Salvador & Amanda

Located moments from Holborn station, the Bloomsbury branch of Salvador and Amanda’s was easy to get to. We recieved a warm, friendly welcome and the interior definitely impressed me — we were seated in a small booth in the lower bar area. With an intimate and relaxed feel, it’s definitely a great location for impressing a date — or even just dropping in for some sangria before a night out.
Unfortunately we’d just missed the 5 – 7 Happy Hour where we could have got a whole litre of sangria for £11 (bargain), so we ended up just grabbing a half litre to share instead. The sangria itself was a bit sweeter and slightly more syrupy than I’ve been used to previously — but really tasty and moreish nonetheless.
Our Grilled Tomato Bread with Olive Oil came out first, and instantly took me back to the tastes of Barcelona — vibrant tomato taste and perfectly toasted bread. It was followed up quickly by our Ham, Chorizo and Cheese selection — serrano ham, chorizo; manchego, tetilla & mahon cheeses.
We ordered a lot of meaty dishes, including some Spanish Meatballs. The meatballs themselves were delicious, and the sauce was lovely and rich — a generous enough helping for there to be enough left to enjoy with the patatas bravas too.
However, a special mention has to go to the Chorizo Lollipops, which were totally my favourite part of the meal — balls of deep-​fried chorizo on the end of skewers. YES. I could easily have eaten another whole portion of these to myself!
Our total bill came to just over £55 after using our Tastecard. Without the 50% discount on food, it would have been around £80 — pricier than we’d normally go for but we probably ordered enough food for four rather than two. A really lovely place, whether you’re looking for a bite to eat or a sangria stopoff before a night out!

5 of us booked a table here for a friends leaving do (off to South America for a few months)
We were seated on quite a small table so asked to push another one together — this was ok
We ordered a lot of food! And drink! It came out when it was ready and most food ok, nothing was spectacular but some of it was quite bad
Bill at the end was so much! It was ridic! Very unimpressed and service was pretty bad
Would not go back!

Great food and great atmosphere plus you can use taste card and there is happy hour! Gets very busy in the evenings though so book a table!

Finding amazing tapas outside Spain is not always easy. Salvador and Amanda is definitely better than the average in my book, with a couple of stand out dishes. The black rice with seafood was delicious, rice cooked perfectly and some great flavours. Patatas bravas was lovely and hot with a good, flavoursome sauce. And the grilled chicken was delicious. The salad dishes we had were ok, but nothing to write home about. We had a lovely waitress, attentive but not overly so, and quick to clear empty dishes so we we’re surrounded by dirty dishes. And with my tastecard discount (50% off) it was a steal! The only thing to being it down is the state of the bathrooms. Broken toilet seats, tissue paper and water over the floor. Maybe I caught them on a bad day but it really mars my view of a place, especially if this is indicative of their hygiene practices…

Seems to attract pompous twats. But the bartenders are lovely and the drinks are good. Affordable during Happy Hour. Variety of sangria is awesome so there’s something for everyone.

I decided to pop into Salvador y Amanda for lunch with friends a few weeks ago, as it was a new place in the neighborhood, and we’d been going to the same old haunts for a while now. Since then, I’ve been back again, and enjoyed it just as much each time.
The tapas is very good – they have a lot of heavier dishes, but they’re nice on a cold day. I’ve particularly enjoyed the chorizo and the miniburgers my friends had looked absolutely amazing. Additionally, the sauce with the calamari is great! Their cocktails are all tasty, kind of standard fare, but a good price for a strong drink.
The ambiance and location are the key features of this place. They’re right at the heart of Holborn, well within reach for lunch or dinner or late night drinks. Inside, there’s the bar area, which seems easily converted to a dance space in the evenings, as well as an upstairs area with a separate bar. There’s also a kind of «VIP» section with beautiful white paint and comfy couches where you can peer down into the rest of the restaurant.
I’ve enjoyed my times at S&A quite a lot, and have every intention of going back. I’d highly recommend it for good tapas and a great experience.