rather good.

This made my trip last time I was in London. I already love tapas restaurants, but I think this place really takes the cake! The décor is cozy and perfect, and the tapas are just laid out in front of you when you come in so you can just drool over all the yummy choices. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable, and the prices are not outrageous. It makes for a great combination of a place that anyone who is a fan of wine and tapas should try, hands down!

Came her with my girlfriend. The atmosphere was very Spanish (which I love). The staff, even though very rushed, ensured that every need was answered.
The food was amazing and their wine recommendation was ideal.
If want a funky after work place to get a bite, this is the place for you.

Popped in last Saturday afternoon for our first visit to Pix. A warm welcome and quick explanation of how the stick counting works from the young lad on duty. We had window seats at the very front of the restaurant, which was just perfect for people watching.
Had some lovely cocktails and the tapas was great. More fresh food was delivered up to the bar every few minutes and I had to really stop myself from over-​indulging.
Would have given 5 stars but the barman completely forgot to bring us a round of drinks. He was very apologetic when I eventually managed to get his attention and remind him and they were all rushed off their feet. But overall, very good.

Walked in off the street without any previous knowledge and was pleasantly surprised. The food is displayed at the front of the restaurant and you go up and pick and mix what you want. I was a bit iffy of the idea at the beginning, but once i got eating… It was great (I even went back up for more). The staff are great and one girl (the manager, I think) even took the time to chat amicably with me during a quiet afternoon. Hope to go back again.

I love the concept of this place! The space itself is well designed, the drink options are well thought out, and the little tapas are all really flavorful!
We popped in on a whim, grabbed a glass of wine, and sampled about 5 different items. You get to go up to the bar and pick up the plates of the dishes you want (each is just a few bites), and the idea is that you collect your sticks as you go which are then added up at the end for your tab. Simplest is always best and we loved the jamon on the toast. Perfect way to start a night of bar hopping in Soho!

This concept is totally refreshing and I’d love to see something similar stateside. The décor is done right — exposed filament lighting, lots of what appears to be reclaimed wood and the entire front of the space is glass so you can people watch as shoppers pass through Covent Garden. It is b r i l l i a n t!!!
Numerous savory and sweet dishes are laid out for your enjoyment — tapas style! Every small dish that we sampled was full of flavor. My only complaint is that at the time there were a large amount of fritters, which are of course fried… BUT all the food is on a rotation so you can just sit back and enjoy another glass of wine while you wait for some new selections.
The following items were consumed (in order of tastiness):
— Seared Tuna on toasted bread
— Chorizo w/​manchego Cheese
— Ham and tomato on toasted bread (lovely thing strips of smoked ham)
— Spinach and Sweet Potato ‘cakes’
— Aubergine Fritter w/​Cherry Tomato
— Olives and tomatos
There is a bit of an honor system involved. Each selection comes with a ‘pick’ stuck in them and this is how your meal is totalled up at the end of your grazing session. I highly recommend this spot — if you are in the area you MUST try it.

Having been to Bilbao in northern Spain and experienced the local Pinchos bars this is the first time I have found something similar in London. These bars are basically like wine bars that have plates of single portion foods laid out on the bar. You ask for a plate and then take items from the bar without paying. Pinchos means spike, so all the food is served with a stick in it, this means you settle up when you leave by handing back the sticks from the food you’ve had.
The food I had was ok, but not to the same standard as that in Spain. There was a fairly limited wine selection too, perhaps 5 bottles of red. Still very nice to find a little taste of Spain like this in London.

My love of cold food is well documented. To clarify, I love, love, love spicy food. I just like the temperature of my food cold. Spicy cold food. Sounds disgusting. Tastes delicious.
So you can imagine my excitement when I walked into Pix for a quick lunchtime nibble and rather then having to wait for my tapas to arrive, there were an array of Basque-​style pintxos sitting and waiting to be plucked up from the bar. Plump juicy olives, meatballs, quince-​coated chorizo on manchego cheese, pork belly with apple and smoked potato, cod and crab croquetas, Iberico ham and zucchini… and that was just in the initial grab-​sesh. I noticed a beautiful display of Spanish wines, and as we were the only people sitting along the window, we got to sample a few cocktails they were testing. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon, hey?
If you’ve never enjoyed this Northern Spanish treat, pintxos are different from tapas in the way they are presented and eaten. While tapas are more of a sit down, get cosy, fork-​frolicing long-​term affair, pintxos are more of a social butterfly — reasonably large, but individual bites consisting of a small slice of bread with a wide variety of Spanish goodness on top, served on a long, thin skewer. (Pintxo = spike. Clever, huh?) If this is blowing your mind, compare pintxos to a sushi-​go-​round where you’re grabbing, nibbling, grabbing again and then being charged per colourful plate, rather than a sit down, order from a menu sushi restaurant. Or you could just go and check it out for yourself! (That goes for Pix and Basque Country alike.)